Stuff by conservatives, and a little about emotions

[nancylebov]

Somehow, I don't get fascinated by conservatives saying stupid, vile things any more. I mean, I always thought Ann Coulter was boring, and while I didn't mind people giving her a close reading to see what was wrong with every phrase, the motivation just wasn't there. What she was writing was signal of a sort, but the lack of facts and connection made it no fun. And I bet the people who gave her a close reading weren't just doing it out of a sense of duty-- I expect they were driven by fear and anger.

However, even if the awful conservative piece is reasonably short and coherent, I might read it if it shows up in two or three places that I'm reading, but it's not a big deal to me. They're out of power, and they keep saying that sort of thing.

On the other hand, I'm tired of people being surprised when a conservative says something sensible. Sometimes conservatives say sensible things. They aren't aliens, and they aren't simply evil, and conservatives saying the occasional sensible thing has happened often enough that it shouldn't be news.

Now, when I say I'm tired of this, that, and the other thing, I don't just mean I'm having an emotion. I mean that I want other people to have the same emotion, and act in a way that will quit cluttering up my environment with their inconvenient reactions, even though rationally speaking I know perfectly well that I didn't get bored with yet another godawful quote from a conservative until I personally got bored with it.

So, if anyone would care to talk about it, when you express an emotion, do you want other people to go along with it? To feel that their contrary emotions are wrong or bad? If someone else expresses an emotion contrary to one of yours, do you wonder (or possibly conclude) that you're wrong for feeling what you're feeling?

bruceb, if you're still interested in writing that piece about being the odd one out, I'm still interested in reading it.

Comments

[jim-p.livejournal.com]

Actually, due to my upbringing I get the opposite reaction: when someone else expresses a strong emotion I fell like I'm expected to feel the same thing and if I don't I'd better come around and get with the program...

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

If you think conservatives are automatically awful people, fair enough. I do self-identify as a conservative. Well, Libertarian. I find both sides of the fence tend to hate and fear what I would call freedom.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

I don't think conservatives are automatically awful people. I was complaining about a good bit of my social circle which apparently thinks conservatives are automatically awful people.

I count myself as a liberal-flavored libertarian. Our beliefs probably have a fair amount of overlap.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Looking back over what I wrote, I may have implied that conservatives are automatically awful people. What I had in mind was that there's a huge amount of conservative writing which I find unreadable because of the emotional tone.

I'm vividly aware that all conservatives write or think that way.

[zenlizard]

Nah, I tend to vent, rather than convince someone to share my emotion.

When I do try to convince someone to agree with me, I use a broad approach: both an intellectual and an emotional series of lines of argument. In such cases, I don't tend to think counter reactions or emotions are wrong, or to question my own: I tend to focus on the consequences of such reactions & emotions expressed in actions.

[nellorat.livejournal.com]

I think my emotions cover a wide range, from things I want others to agree with to things even I would prefer to be talked out of. I think I tend to indicate the latter with either "I know I'm upset now" or a lot of "on the other hand"s, but maybe not always; and I think I tend to present the former with facts & argument to back them up.

[bruceb.livejournal.com]

I'm stalled out on it for behind-the-scenes reasons. I should send you e-mail about that though.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

While there are exceptions, the vast majority of the conservative commentators that I see in mass media (in my case, meaning television and the New York Times) are consistently either impressively appalling or mind-numbingly stupid in their opinions (often both). So, I am surprised when I one of these commentators expressing something that actually makes sense. I am not particularly surprised to see one of the very few sensible conservative commentators express a reasonable opinion.

Also, I would classify at least one third of the mass media conservative commentators that I've encountered (Bill O'Reilly & Ann Coulter being excellent examples) as simply being evil.