mensch...a descent person, respectful and kind
balagan..a hullabaloo, a mess, the world turned upside down
kvetch...complainer
It never fails to amaze me just how infantile adults can become on social media. Heaven forbid if you challenge their sense of their own importance. All heck will break lose. Case in point, this morning:
A rather well known conservative had tweeted about the recent Supreme Court ruling calling the Chief Justice a coward. Now what ever you might think of the ruling, Roberts is many things, a coward is not one of them. So I wrote back just that and I also added that he needed to not call names. That name calling is bullying. (You can read some of our interaction on my time line HERE if you like.)
Oy va voy...his meltdown of the day ensued. He called me a lefty, and a bully. I guess this rant made sense to this interlocutor since according to him, it was the Left "bullying" of the Chief Justice that got him to change his mind, not that Roberts can think for himself and make his own decisions. I mean Roberts is only one of the preeminent lawyers of our time. I suppose accordingly to this individual that means that Roberts has no ability to think, analyze and function on an adult level.
Needless to say I answered telling him that I am from a family of Reagan republicans, a constitutional and civil rights lawyer and before he attacks people he really needs to learn something about them. That actually just seemed to set him off more. He accused me of hiding behind a pseudonym and said I wasn't being taken seriously if I don't use my real name. I then of course did the mature thing and wrote back that if I am not to be taken seriously why is he responding to me?
Someone attempted to intervene between us but to no avail. The meenie-tweeter just wouldn't stop and didn't apologize when I called him out once again for his bullying. Oh and I did tell him he was being whiny and unmenschy too.
@joelpollak get over yourself boychik...u really are very whiny and not very menschy this morning.
— Independent Patriot (@LibertysSpirit) July 2, 2012
Listen we are constantly regaled about the Left and their use of nasty tactics and bullying and name calling. Look at how they talk about Sarah Palin, or even more recently Anne Romney. Problem is if you don't like a tactic don't use it yourself. Be the person you think you are.
After writing about this on facebook, one of my FB friends wrote this:
" ...Wow! It's really sad that we are teaching our kids not to bully & name-call, but adults (especially when speaking about politics) bully/name-call those who have differing opinions. Way to be a good example to our young people! :-/ "
In all seriousness, how are our children supposed to learn to not bully when the adults in this world use it as their weapon of choice? People write how the culture has been dumbed-down or that there are no boundaries anymore. Well truth be told, there are boundaries if you set them, stick by them and stand up for your principles in a civilized and respectful manner.
No I am not upset about this morning. More bemused in fact. With the news media lying and editing tapes the way they want; with spin doctors playing fast and lose with the truth; with politicians and pundits displaying infantile behavior (from calling you a racist to a Marxist), is it not a wonder that CM2 thinks his vote means nothing? He has decided that all adults are morons and that noone really cares about the future. This is CM2's first Presidential election and he is thinking about sitting it out....shame on the political class.
If we are ever going to solve this nation's issues, we are going to have to have a forthright and honest discussion about what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. This reality takes grown-ups, something I see completely lacking in our society today on both sides of every issue.
Honestly, all I see is adults name-calling and bullying. Not able to have real open dialogue without trying to deflect and divide. By the way, these hurtful and hate-filled actions are the last true resort of a "coward," not writing an unexpected Supreme Court opinion.
Until next time,
Elise
I agree Elise that name calling and bullying are wrong. Why would someone get mad because you have a different political view? I'm not American, but hasn't there been both great republican and democratic presidents? So why all the anger.
ReplyDeleteYes Jim, there have been great Presidents from both sides of the aisle. I actually think this began during Reagan's time and has gotten worse from there.It crescendoed during Bush and seems to have taken on a rather unhealthy life of its own.
DeleteWhy all the anger? That comes with thinking that only you are right and that your point of view makes you a better person than someone else. It is a the idea that your side is so right that the ends justify the means and how you get where you want to go doesn't matter. It's a messiah complex created by both sides of the discussion and quite frankly disgusting.
I agree. It has gotten much worse over the last 20 years or so. It certainly wasn't like this when I was a child and young adult. I don't like that my son has to deal with this as he is about to get old enough to vote. What it's going to take is our Asperger children to get in there and make things right again.
ReplyDeleteYes, our aspies could teach the world intellect, respect and appropriate social interaction.
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