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Wednesday, January 05, 2005

A Lesson Learned

I like to click the 'Next Blog' button in the upper right hand corner of any blogger/blogspotblog (usually mine) and see where it leads. Sometimes its a blog that has morphed into an automated advertisement, sometimes it is in a foreign language, and sometimes it is some non-spelling teenager ranting. However, there are some really neat blogs out there too - it's how I found the Catholic Packer Fan. My last foray was...less neat.

I stumbled into "Digby's Blog" http://haloscan.com/tb/digby/110489168394107983 and saw a post trashing groups such as the American Family Association and Focus on the Family, complete with a misquoted Bible verse. I mentioned the verse was wrong and that those groups are not disaster relief groups, but that Christian groups who do relief efforts were on the ground right away (the accusation was that the Christian Right did not care). What a mistake.

The denizens of that site are DUers, I'd guess. The responses were venomous, curse-filled accusations, which you can read yourself if you like. I clarified my statement, corrected an error, and said goodbye. I suppose they'll be congratulating themselves on running me off. Those facing the dark side of the cave not only don't want to turn to the light, but also don't want to be told about the light.

Lesson - know where you are. If I would have perused the site a bit more I would have seen indicators (like saying that the media is right-wing!) of who was there, and not posted. I'll not make that mistake again!

6 Comments:

  • You want to see denizens, visit freerepublic.com. DU doesn't even begin to compare. Anger abounds on both sides of the political spectrum, of course, that much should be obvious. Also, perception of where the media stands in this spectrum depends on the beholder.

    Anyway, the site you stumbled upon was criticizing extreme right-wing christians, not all christians. That left-leaning individuals would see and characterize these groups in this way is not surprising; again, its a matter of perception. Nor is it surprising that you cannot see this. Nor is it surprising you are resorting to throwing stones back at those who have attacked you; its predictably human after all.

    Trying to communicate with those who disagree with you is alway tough. A week ago I posted on a right-wing site - confession: I'm a "left-leaning individual" and also, non-Christian - in what I thought was a respectful manner. I was immediately called a "pussy". I didn't hang around. So, that shows you that I'm no better than you in matters of tolerance, right? The aphorism "birds of a feather flock together" may not be Christian in origin, but it sure is true for the most part.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/05/2005 12:52:00 PM  

  • Of course! I don't deny that the disrespectful thrive on both ends, and am critical of both. I can't agree that Dobson is an extremist of any kind. He doesn't advocate violence against any group, nor does he swear at them or call them names (unless one considers 'liberal' a name'). Falwell, sure. Robertson, certainly. Dobson? Only if you hate anyone who disagrees with your viewpoint.

    Thanks for the post!

    By Blogger Hammertime, at 1/05/2005 02:17:00 PM  

  • I'm an ROTC instructor at a state university in KY - but before this unusual assignment I was an air cavalry troop commander. Those are my helicopters in the fog behind the tank!

    I left anonymous posts available because, well, no one was commenting! If it gets stupid I'll turn them off. Thanks for stopping by, and I encourage any other reader to stop into the Dead Republican Presidents' Blog, located in the blogroll.

    By Blogger Hammertime, at 1/05/2005 04:59:00 PM  

  • Me again, thanks for your reply. It occurs to me that if you wish to test the waters of a liberal site, you might find it entertaining to check out this one: http://www.therightchristians.org/ as the people there probably have more of a common ground with you to start with.

    As for me, anyone concerned with everyday decency is my brother. Thats how I see it. Its best to take everyone as they come, individually, if possible. People in gangs often seem to lose some of their senses. That can be hard to take. But, enough preaching, eh?

    Take care.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/05/2005 06:55:00 PM  

  • Humorously, The Right Christians limit where conservatives can post. I only figured it out fully after I posted in a no-conservatives-allowed area.

    So I went off to the cage and posted. We'll see how they react.

    By Blogger Hammertime, at 1/05/2005 10:04:00 PM  

  • Interesting. Didn't know that.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/06/2005 10:31:00 AM  

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