How do you feel about stereotypes and 'hate' speech?

[The Straight Story]

I put 'hate' with ticks on it because I think it needs to be better defined contextually within my OP.

I don't spend a lot of time reading Main Stream news sites (fox/cnn/msnbc/etc). I DO read them, just don't hang out there much.

I do though spend a lot of time reading local papers (as I have mentioned before http://www.usnpl.com).

While the msm spends a lot of time talking about joe shooting fred, church pastor john molesting billy, teacher anna having sex with student, and so on I find a whole different world locally (touched on this in earlier op as well for those bored enough to keep track).

Throw in an individuals' own personal (and limited in sphere/scope) experiences on issues and read a lot of posts online (here and elsewhere, which can backup your own experiences or challenge them) and you start to see something rather uncomfortable imho.

It all creeps in, though sometimes it hits you full force on some threads...

If you own a gun you are a gun nut, a big gun and you have a small penis (if you are a man, if you are a woman...well hell I have no idea), own lots of guns and ammo you might be the next major serial killer, etc.

If you are a person of some faith or other you are delusional, you want to convert everyone, your motive in helping others is always that you want to preach to them and not really help them, if you are catholic and a priest you probably molest young boys (though teachers tend to have a big issue with the same and we don't joke about them doing it, and yes schools have covered it up a lot).

If you drive an suv, shop at wal-mart, home school, insert-flame-worthy-topic-here, you hate america, education, small business, the environment, and so on. Never mind if you drive that SUV to pic up the elderly to take them to wal-mart so they can get cheaper drugs because our fucking health care in the US sucks ass, or you home school because your school district is run by rw wack jobs.

--------------------------------------------

You can google the news all day long for the negative to re-enforce your belief. I would just say take some time each day to really read the news from small towns (and some larger ones) and see that there are many good folk that you might otherwise consider bad doing really wonderful things for others.

Not saying to discount the bad people do, but maybe just take some time and realize that for every (just for example here) one person using a gun in a crime there are millions that don't. For every church that has a person in it that does something crappy there are many many more that have people in them that are out there helping people everyday and never make the news.

What a person owns, believes, etc, does not usually equate into why they did something terrible. Usually it is because we lack mental health care and people don't have the resources to deal with the issues.

If you think that stereotypes have their roots in truth remember that next time you diss on one espoused by some rw drunk at the local pub.

If you think using the latest news story you found to enforce your own stereotype is going to convert others think again, most likely you are simply trying to convince yourself that you are right.

My mom was a Christian. She smoked. Drove an SUV sometimes. Shopped at meijer and wal-mart but also local small stores (super duper and lehman's). We had, and still have, several guns in the house. We fished, dad hunted once in a really great while (maybe 10 times in my 43 years if that). My bro-in-law is a rw baptist - who voted for Obama (and he owns not only rifles but handguns).

Most people in this country are pretty decent - they may not believe what I do, they may not look like me, they may have more money than me or less, they might be gay or straight, american indian or of irish origins, tis no matter to me - they are responsible for their own actions and if I let that dictate to me how I feel about others who share similar traits to them then shame on me.

And I am just as guilty myself of doing the same as I am complaining about - to me though being a progressive means I can see my own faults and work on them. Being perfect means you don't have to progress because you have achieved perfection - and I don't know anyone who fits that description.

Be progressive. Question yourself and your beliefs as much as you do that of others.

[rrneck]

1. The mark

of an educated person is humility.

It's okay to categorize people, but always hope they will have something to teach us. They frequently will.

I believe there is a saying in the Buddhist tradition - "Always be prepared to bow."

[The Straight Story]

2. As someone who spent some time studying Tibetan Buddhism let me say

Your post was enlightening and said better what I wanted to say in a short space than I did with all my writing.

well done.

[rrneck]

4. Thank you. You're very kind. nt

[sammythecat]

3. Nice post

I'm glad you put it up. I'll do a search to find the one by rrneck.