mp.freelance
Well-known member
A few days ago, I said I'd stop discussing the Iraq war with Disagreeable, since the conversation was extremely circuitous and was obviously going nowhere. However, as I've read his posts since then, it's become painfully clear that his/her motivations have really nothing to do with Iraq, the Bush administration, or any of the other things he/she claims to be passionate about.
I don't mean this as a personal attack against the particular individual who choses to be called Disagreeable. He/she is entirely allowed to have opinions that do not reflect mine or anybody elses at this site. Quite frankly, Bush's handling of the Iraq war hasn't been perfect and his conduct is open to criticism. I personally chose to support the Iraq war, but understand those who have differing opinions.
However, I'm troubled by the fact Disagreeable has chosen a website dedicated to ranchers to spread his views. There are probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of websites devoted to politics - both conservative and liberal. Disagreeable could easily preach to people who have made politics their hobby, as it appears he/she has.
So, this points to an entirely different motivation than political discourse. Why a ranching website? I contend that Disagreeable believes his intellect, morality, and understanding of the world to be superior to people involved in agriculture. In his/her mind, ranchers are the ignorant proletariat that secretly desires to learn from individuals who are more enlightened -meaning Disagreeable and his ilk. It's the same thought process actors and rock stars have when they try to tell us who to vote for.
Rather than political debate, Disagreeable is merely engaging in a show of his self-perceived superiority. He/she hopes to accomplish nothing but to feel better than those who he/she sees to be ignorant, uneducated, and inferior. Even the fact he fails to convince anybody helps solidify his feelings of infinite superiority.
Admittedly, I myself am a suburbanite who has grown up in a subdvision and not a ranch, and know as much about baling hay or tending to a sick calf as I do about rocket science. However, after writing about agriculture for the past few months, I've come to realize how much intellect it takes to work in this field. Agriculture is a science and an art - it's the basis of all human civilization. Not a cop-out occupation for lazy rednecks.
The problem with Disagreeable is about more than one individual. There's a general perception among people outside agriculture that is completely unfair. Just because someone lives in a "red" state and works with cattle doesn't mean they are ignorant.
Of course, it's also likely that Disagreeable him/herself comes from a rural background. Rather than disqualify my previous observations, it strengthens them and renders them more disturbing. It points to a self-loathing that is nothing short of pathological, while still maintaining an air of superiority.
But, as I stated earlier, I don't mean this as an attack against Disagreeable, who is more than likely a thoughtful individual, and not consciously aware of his/her bias. Rather, I am troubled by the collective mentality of so-called "blue-staters" who think hardworking Americans who happen to work in agriculture are somehow less rational and, quite frankly, less human than they are. While in college, I often heard extremely prejudiced comments about so-called "red-staters." Particularly after Bush was re-elected, I overheard statements that people in middle America who voted for him were likely to engage in incest and were probably borderline retarded. While Disagreeable himself has never come close to making such sophomoric claims, his/her attitude is just a more mature version of the same mentality: if you don't agree with him/her, there must be something seriously wrong with you.
But we have to remember: there's blue-staters in every red state, and vice-versa. We're all Americans, and we have to get through these problems together, as we have in the past. Unless of course, we want two countries - one that consists of two coasts and other thats a huge swath of land in the middle of them. Is it too late?
This concludes my pseudo-psychological / philosophical rambling.
MP
I don't mean this as a personal attack against the particular individual who choses to be called Disagreeable. He/she is entirely allowed to have opinions that do not reflect mine or anybody elses at this site. Quite frankly, Bush's handling of the Iraq war hasn't been perfect and his conduct is open to criticism. I personally chose to support the Iraq war, but understand those who have differing opinions.
However, I'm troubled by the fact Disagreeable has chosen a website dedicated to ranchers to spread his views. There are probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of websites devoted to politics - both conservative and liberal. Disagreeable could easily preach to people who have made politics their hobby, as it appears he/she has.
So, this points to an entirely different motivation than political discourse. Why a ranching website? I contend that Disagreeable believes his intellect, morality, and understanding of the world to be superior to people involved in agriculture. In his/her mind, ranchers are the ignorant proletariat that secretly desires to learn from individuals who are more enlightened -meaning Disagreeable and his ilk. It's the same thought process actors and rock stars have when they try to tell us who to vote for.
Rather than political debate, Disagreeable is merely engaging in a show of his self-perceived superiority. He/she hopes to accomplish nothing but to feel better than those who he/she sees to be ignorant, uneducated, and inferior. Even the fact he fails to convince anybody helps solidify his feelings of infinite superiority.
Admittedly, I myself am a suburbanite who has grown up in a subdvision and not a ranch, and know as much about baling hay or tending to a sick calf as I do about rocket science. However, after writing about agriculture for the past few months, I've come to realize how much intellect it takes to work in this field. Agriculture is a science and an art - it's the basis of all human civilization. Not a cop-out occupation for lazy rednecks.
The problem with Disagreeable is about more than one individual. There's a general perception among people outside agriculture that is completely unfair. Just because someone lives in a "red" state and works with cattle doesn't mean they are ignorant.
Of course, it's also likely that Disagreeable him/herself comes from a rural background. Rather than disqualify my previous observations, it strengthens them and renders them more disturbing. It points to a self-loathing that is nothing short of pathological, while still maintaining an air of superiority.
But, as I stated earlier, I don't mean this as an attack against Disagreeable, who is more than likely a thoughtful individual, and not consciously aware of his/her bias. Rather, I am troubled by the collective mentality of so-called "blue-staters" who think hardworking Americans who happen to work in agriculture are somehow less rational and, quite frankly, less human than they are. While in college, I often heard extremely prejudiced comments about so-called "red-staters." Particularly after Bush was re-elected, I overheard statements that people in middle America who voted for him were likely to engage in incest and were probably borderline retarded. While Disagreeable himself has never come close to making such sophomoric claims, his/her attitude is just a more mature version of the same mentality: if you don't agree with him/her, there must be something seriously wrong with you.
But we have to remember: there's blue-staters in every red state, and vice-versa. We're all Americans, and we have to get through these problems together, as we have in the past. Unless of course, we want two countries - one that consists of two coasts and other thats a huge swath of land in the middle of them. Is it too late?
This concludes my pseudo-psychological / philosophical rambling.
MP
"pseudo" is very correct. If you're making your living in psychology, you remind me of Bill Frist diagnosing Terri Schiavo on the floor of the Senate.