I'm tired of vitriolic arguments over really stupid 'stuff'...

[PCIntern]

Years ago, I went to see the film "Dances With Wolves" at a little theater in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. During the intermission, I was standing in the crowded lobby with my wife, and remarked to her that so far, the film was simply a reworking of the plot of F-Troop. What happened next is emblazoned in my brain forever: a lady standing next to me, said that that was just an obscene(!) statement about a great work of art(!).

I replied, "I'm sorry, Ma'am, I didn't know that F-Troop was your favorite TV show." To which she erupted that this film was a spectacular blend of travails of the individual within civilization juxtaposed with blah blah blah.

My turn: So I said to her, "Look...in F-Troop, Parmenter sneezes accidentally and leads a charge which defeats the enemy. Here, Costner puts on his boot over his injured leg and accidentally leads a charge which defeats the enemy. In F-Troop, the Army promotes Parmenter and sends him to a fort in the middle of nowhere and the same happens to Costner here. At this fort, Parmenter meets friendly Native Americans (I'm certain that I said "Indians" further inflaming her) and takes up with a white woman who wears buckskin clothes - Calamity Jane - and costner does the same. It will be interesting to see how the second half of this epic works out. Perhaps Larry Storch or the Hakawis will show up and exclaim "It's the Balloon!".

Well, this lady just went off on me for being an anti-intellectual. ME! I told her that if I were an anti-intellectual, I would know all the episode numbers of F-Troop and who the gaffers and best boys were. she didn't get it, and turned away from me. My wife,of course, was mad at me for engaging a perfect stranger and making another enemy. I said that she had engaged ME, but we know how that logic fails to work in most cases.

So here I am, just trying to make sense of a crazy world: not only is he physical globe falling apart, but the intellectual, political, and scholarly worlds are as well. Within my sphere, I can't put Philadelphia Magazine in my waiting room because it's loaded with gratuitous use of the F-word; cardiology fellows with superb training can't get a job; my staff hate each other for no rational reason; costs of providing health care to said employees is through the roof whilst the Republicans tell me that everything's just fine the way it is and not to change anything quickly 'cause it can get worse;I have 600 channels on my Cable and there's nothing to watch; I go to my favorite website and there are a few "Progressives" who are ardently defending a School District's right to put cameras in thousands of homes.

WHAT!?? I must be going insane...this is some alternate reality, isn't it? It's the antithesis of the film Pleasantville: instead of finding myself in a 50's-style TV show, I've descended into some pit of Hell which Dante couldn't have conceived of and am trying to bring traditional values back from the brink to which the military-industrial complex via the Bush/Cheney regime (and others) have taken us.

When I came to DU all those years ago, it was because there was an esprit de corps which pervaded the site. Now, we're more like the Politburo...present forever, protecting our own fiefdoms(such as they are), and many (some?)folks generally being argumentative for the sake of argument alone. Yesterday, I briefly considered taking a hiatus, but realize that I'm too attached to some of the people and to the Process.

[Skittles]

1. I have the persistent feeling I am in Bizarro World

K&R

[tom_paine]

19. We ARE in Bizarro World, on so many levels

:hi:

And I am tossing in a K&R, as well.

As we as a nation push on through what I call Middle Transition Phase between what we were in the 1945-1980 period (for all it's faults and flaws at least they were trying to make it better and making some progress) and to now what we are becoming, which has a range of possibilities from just plain old bad to Soviet/Nazi/Crazy bad, everything seems to be flying apart.

The Orwellian Crazy is getting crazier, the M$M is becoming more enslaved to it's Corporate Masters and our National Dialog seems to be right out of Weimar Germany as the Tea Partoers, who's embryonic Brownshirtism may not go away this time when a Corporate Republicantakes power.

Thought it still me. To me, the last question we have to ask of the Comic Charnel Housed & Carnival our nation has become is whether the American Corporatists will lose control of their creation as the German Industrialists of the 1930s did theirs.

Not being able to see the Final Phase (or "Final Solution" Phase, if you will) in detail, only the neon arrow that points towards it, I am guessing that both what the Aristocratic Corporatists and the Future "Corn-Pone Hitler" (as Kunstler calls him or her) of the Tea Party, neither of them are looking very good for the bottom 80% of America.

For we, the American Subject Populace, these are still the "Good Old Days". Sadly, I see little to no deflection or slowing (let alone reversing) of the process.

[heliarc]

2. I feel like Larrouche logic is pervasive.

There is a theater of the absurd at work in my daily life too... It's getting ridiculous. K&R

I have a real problem with how young educated people take for granted this level of privatization of the public sphere.

Most of them actually believe the hype about "government being inefficient, and business saving the day" even as they consider themselves little rebels ready to take down the man.

I had a well respected journalist I work with actually turn to me when the housing bubble burst and blamed it on the people taking out mortgages they couldn't afford. I should have said "Really? What about the assholes who had fire in their ass to sell that piece of shit mortgage to them? What about all the assholes who let middlemen with no accountability broker those loans in the first place." Unfortunately, it was one of those bizarro moments that left me speechless with dismay.

[Obamanaut]

3. Do not put yourself into the argument. Walk away. n/t

[Blue-Jay]

18. Just walk away.

Just walk away. I will give you safe passage in the Wasteland.
Just walk away and there will be an end to the horror.

[PCIntern]

23. Great film...

shame Gibson turned out to be such an idjit.

[Dogmudgeon]

24. "Mad Mel" is a prime example of it.

