Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Minds Like Concrete
You know what they say: "Some people's minds are like concrete... all mixed up and permanently set." Well, while it may not be as bad as all that, i've had another one of those evenings where being open-minded and middle of the road means being the stand out and completely unacceptable. To be honest, when i argue with arch conservative back woods podunk folk (not worried any of them are online reading this, no) i know they don't care if i think they're close-minded, they are proud to be. i can almost respect that, seriously. But damnit, liberal people go around self-labeling as open-minded, and some how cannot mannage to accept all sorts of alternative ideas. Tonight, i didn't even argue for my own ideas, just that there are possible alternatives to the ones that were being posited by the group. i wasn't just shot down. For saying not that i believed in an idea, but was open to that possibility and they should at least not completely discount it, i was told by not one, but two or three people i was studying at the wrong place. Wow. Not really sure what to do with that. Frankly i think it's my fault for doing what i swore i would not do earlier this week after Charlie Brown's lecture... ever talk to drunk people. While these people were not drunk, it was unwise for me to posit any serious idea, let alone defend a minority unrepresented viewpoint. God forbid the Bible might actually depict events that may/might have actually happened. God forbid my faith be grounded in the basis that some or many of the Biblical accounts are true. i feel like not arguing for any particular theory, but the possibility of a theory should be acceptable. Where am i?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
it's interesting to be one of the "close-minded" liberals sitting at the table in the bar and read this account...
i think i had similar feelings to your not listening to me that you had to my not listening to you... if you are indeed typing about what i think you are... i don't remember people telling you you were at the wrong school, was that in mark's room?
i think the biggest problem with being in dialogue when it doesnt seem to be working is that people have a different understanding or impression of what another person is saying, a sense of hearing, but not really hearing, if that makes any sense at all...
there's more i could say, but i won't because i feel like often the things i say make you angry, and that's not really something i'm looking for.
i don't think you're at the wrong school. something great about this school is the diversity and openness to dialogue... something often not found at schools which tend to sit in one camp or the other... i wouldn't say that our school is a straddle the fence middle road kind of place, but rather a place that welcomes and fosters those belonging to the many different camps on all sides of the fences, whatever those may be...
i'm sorry last night was such a bad experience.
Post a Comment