Have you noticed a "coarsening of the culture"? Or do you think it might be something that's been there all along and that we're just hearing more about it lately?
How about in the blogosphere? Have you noticed a tendency on the left for commenters to be obscene? Have you noticed a tendency of bloggers on both sides of the aisle to make ad-hominem attacks? Or resort to name calling?
I have, and I don't think it's a good thing. I don't particularly care for it when my liberal friends in the blogosphere refer to President Bush as "the shrub". It doesn't really add much to the conversation. I don't think it's very helpful either when my conservative friends call liberals "left-tards".
I'm not even sure I like some of the labels. "Right-wing whackos", "Nut-roots", "Wing-nuts", "Feminazis". These just tend to get in the way of any kind of debate around ideas.
That's what this blog is about, or at least what I want it to be about. I'd like to have reasoned debate with people on all sides of the issues without the name-calling and the flame-wars. I'd like to have people discuss the ideas.
Name-calling doesn't cut it. Character assassination is a bad thing. Ad-hominem attacks are out. Pretending to answer the question but changing the subject with straw men doesn't work for me.
This is a blog where those things shouldn't be allowed. I'm going to invite some other bloggers to join me here for those type of discussions. Maybe we can begin to change the nature of political and religious discussion on the blogosphere, one reader at a time.
I've noticed that a lot of bloggers seem to be inflicted with the disease known as "groupthink". I've also noticed that the left get's particularly nasty in describing the right. I've also noticed this tendency on the right when describing the left. I believe that we can have a reasoned debate about any issue. I also believe that the name calling and personal attacks are an impediment to that debate. That's why I created this blog.
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