A Jewish friend of mine "knew him when". Said he was a wonderful guy. I blame the pressure, the booze, Hollywood, and his Dad, Pope Hutton Gibson I.

But for you, that will clearly qualify as a FOAF tale. You shouldn't believe it. There are probably plenty of examples in your immediate world, and most aren't the children of a Pope.

--d!

[PCIntern]

27. I like FOAF's unless they're of the

"Mexican Pet" variety...

[RC]

4. I sometimes get the feeling I am walking around in an open air insane asylum.

I mean reality is all around us, why do so many not see it?
Forget critical think skills, simple logic would do wonders if more people could grasp the concept.

[Fumesucker]

5. The esprit de corps came from common purpose..

Getting rid of Bush-Cheney and ending the wars..

Now we are divided, there are those who just wanted the people in power to have a "D" in front of their names and then there are those who had social and political goals in mind.

The people we put in power have shown that they aren't really serious about changing the political/social gestalt in the country and for those who truly want change it is a cruel stab in the back..

It's always more hurtful when someone you care for or someone you think is on your side turns on you and betrays your trust. You expect betrayal from enemies and you are inured to it, not so for those you consider your friends.

[PCIntern]

7. Thus the 'Revolutionaries' cannot govern...

Ask President Gingrich.

(God forbid!)

[etherealtruth]

6. The fear some display relating to differing opinions and perspectives is astounding

Perhaps even more astounding is the amount of time and effort they devote attempting to promote their own (often very skewed perspectives) through vitriolic attacks and tortured logic. I don't know whether to envy or pity those that are able to invest so much time and effort.

On edit: When I joined DU (and for many years ) I refused to use the ignore function. I truly believed that people could have a bad day .... I could/ would bitterly disagree with someone on one topic and learn from their insights on an other. At this point in time I have come to the conclusion that there are exceptions to this and there are some that make the DU experience better (read: more informative and interesting) if ignored.

[rug]

8. What do you have against F Troop?

:grr:

[PCIntern]

9. Funny!

Nothing at all.

It's just not "Naked City"...

[Enrique]

10. I'm not sure what the movie anecdote is supposed to show

you were upset that she liked "Dances with Wolves"? In that anecdote, could you have simply listened to her to see why she liked it?

[PCIntern]

12. Here we go...

OK...I was talking to my wife. This stranger interrupted me and foisted her indignation upon me b/c I wasn't enthralled with the film...I politely answered her why I thought it was like F Troop.

Is that OK...or do you want to "go for the title"?

But thanks for making my point for me...kudos to you!

[Enrique]

15. I still don't see the problem

you haven't added much to explain why that incident would stick with you after 20 years, and is supposed to be indicative of something.

I happen to think the public square is a beautiful thing, both in movie lobbies and at DU.

[PCIntern]

16. so what's your problem?

Other than 'you not understanding', to what do you specifically take offense? I was speaking to my wife...a complete stranger argumentatively and insultingly got into my face in a crowded lobby, and I politely answered her.

Much like I'm doing with you...

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. I find myself rising to bait on DU more and more

If I read posts that are being rude to other DUers, or putting forward views that seem amazingly non-liberal, I have ended up replying in somewhat rude terms more often, recently.

I guess it may be because there isn't the external Bush presidency to unite against. While Republican clowns are still there, when they're not in charge the need to attack them doesn't seem so important, and we're finding the divisions between ourselves more, because views on what Democratic politicians are doing right or wrong are more central to what will happen to the US.

[surrealAmerican]

13. Many people seem to live in a state of generalized anger ...

... but, since they are trying not to deal with the actual source of their anger, they react to trivial details in an angry way.

Also, forums will tend to attract "strong opinions". People who think the topic at hand is minor or unimportant, just won't post.

[PCIntern]

14. See #11 and 12 above...

[pipi_k]

17. OK, I liked "Dances With Wolves" as much as the next person did, but...

I think it would be a reach to call it "a great work of art".


I wonder if that woman also thinks "Gilligan's Island" is intellectualism at its finest...


:+



PS...I'm finding as I get older that the world is making less and less sense...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

20. If it makes you feel better, you're one of my favorite posters.

And I hope you also mentioned to that lady how Parmenter always had his army manual with him while Costner had his diary.

[PCIntern]

21. oooh...GREAT ONE! And thanks...

for the compliment.

[lunatica]

22. Reality sucks doesn't it?

That's why I call myself Lunatica. It's a crazy making world if you let it.

[timeforpeace]

25. Then don't get into vitriolic arguments over really stupid stuff.

[PCIntern]

26. Great post...hadn't thought of that.

Thanks!!!:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[MindPilot]

28. A K&R to you, buddy. You have articulated what I have been thinking and feeling

but every time I sit down to post it, the next thought is "what's the point?"

I now look at DU as an addiction I need to break. Or at the very least a vice that is not making me feel good any more so I need to cut way back.

The authoritarianism here coupled with the expectation of ideological purity has really turned me off.

[Festivito]

29. In my last DU vitriolic argument, I started by saying...

that we might argue about this side issue, however we both fight Republicans and when we do, I'll be at your side defending you and you me. That said, let's get to this fight.

We ended the fight amicably albeit without resolving the side issue.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

30. Great post.

I considered taking a hiatus also. But then I found a complaint about me in General Discussion and it made me feel like I am accomplishing something. So I guess I'm here for the long haul.

[U4ikLefty]

31. Your post is better...very self-revealing. nt

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

32. Thanks.