Jul 6 2011: Forgive the side note, but it horrifies me that we have so willingly ceded the right to be free of restrictive labels. What does it mean, exactly, to be a conservative? What if I reject the death penalty but own a gun? Then what am I? I know some people who vote Republican and reject neither knowledge nor science.
What good can come from that label in the first place? How much better might this country be if we chose to think of ourselves as under one label: Americans? How much better might our world be if we chose to broaden even further and think of ourselves, all of us, as one label: People. Given that so much animosity results from these often spurious groupings, I suspect that eschewing labels might be one of the most beneficial things we (all of us) could do.
Jul 6 2011: I absolutely believe that this is appropriate. An idea stands on its own merit, not on that of the speaker. It is incumbent upon the listener to determine the veracity of any message and determine the ways in which action should arise from an idea.
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A comment on Conversation: Are there any Republicans, tea party members, or conservatives here?
What good can come from that label in the first place? How much better might this country be if we chose to think of ourselves as under one label: Americans? How much better might our world be if we chose to broaden even further and think of ourselves, all of us, as one label: People. Given that so much animosity results from these often spurious groupings, I suspect that eschewing labels might be one of the most beneficial things we (all of us) could do.
A comment on Conversation: Disassociating the message from the speaker. Is it really appropiate?