http://videosift.com/video/I-Remember-and-I-m-Not-Voting-Republican?loadcomm=1#comment-1095080

I agree with a lot of what you say, and like I said in my reply -- it's common for the extremists on either side to be the loudest voices -- despite the fact that they're a vast minority.

There is no true "news" anymore, no matter which channel (or website) you visit, there is an ever present slant, being it right or left leaning, and some sort of agenda in play. The only TRUE method of absorbing news today is to listen to what both sides have to say, and coming to the middle ground on our own (which I try to do). For example, many sifters, diggers, or reddits will either love one opinion maker -- or hate them -- there is [almost] no middle ground. Example: Bill O'Riley is a XXXXX (you can fill in the blank), or the opposite occurs: Bill O'Riley is awesome! Same applies to Maddow, or Olbermann, etc. Fact is, Bill O'Riley is neither a XXXXX or awesome, he's just a person giving HIS opinion, some of which people will disagree with. But like anyone, there ARE things [people] will agree with him on, whether [they] like it or not. In either case, the truth lies somewhere between what Olbermann says and what O'Riley says for the sane people, as both have an agenda, clear or not. These tea-partiers are no different. Instead of getting annoyed by them, or hating them, or calling them all morons, you have to listen to what they have to say, and pick out the rational thoughts they have, not the ones infected by fear or hate. There ARE some things the tea-partiers say that makes sense, whether we like it making sense or not doesn't matter.

Oh, and I tend to ramble, too. Mostly because I like intelligent conversation.

The problem with the media, and the government today (either side), is that you will often see this, and I use this example because it's at the forefront of politics right now.

Republicans are often (almost always) accused of being an elite class of rich people protecting an elite class of rich people. You will often hear democrats regurgitate this, as if they're the voice of the middle class/under class people, which is what they market themselves as.

The problem I have with that is simple: Everyone in Washington (and I mean EVERYONE) and everyone that has a TV show (like Olbermann/Maddow), are VERY rich people. These very people ARE the elite they are supposedly protecting us from. So it's very insulting to me when they try to talk as if they're one of [us] (middle class). I've been to a few political events in my life that are non-party events (both Democrats/Republicans in attendance). It's quite amazing how much hate they spew at each other in the spotlight/on television, and now friendly they all are behind closed doors.

The republicans and democrats almost all universally care about one thing -- votes. And why wouldn't they when they're all paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to "fix" all the nations problems when all they end up doing is breaking it more with every change they make [for our sake]. Not to mention the back end 1 million plus dollar book deals they all end up having when they do get voted out and/or leave.



Sorry for rambling.

>> ^peggedbea:

hmmmm, i realize it's a geographic phenomenon and an example of a very vocal minority. but this phenomenon is having an impact on everything else (see the recent texas state board of education decisions), and i believe, a detrimental one at that.
and sure the only exposure to the media i have is through the internet, but it's also very sporadic and i'm generally pretty good at realizing hyped up bullshit when i see it.
let me clarify this last bit. i don't think they're misguided because they fear, hate, distrust the government. honestly, i think most of the time not trusting politicians is warranted and wise. BUT the trust they put in sources that intentionally misguide them("they" being the dozens of people that claim tea party affiliation that i have every day exposure to) is what i think is "misguided fear and distrust".
and yes, "authority" was just a device to emphasize that i speak to dozens of people with tea party affiliation every day, my family get-togethers are dominated by political conversations with tea baggers weekly, i hear loads of first hand "tea bagging nonsense" daily. i'm very curious, very friendly, and work a job where i go into peoples homes and a side effect is forging relatively intimate relationships with the whole household, so when my families are having these discussions (daily), i listen, and ask questions respectfully and try to seem unbiased. my experience is not from sensational news sources, but from the mouths of a movement i find misguided and threatening. my friends and family and neighbors and clients are scared. they tell me they're scared. and they're being scared by sources they trust and shouldn't and that makes me sad.
i think the most damning evidence that this far right, very vocal minority, is actually something to worry about is the texas state board of education. it was slowly infiltrated over the last decade or so by young earth creationists and the christian right. they planned it this way intentionally. the sources that fund the political campaigns of far right christian groups intentionally set their sites on the texas board of education because of the impact decisions in texas have on the rest of the country. the board of education votes every 10 years on new textbooks and new curriculum standards. because of how huge texas is, textbook publishers usually just sell whatever books texas orders to most of the other states in the country. this year the vote came up and and extreme far right political/religious agenda won. now, they have dictated the educational standards of an entire generation, very nearly nation wide.
also, another thing that makes me shudder is my city recently did a multimillion dollar renovation to the science museum. millions of those dollars came directly from oil and gas companies (that also silently fund the tea party movement). we now have a science museum in a major city that is largely dedicated to energy with zero mention of conservation, pollution or climate change. and almost zero mention of alternative sources of energy production in the future.
so my overall points being that, 1. i know,literally, dozens of people that claim tea party affiliation and i don't think any of them stupid or crazy. (but i think the movement as a whole is very stupid and very crazy and very deceptively steered, not individual people) 2. i don't think just because nationwide news outlets sensationalize things, that we can discount the very very real impact this extremely far right, mostly religious, and extremely loud minority is having.
but.. i ramble too.

