Civil Discourse III

With regard to truth: That which is true is that which accurately reflects reality. Falsehood is a bad map with which to build meaning. It leads us to do things which don’t work for us. They are not useful. They don’t solve the problem.

With regard to facts and opinions: A fact is that form of data which appears to be fully objective. Facts are observation that can be verified. The problem with facts is that they are often not true. Opinions can be true but they can’t be verified the way facts can. Opinions are not less important, just less verifiable.

With regard to conflict: I take pains in my book to suggest that conflicts are the circumstances of others not being as we want them to be, not the strategies we use to try to resolve them. A conflict is not the same as a fight. I don’t know that the conflict is personal, but you certainly see the world differently from the way Frank Rich does and, for that matter, I suspect you see it differently than Glenn Beck does.

With regard to being “mean spirited:” While the banter is no doubt good for business, I see being mean as associated with doing something which is harmful to another while being fully able to see that the harm is being done. It isn’t mean if it is an accident, but if I do something which is harmful to another and I have every reason to know my choices may do harm, I am being mean.

So, does it make sense to you that someone listening to Glenn Beck might come to the conclusion that President Obama is racist, is fascist, and is a communist? Does it seem like Beck is building a case that supports those opinions? And does it seem that doing so could be understood to be harmful to the President?