The Loaded Question

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
So I was perusing Facebook this morning, and saw one of those "question" things that periodically appear in my feed like an annoying distant relative who keeps showing up for Sunday dinner:



Sigh.

The thing that depresses me about this isn't that some people think Barack Obama is not doing a good job as our president - people of good conscience can disagree about the best course of action for our country.* No, the thing that distresses me about this is the utter ignorance of history demonstrated by the responses above. Barack Obama is a worse president that Jimmy Carter? Who was a worse president than James Buchanan? Really?

Leaving aside for the moment that that the President's first term is not yet over (and thus such a comparison is patently unfair), who can reasonably compare the president who basically failed to prevent the Civil War and the president who reformed our health care system and find the latter wanting? Who can reasonably compare the president whose policies and execution were so abysmal even the Democrats didn't want him to run for a second term with the president who passed legislation that protects consumers from predatory lending practices and think the former is the better choice?

I'm still making an effort to believe those people who vociferously oppose our president are not prima facie racists without demonstrable supporting evidence. I'm really, really trying. So I'll choose to believe that those individuals who believe Barack Obama is a worse president than James Buchanan are simply ignorant. Horrifyingly, shockingly, appallingly ignorant.

Of course, expressing such a belief does tempt me to ask a question of the "Have you stopped beating your wife" variety regarding the opinion-holder. But that's better than simply assuming they're racist asshats.

Right?

Hello?

::tap, tap::

Is this thing on?

______________
*Like my on-line acquaintances Seth and Elena, I'm trying a new approach called "other people are not idiots," i.e., the fact that you disagree with me, even vociferously, does not make you a dumbass. More on that tomorrow.

7 comments:

CorvusCorax12 said...

Right !:)

Janiece said...

Welcome, CorvusCorax12.

The Mechanicky Gal said...

What??? Other people are NOT idiots?
The hell you say.

Carol Elaine said...

People aren't idiots?

Wearing your rose colored glasses early, I see.

I really want to take that tack, but it's so hard, especially when such ignorance seems to be derived from willful ignorance, which only idiots tend to do.

And yes, that does include members of my own family, who are not normally idiotic, except in when it comes to politics.

Thordr said...

I think it takes a conscious effort to be that ignorant/stupid/bigoted, guess that makes it evil?

saree said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Janiece said...

*TONG*