Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Ignorance
I make an effort: I read books; I keep up on the news; I search for answers. I'm not close to knowing everything but I am informed. These past few years have had my interest piqued in so many ways and I'm astonished on how much I have changed and grown intellectually and philosphically. The world is changing and I'm glad I'm around to bear witness to it.
Tonight, I had a watershed moment. This evening, I went to visit a couple of friends and the topic of converstation moved towards the presidential debate. Before long the arguments started, as I had expected. Bush is an idiot, Americans are idiots, yadda yadda yadda. What I didn't expect was the illumination I received through talking with these individuals. It was the first time I was truly scared of how deranged the anti-Americanism has gotten. To give you an idea of what I mean, this is what I got out of my two companions in 15 minutes of discussion:
Reader, these are friends of mine.
Of course I flipped out, laid out some colourful language, and stormed out of the place. I feel miserable for losing my cool but I also felt embarrassed for their utter ignorance. Idiots or not, I feel sorry for them. They are unable to offer any insight other than the odd misquote from Fahrenheit 9/11. That, and insulting my patriotism. I knew which way they leaned before this evening but I like to think opponents of Bush at least make an effort with their criticisms. It was appalling.
More than that: It was frightening. Absolutely frightening. This is why I feel so strongly about Fahrenheit. It's not that it's an opportunist seeking to discredit a sitting president; it's about Michael Moore spreading egregious falsehoods to those too smug and lazy to fact-check themselves, and merely confirms for these intellectually lazy pseudo-intellectuals the conspiratorial rumours which should have no place in logical debate. It's beyond criticism: it's dangerous.
Nasty stuff. I ought to have known better.
Tonight, I had a watershed moment. This evening, I went to visit a couple of friends and the topic of converstation moved towards the presidential debate. Before long the arguments started, as I had expected. Bush is an idiot, Americans are idiots, yadda yadda yadda. What I didn't expect was the illumination I received through talking with these individuals. It was the first time I was truly scared of how deranged the anti-Americanism has gotten. To give you an idea of what I mean, this is what I got out of my two companions in 15 minutes of discussion:
- the US is having its civil liberties stripped because George Bush changed the Constitution to ban gay weddings (apparently without the knowledge of the president, according to tonight's debate);
- racial profiling is rampant in American airports because one of them just got fingerprinted at the San Antonio airport (I gather Canadians travelling through Texas receive a information pamphlet on the detailed security policy of the airport);
- 9/11 was probably not caused by men of Middle Eastern descent. Proof of this? CNN had said it to be true, therefore it's false;
- Whoever caused 9/11, the Americans had it coming; and
- Osama bin Laden was flown out of the United States two days after 9/11.
Reader, these are friends of mine.
Of course I flipped out, laid out some colourful language, and stormed out of the place. I feel miserable for losing my cool but I also felt embarrassed for their utter ignorance. Idiots or not, I feel sorry for them. They are unable to offer any insight other than the odd misquote from Fahrenheit 9/11. That, and insulting my patriotism. I knew which way they leaned before this evening but I like to think opponents of Bush at least make an effort with their criticisms. It was appalling.
More than that: It was frightening. Absolutely frightening. This is why I feel so strongly about Fahrenheit. It's not that it's an opportunist seeking to discredit a sitting president; it's about Michael Moore spreading egregious falsehoods to those too smug and lazy to fact-check themselves, and merely confirms for these intellectually lazy pseudo-intellectuals the conspiratorial rumours which should have no place in logical debate. It's beyond criticism: it's dangerous.
Nasty stuff. I ought to have known better.
Link posted by Rob Huck : 10:45 PM
