Friday, November 25, 2005

On bloggers and truth seeking....

While I do love my IE (lol - inside joke) I have been trying to visit some of the other members of the community I am a part of; Life, Liberty, Property. One I have been spending some time on recently is Third World County. At times I feel a bit more left {sometimes alot more left :-) } in the community, there are some very good writers in this group; David is one of them. The above linked post brings up some issues that all of us should consider, some of his own thoughts influenced by some blog searching the other evening.

For me, this statement struck me especially:

Respect for each other as bloggers no matter what we believe in is paramount, and no amount of self gratifying echo chamber rhetoric should come in the way of a good upbringing, and manners, above all being grateful today that we have a voice.

That key statement to me is what my blogging experience has been about. Knowing we will not always agree but having enough respect for each other that when we do disagree? We always remember there are beliefs we do share, beliefs and causes that do unite us. I'll never learn from anyone who is being hateful, but I could very well learn or re-evaluate a position when given in a respectful, informative tone. None of us hold the market on perfection, all of us have room for improvement in some way.

I also feel what David talks about as far as personal bias is something that we all have to remember. Each of us comes into a discussion with our own personal bias, that's human nature. I try to acknowledge that in my posts, I freely admit my beliefs on most issues so even those that disagree with me can see where I am coming from.

I love it when you guys agree with me, but I also am glad for the times when you don't.

:-)

9 comments:

David said...

Thanks for the plug. :-) Check out my post on why "Issues" bloggers may have to quit blogging... *LOL* And thanks for the IE comment... ;-)

More on topic, I appreciate very much where _you_ are coming from. I appreciate contra arguments in comments or linked posts that argue against something I've said. Well, except the very few times I've caught people using some of the more egregiously fallacious tools of deception in their arguments, and in one case (ONLY ONE!) actually lying about what I said/argued. In those (very, very few) cases I have banned commenters or trackbackers. I think it amounts to three times over the last year, in fact.

Make your arguments fairly, with fire: love it. And keep on being true to yourself.

Key: your comment, "I'll never learn from anyone who is being hateful, but I could very well learn or re-evaluate a position when given in a respectful, informative tone."

I strive for that, though I know I don't attain the consistency I want.

Thanks for the commentary. You do good blog.

Hooda Thunkit (Dave Zawodny) said...

We love your input too Lisa.

Especially when it makes us think harder and changes our minds ;-)

I, speaking in the plural, have been enlightened by many of your comments.

And, above al else, I appreciate participating in the civil discourse...

historymike said...

Agreed with all of the above.

I have great respect for people to the right or left of me on a given issue who make an intelligent case for their argument without resorting to fallacious reasoning (especially ad hominem attacks - grrrr!)

I have shifted my opinions over the years on some issues, and usually because I came across persuasive rhetoric. However, people who build their cases on poor reasoning often drive me in the opposite direction.

Lisa's blog brings together quite a variety of writers and opinions, and I leave every post with a sense that I have learned something.

Unfortunately, with the racist right making my blog a "must-visit" site of late with my NSM coverage, I can't say the same for my own site. I will have to take Hooda's advice and wait it out; they will move on when NSM slinks their way out of Toledo on December 10.

With any luck, they will get to rally, declare a "victory," and find other communities to bother.

Unknown said...

David, thank you and I agree and I am glad thanks to Eric I found your blog.

HT and Mike, thanks, I think we all together are what makes it work. (and the hamsters of course) :-)

Mike, I noticed that but my friend?

This too shall pass.

:-)

T. F. Stern said...

I agree with your point, even in when the other blogger doesn't agree it helps to be civil and hold level of exchange to the higher order rather than get in the gutter.

Thanks for stopping by, almost forgot.

Unknown said...

Thanks T.F., I appreciate you making me feel welcome and look forward to future discussions.

:-)

Anonymous said...

Lisa wrote: "At times I feel a bit more left {sometimes alot more left :-) } in the community"

It's kind of interesting where the group drifted over time. I wouldn't call myself "right wing", although I detest socialism and social democracy. But most of my beliefs on individual rights and liberties are not very in tune with current crew in DC, so I suppose that makes me "left". On the other hand, I'm pretty much strongly the other direction on foreign policy, war on terror, etc., so maybe I'm actually "right". Then again, I don't want government, unions or corporations running the economy or benefiting from government regulation. I think that makes me a capitalist, but there isn't a whole lot of room for real capitalism these days. Yet, I somehow managed to attract folks who are pretty solidly in the Reagan Republican camp (nothing wrong with that, I'd rather hang out with Reagan Republicans than Barbara Boxer Democrats), when I'm clearly not in the mainstream conservative movement. On the other hand, Hammer of Truth and you, among others, offers some solid balance to the conservative drift.

As far as the conversation, I set out to have a community with smart folks, strong opinions, good writing, who could disagree and not have screaming matches. That part seems to have worked out well.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and even when TF Stern and I don't see eye to eye, we are always civil with each other. That usually happens with religious topics, being the irreverently unreligious sort that I am. Dan Melson (Searchlight Crusade) is another one that you can have a strong disagreement with and not have it blow up in your face.

Unknown said...

I agree you have put together a very awesome community, which is why I wanted to join. The variation of opinion is one of the reasons I think makes it that way, the quality of the writers is another.

I don't mind being more liberal, I've been in situations where I have been alot less liberal and to be honest the discourse has not been as civil. That is not a reflection on all liberals just those particular groups.