Friday, July 5, 2013

Contradiction - LBC Topic



This weeks LBC topic is contradiction.


Contradictions are everywhere. Why? I suspect it is because although man seeks order and consistency in all things our very nature is a contradiction to that proposition. Examples? I'm glad you asked.


1) How about those among us who tout balance in life yet yet are workaholics that must think balance is akin to 80% work and to hell with the rest.

2) The vehement anti-abortionist that supports the death penalty

3) Media outlets touting the truth yet reporting something entirely different - i.e. Fox News and MSNBC as primary offenders, others to a degree likewise

4) The youthful athlete going to seed and becoming a curmudgeonly old guy (yikes - I know him)

5) The so-called religious right that preaches hatred and killing and should know better

6) The intellectual left that preaches hatred and killing and should know better

7) The notion that the most democratic, free society on the planet has a government that eavesdrops on all manner of communication - emails, phone calls and the like

8) The notion that the will of the majority in our society is suddenly evil incarnate when you disagree with that majority - Here's what Ben Franklin said along those lines - “The people heard it, and approved the doctrine, and immediately practiced the contrary.”

9) The honest people - those who would never consider stealing from a store - downloading music/videos from the Internet and not paying - or that accept the offer of that guy that offered to to hook up their cable but not bill them


There are many more examples available yet I think the point has been made. Any of the items listed could be debated in depth.


Christopher Hitchens said it best - "The only real radicalism in our time will come as it always has—from people who insist on thinking for themselves and who reject party-mindedness.”


Contradiction needs to be managed - something of an oxymoron but true none the less. Progress requires the envelope to be pushed and the envelope is never pushed without change. And of course there is the notion that the managers must be managed - the cycle is never ending.


Ed Ames - Changing Changing


Now go read the other LBC folk as they contradict my notions on contradiction! It's all so confusing :-)






9 comments:

  1. Wow! What a surprise that there is now music included! I had half a mind to share this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5zEP4kvfnc but since my take was rather serious, I desisted.

    My overall response? Bingo. You said it.

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  2. Ah - well the Ed Ames song is not on youtube so I had to use a simple link - I guess today was dump Indian posts to spam - LOL - not sure why but we'll see how it gies from now on

    BTW - that Ed Ames song is a great song

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  3. Yes Chuck, the cycle is never ending and I am prepared to leave it to the armchair generals and so called experts to solve. I imaging if we were to come back in twenty years, they would still be in the same place. I am off to deal with the REAL problems in my life.

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  4. Wow, I have to give you credit for coming up with such a long list! Some of these could be used for LBC topics!

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  5. Like you, I've never been able to understand an abortionist who supports the death penalty. As a mother, I hate the idea of abortion and try very hard to understanding and not be judgmental towards people who feel that it is their only option. At the same time, having a pro-life outlook made me oppose the death penalty.

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  6. Yes, good old Hitchens. Fried before he could sizzle us with some more observations.

    Am glad you (and Conrad) brought up THE subject that some like to keep quiet about. Am in despair. Wish could do something. How does one start a revolt? Actually, forget revolt. How does one help a human being hounded down?

    This is not good. We'll live to regret it. On a moral level.

    I have spent dozens and dozens of hours (make that hundreds) over the last fortnight following this saga - not so much the news coverage but the comment boxes of more countries and their media than only the English speaking ones. Shackman, the comment boxes. That's where vox populi is to be found.

    One of this morning's comment really giving hope as to the future, and I quote: "whistleblower my ass this guy is a traitor and should be shot." What nationality that commentator no secret. Neither does he bother with punctuation.

    In the meantime Grannymar, ever of the wagging finger, reminds me of etiquette (over at Con's). Oh dear. At least something to make me laugh in the midst of this utter shithole your country, my country of origin and the country I live in now and a lot of other countries have got themselves into. Morally we are bankrupt.

    If I cried as I feel we'd have a river.

    U

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  7. Ah U - there's the pressure cooker - LOL. Granted - this week's topic is not for the crock pot.
    Now about those comment boxes - well you have to sift through an inordinate amount of offensive BS from too many clowns who disavow civil discourse. Anonymity seems to bring out the repressed cowardice turn folks to intellectual thuggery. While that may work as a tactic in verbal jousting (I was actually schooled in the tactic by a practicing Quaker I had as professor in a college class called Why Peace), on the keyboard it simply makes the provocateur seem witless, weak and petty.

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  8. Couldn't have said it better than GM.
    blessings ~ maxi

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  9. The list of contradictions is magnificent. And the moral of the story. I think it is a bit like the song "Everyone is a Little Bit Racist" in Avenue Q - it ain't right, but if we just accept that we are it and not let it get out of hand ... well, we might just get along!

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