Politics is inevitable.
However, politics often involves heated discussion...because peoples livelihoods and broader well being are tied up in it.
One last thing, generalizations must be made when having meaningful discussion, otherwise you arent having a meaningful discussion. While it is certainly good to explore the minutiae of those generalizations....they are necessary to reach broader understanding of larger macro issues.
My 2 cents.
EV, I edited out parts to reply, I hope it doesn't change your meaning.
Politics is inevitable. We are a society that the population votes, so everyone has an opinion. Just about everything we do anymore is regulated by the government. It's really hard to have a conversation about anything these days without there being something the government is doing that affects it. So again I can't really see avoiding it when it affects so much of all our lives anymore.
I see a problem in letting politics get too heated. That is when discussion ends. We as a society have reduced so much of the political discussion into you are either with me or against me. I see it happen to me on other forums. Because didn't like the hard right rhetoric I was immediately labeled by some as being far left. That about as far from the truth as you can get. And I have had the reverse happen, but frankly not as often. But both parties are doing their best to drive a wedge between the people that I see how easy it is beat the drum of the parties. After all if you listen to cable news, either channel, then you are feed hour after hour of what I now call hate think.
I used to be a news and political junkie, I haven't watched news except World Focus and sometimes the News Hour. No I don't think they are left wing sources. If you read above, this falls into if you are not hard right, then every other opinion is far left. I find myself drifting farther and farther away from the political scene here in the US, as to me there isn't a angstrom of daylight between them.
Yes the country has changed from what the founding fathers believed. They envisioned a republic where most of the candidates were from educated wealthy backgrounds. There is however a populist uprising in the country that sees bigger threats to our democracy than the petty differences driven by the 24 hour news cycle.
To me it really is time to turn off the cable news channels and start talking with your neighbors. Find their real concerns, what makes them not sleep at night caring for the family. What do they have to accomplish tomorrow to keep a roof and food on the table. Soon the rhetoric of the 24 hour news machines will fade from the conversations. Those that though they were so different will find they live next door to another American.
Once you feel you have to get personal, or label someone's position, I think it's time to post that tomorrow. Then see if you still feel that way.
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But I have to disagree that generalizations must be made. To me they are exactly what destroys the meaningful discussion if I didn't make my stance clear above.
Generalizations are a nice word for prejudice. Just like too big to fail is a nice word for monopoly. Just like collateral damage is a nice word for dead civilians.
Generalizations like all Jews are stingy. Or all Moslems are dangerous. All blacks are stupid. All Italians or Irish were lower form of life. That just because someone is Hispanic makes them illegal or against the US.
Now if you mean trends in a population they exist. Like most Christians believe in Jesus, would certainly be true.
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