hmmmm, i realize it's a geographic phenomenon and an example of a very vocal minority. but this phenomenon is having an impact on everything else (see the recent texas state board of education decisions), and i believe, a detrimental one at that.

and sure the only exposure to the media i have is through the internet, but it's also very sporadic and i'm generally pretty good at realizing hyped up bullshit when i see it.

let me clarify this last bit. i don't think they're misguided because they fear, hate, distrust the government. honestly, i think most of the time not trusting politicians is warranted and wise. BUT the trust they put in sources that intentionally misguide them("they" being the dozens of people that claim tea party affiliation that i have every day exposure to) is what i think is "misguided fear and distrust".
and yes, "authority" was just a device to emphasize that i speak to dozens of people with tea party affiliation every day, my family get-togethers are dominated by political conversations with tea baggers weekly, i hear loads of first hand "tea bagging nonsense" daily. i'm very curious, very friendly, and work a job where i go into peoples homes and a side effect is forging relatively intimate relationships with the whole household, so when my families are having these discussions (daily), i listen, and ask questions respectfully and try to seem unbiased. my experience is not from sensational news sources, but from the mouths of a movement i find misguided and threatening. my friends and family and neighbors and clients are scared. they tell me they're scared. and they're being scared by sources they trust and shouldn't and that makes me sad.

i think the most damning evidence that this far right, very vocal minority, is actually something to worry about is the texas state board of education. it was slowly infiltrated over the last decade or so by young earth creationists and the christian right. they planned it this way intentionally. the sources that fund the political campaigns of far right christian groups intentionally set their sites on the texas board of education because of the impact decisions in texas have on the rest of the country. the board of education votes every 10 years on new textbooks and new curriculum standards. because of how huge texas is, textbook publishers usually just sell whatever books texas orders to most of the other states in the country. this year the vote came up and and extreme far right political/religious agenda won. now, they have dictated the educational standards of an entire generation, very nearly nation wide.

also, another thing that makes me shudder is my city recently did a multimillion dollar renovation to the science museum. millions of those dollars came directly from oil and gas companies (that also silently fund the tea party movement). we now have a science museum in a major city that is largely dedicated to energy with zero mention of conservation, pollution or climate change. and almost zero mention of alternative sources of energy production in the future.

so my overall points being that, 1. i know,literally, dozens of people that claim tea party affiliation and i don't think any of them stupid or crazy. (but i think the movement as a whole is very stupid and very crazy and very deceptively steered, not individual people) 2. i don't think just because nationwide news outlets sensationalize things, that we can discount the very very real impact this extremely far right, mostly religious, and extremely loud minority is having.

but.. i ramble too.

In reply to this comment by hPOD:
Do note that I did not apply what I said to *every* member of VS, but *half* of them...and IMO, though not scientifically provable, I'm correct in this assessment. About 50% of any thread is riddled with one side or the other side sifters, with almost no in-between and no attempt to even try to understand their opposition. The way you addressed this, you applied what I said to everyone, which I never did.

Onto the meat of the subject, you claimed my post was negative (in so many words), however, it wasn't negative, it was merely in disagreement with the speakers approach, which is a completely different thing. As for cynicism, I can admit it creeps into the equation, however, that doesn't mean I can't listen too and hear what other intelligent people, such as yourself for instance, have to say.

As for the final things you said, I'd agree if you cut out the entire middle portion of the video -- in which he preaches -- if that part didn't exist, I'd agree with you that his point was in attempting to start a discussion, however, he tried to steer the discussion to where he wanted it. He didn't merely speak of a specific subject objectively in the interest of starting a discussion, as he went into a mini-soap-box rant in the middle portion, rendering objective discussion almost moot as his speech became suggestive in nature. At least, this is my opinion on the matter.

Points taken. I can see where he does lack some definitive direction. (+1)