Bumper Sticker Politics Explained
15/07/2009 06:13
As many of you have read and seen, I'm working on a new documentary. While I admit it is not the most glamorous topic, no doubt it will lead to some good debate. As a college student I'm deep in the trenches when it comes to the exchange of ideas. While most of the time things get heated, I have made friends with folks who believe the exact opposite as me and it is such a blessing to live in a country where we can not only argue things but when it is all said and done go have a beer.
Since 6th grade I've been doing this (minus the beer part), always asking questions and expressing my thoughts. The one thing that totally bugs me is that many can put their whole philosophy, if not their political arguements on a bumper sticker. Sadly, this ignorance has been propetuated by political parties, churches, schools, and many other institutions. In a country that values freedom how can we sit idly by and not challenge ourselves in belief as well as the status quo?
Ironically, we are at the top of our game when it comes to technology. we can get online and look up any topic and find something about it and the same time we can't decipher what is truth or fiction we accept what we read like it is gospel. Like I mentioned previously this has been an ongoing thing for me when I noticed in my 6th grade Social Studies book, as it talked about South Africa and it's wealth and equality. I asked my teacher Mr. Camerer "Isn't South Africa a poor nation and have segragation?" he replied "Mike, people interpret many things differently and present their views as fact it is your job as a student to question this and search for truth, you get an A for the day".
Recently, there was a discussion in my American History class on Iraq, 9/11 and the Bush presidency. While I believe going into Iraq was inevitable and didn't believe we needed an excuse like WMd's to do it. I do believe mistakes were made by the administration. Anyway, my professor (who I totally admire) stated that George Bush was responsible for 9/11 because he had ties to the Bin Laden family thru his oil company. I asked her where did she read this, she replied "In a book called Dude, Where's my country?" I was totally taken back. Here was a lady with a Ph.d quoting a guy who is so biased as well as found to be fraudulant in his research by CNN. I pointed out that the research in my essays wouldn't be considered valid if I quoted Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. The discussion then evolved to Bush's legacy. While President Bush did fall short in many things, it is intellectually dishonest to hastly judge him as the worse president ever, I argued that when Harry S. Truman was President he was very unpopular however now he is the 5th most popular. I further argued we don't know all the facts nor will we until the war is over and the historians pick every document, report, and personal account to pieces..Only then can we truly assess the Presidency of George W. Bush. Like I said I totally admire this professor. However, her political beliefs fogged her logic.
The same can be said when it comes to many religious people who are totally against evolution yet they have never read Darwin's book and argue against Homosexuality using only the Bible and expect someone to magically change their lifestyle when they read "The wages of sin is death" on a cardboard sign.
I admit while I have my beliefs and many may disagree with me they have to respect the fact I'm willing to research it, not just using resources from people who believe like me but to read the other side of the arguement. Since I have done this my beliefs have changed and yet the ones that haven't are stronger..
Since 6th grade I've been doing this (minus the beer part), always asking questions and expressing my thoughts. The one thing that totally bugs me is that many can put their whole philosophy, if not their political arguements on a bumper sticker. Sadly, this ignorance has been propetuated by political parties, churches, schools, and many other institutions. In a country that values freedom how can we sit idly by and not challenge ourselves in belief as well as the status quo?
Ironically, we are at the top of our game when it comes to technology. we can get online and look up any topic and find something about it and the same time we can't decipher what is truth or fiction we accept what we read like it is gospel. Like I mentioned previously this has been an ongoing thing for me when I noticed in my 6th grade Social Studies book, as it talked about South Africa and it's wealth and equality. I asked my teacher Mr. Camerer "Isn't South Africa a poor nation and have segragation?" he replied "Mike, people interpret many things differently and present their views as fact it is your job as a student to question this and search for truth, you get an A for the day".
Recently, there was a discussion in my American History class on Iraq, 9/11 and the Bush presidency. While I believe going into Iraq was inevitable and didn't believe we needed an excuse like WMd's to do it. I do believe mistakes were made by the administration. Anyway, my professor (who I totally admire) stated that George Bush was responsible for 9/11 because he had ties to the Bin Laden family thru his oil company. I asked her where did she read this, she replied "In a book called Dude, Where's my country?" I was totally taken back. Here was a lady with a Ph.d quoting a guy who is so biased as well as found to be fraudulant in his research by CNN. I pointed out that the research in my essays wouldn't be considered valid if I quoted Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. The discussion then evolved to Bush's legacy. While President Bush did fall short in many things, it is intellectually dishonest to hastly judge him as the worse president ever, I argued that when Harry S. Truman was President he was very unpopular however now he is the 5th most popular. I further argued we don't know all the facts nor will we until the war is over and the historians pick every document, report, and personal account to pieces..Only then can we truly assess the Presidency of George W. Bush. Like I said I totally admire this professor. However, her political beliefs fogged her logic.
The same can be said when it comes to many religious people who are totally against evolution yet they have never read Darwin's book and argue against Homosexuality using only the Bible and expect someone to magically change their lifestyle when they read "The wages of sin is death" on a cardboard sign.
I admit while I have my beliefs and many may disagree with me they have to respect the fact I'm willing to research it, not just using resources from people who believe like me but to read the other side of the arguement. Since I have done this my beliefs have changed and yet the ones that haven't are stronger..
So to the people who think that my goal is to make one side look better than the other you are going to be in for a disappointment. Because while I may have bias I value quality, fairness and truth more. I don't ask gotcha questions, and I don't purposely edit my footage to make people look like fools because as the old saying goes "truth is stranger than fiction".
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