Comments on: The Speech

By: S.C. Butler

S.C. Butler — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:08:48 +0000

I thought it was a great speech too, but I’m not at all sanguine about the effect it’s going to have beyond the folks who already support him.

I do hope I’m being too cynical.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:32:50 +0000

I confess the speech moved me to tears. I hope you are just being a cynic. Maybe people will realize that we are in a bad place, and we’re all in it together, and it’s time to start healing some of these wounds.

And HIspanics ought to be on-board with this too. Growing up in NM where _I_ was the minority, I’ve been very comfortable with the Spanish culture. When I went out to L.A. I was stunned and shocked at how anti-Hispanic they city had become. Or maybe it always was, and I just didn’t see until I had to live there.

I know tribalism is basically hardwired into us, but we have to strive to rise above these reptile tendencies if we’re ever going to get off the planet.

By: Ty

Ty — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:59:41 +0000

*nods*

Jabbing a spear into anything that frightens or angers us is hardwired in too. So far most of us have managed to avoid stabbing anyone.

Unfortunately, we compartmentalize and call some tribalism good and some bad. Racism bad, my country right or wrong, good. Making fun of the culture of hispanic americans, bad. Making fun of ‘towel heads and camel jockeys’, good.

As long as we keep this compartmentalization, we cling to unhealthy tribalism.

By: S.C. Butler

S.C. Butler — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:36:38 +0000

Not an encouraging poll at AOL. (One of the reasons I retain my AOL account is because I like to see what the average conservative, tech-averse AOL user thinks, a group that, in one poll, believed in creationsim by 70%.) Anyway, in their latest poll, 68% of respondents believe that Obama still has more work to do in renouncing his pastor.

People hear what they want to hear.