Welcome to another edition of I Comment Therefore I Am, where I put together a post from comments that I’ve left on other blogs or comments that have been left on mine.
Sometimes I read a post and leave a comment that is far too long, not because I want to detract from the post, but because the author really made me think about something. My very wise and insightful friend Traci wrote a piece, An American Tragedy, that elicited one of the longest comments I’ve ever left. I highly recommend that you read her post. Here’s what I had to say…
I’m glad you wrote about this, Traci. There is no way to make sense of the senseless, but we all have a right to use our voice. I think the only good that can come out of this is to remind ourselves that violence is never the answer and that in a democracy discourse amongst all citizens is to be welcomed and should be encouraged, not savagely attacked.
I think it takes an extremely unstable person to commit such an atrocious act, but the rest of us that are supposedly stable need to take a good look at ourselves and realize that we are not truly supporting the notion of what democracy in this country is supposed to be about. We should all be involved and care. Without us it won’t work, but resorting to violence, slander, misinformation, scare tactics is not beneficial.
As far as speaking about politics, many of us steer away from it because it is so volatile. I hear people condemn celebrities for stating their political views publicly, but you know what I think? Screw that! Politics is not just for politicians and political pundits. Sure there are experts, but we are all experts on how the political affects our personal life. Politics is for the people and by the people. I don’t have to agree with the views that celebrities or public personas espouse, but I wholeheartedly embrace their right to speak out. Just like I wholeheartedly embrace the right of every citizen to be a part of the dialogue.
Let’s stop shaming people for being liberal or conservative. Let’s stop pretending that things are only black and white with no gray area in the middle. A Democrat and a Republican that vote in this country are the same thing: they are citizens of the same nation. We are not enemies. We all basically need and want the same things, we just don’t agree on the best way to achieve our goals.
I’m not going to go around antagonistically shoving my political leanings down your throat, but I am not going to be in the closet about them either.
Let me clearly state:
“My name is Unknown Mami, I am a Liberal. I love my Conservative brothers and sisters. I may not agree with them all of the time or even most of the time, but I promise that I will listen. I promise that if an idea truly makes sense I will support it regardless of what “party” introduces it. I promise that I will not just disagree as a knee-jerk reaction. I will not defend my ideas or political stance at the expense of progress. I am not a slave to my political party or its ideologies. I am proud of politicians that make hard decisions and cross party lines, it shows me that they are not just cogs in the political machine.”
My opinions are just my opinions, they are not meant to belittle, diminish, or detract from the opinions of others. They are also not set in stone. I leave room for the fact that I am fallible. Live and learn.
That’s it for this edition of I Comment Therefore I Am.
Do you give good comment? Wanna play along? Go forth, spread the comment love, and turn it into a post (I keep a draft post open while I read blogs throughout the week). Recycle, reuse, and reduce my friends; it’s the wave of the future.
Oh and feel free to comment on my comments otherwise how will I know that you exist.
If you play along please link back and/or post the button below. Spread the love, spread the love! You can grab the button code from my sidebar.
Excellent Mami. I could not agree more.
well done you! here in our little town we have our own example of “old school politics” happening. those of us who care are speaking up and reminding our fellows that we can and we should! xoxox
Well said, Mami. I think you expressed what many of us feel and think in a very thoughtful way.
I’m sure the topic has elicited a lot of epic comments and posts, and that’s wonderful – if a positive legacy is to be created from an event like that it’s going to start with people communicating.
That was an excellent comment! I’m glad you shared it with your readers!
Here, here.
One of the quickest ways to turn into a fascist is to avoid discussing politics. I’m just saying.
I enjoy long comments. I wish everyone took time to think about what they say and write. I believe diversity of opinion, ideas and views makes us stronger. If we start working off a basis of respect those views will not need to be shouted or screamed. The best ideas are expressed in song IMHO.
Hello – I would like to apply for the position of ‘worst commenter of the day’ please as I feel I would be well suited to the role. I would very much like to submit the following comment as both an example of my work and resume- here it is – “LOL PMSL”
Thank you – I hope to hear from you soon in regards to the job.
Thank you to my very good friend. You inspire me daily as someone who uses her voice consistently, eloquently, and humorously and I am proud to know you. I appreciated your comment on the post and I really appreciate you including me in your famous Comments!
You rock the free world!
🙂
Traci
P.S. I am going to the Post Office tomorrow!
Amen my sweet blogsister. I decided long ago not to categorize myself as one party or the other. I vote only based on what the candidate stands for and am blinded by race, gender or political party. We are one as a nation and when ya get right down to the brass tacks, all desire the same thing. God bless and have a marvelous week sweetie.
This was a geat
WOW, that is some comment! You go Mami!
The only thing I think is that if the celebs were out there spouting RIGHT WING opinions…then people would be pissed. It seems like it’s okay for one side and not the other.
That being said, that guy was a complete loon and I don’t care what “side” he was on, that WAS An American Tragedy. 🙁
Patricia Heaton, Shannon Dougherty, Reba, etc. aren’t particularly
liberal and speak their minds; it hasn’t seemed to hurt them much,
nor should it.
What a great idea to share your comments on a post. I agree that some comments are actual blog posts, so why not give them more life?! Genius..
Amen, amen, amen!!! Wow…you echo a lot of my thoughts and feelings here…I am off to read that post. Happy Monday!
Yep, that was definitely worthy of its own post 😉
I’m with you on all but one. Having an opinion means that it needs to be thoughtfully arrived at. There are many people who spout opinions with no knowledge behind them whatsoever, and that often leads to more closed minds or people agreeing because of who said it rather than because of the rationale behind it. And that’s where some of the misinformation and close mindedness begins – in my opinion.
I think you have a point.
A true example of exercising our rights under the first amendment. You said it well.
That was a powerful and oh so true statement you made. I am so tired of the bitter words I’ve always heard from my family on the “other party” that it has jaded me for life on politics. I’m the only one in my family who is open minded. They’re all stuck in their one party mindedness and can’t see beyond.
Well said. Very well said.
Well said, Mammi! Such an excellent comment!
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
B xx
Good point! I call myself “Common Sense” Sometimes neither party is right, and I stand up for what I believe makes sense. Stupidity doesn’t.