Comments on: Empathy for the Common Man http://www.laprogressive.com/the-media/empathy-for-the-common-man/ Progressive Politics Liberal Politics and Social Justice Sun, 21 Mar 2010 06:16:09 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 The LA Progressivehttp://www.laprogressive.com/wp-content/themes/arthemia-premium/images/button.gifhttp://www.laprogressive.com8831Description of your blog. By: Wayne Slater-Lunsford http://www.laprogressive.com/the-media/empathy-for-the-common-man/comment-page-1/#comment-41126 Wayne Slater-Lunsford Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:29:28 +0000 http://www.laprogressive.com/?p=12717#comment-41126 Ouch....Once again, Tom, you are PAINFULLY honest, and massively on-point. We progressives have an important agenda-- an urgently necessary message to deliver to the world, but we must resist the temptation to 'fight fire with fire' at the expense of our greater goals. The end cannot justify the means, but must DETERMINE the means. If we only want to raise some hackles and aggravate some bigots, we may very well employ the same dehumanizing and demeaning methods they favor, but if the end we seek is greater- to elevate humanity, to decrease the gulfs between the lonely, hurting people of this world, then our means must be very different. You very rightly and eloquently urge us to pass over the cheap shots and do the hard work of speaking the truth in love-- of clearly stating and not overstating facts and issues as we truly see them. Thanks for persevering in doing the right things right. Ouch….Once again, Tom, you are PAINFULLY honest,
and massively on-point. We progressives have an important agenda– an urgently necessary message to deliver to the world, but we must resist the temptation to ‘fight fire with fire’ at the expense of our greater goals.
The end cannot justify the means, but must DETERMINE the means. If we only want to raise some hackles and aggravate some bigots, we may very well employ the same dehumanizing and demeaning methods they favor, but if the end we seek is greater- to elevate humanity, to decrease the gulfs between the lonely, hurting people of this world, then our means must be very different. You very rightly and eloquently urge us to pass over the cheap shots and do the hard work of speaking the truth in love– of clearly stating and not overstating facts and issues as we truly see them. Thanks for persevering in doing the right things right.

]]> By: Diane http://www.laprogressive.com/the-media/empathy-for-the-common-man/comment-page-1/#comment-41123 Diane Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:01:04 +0000 http://www.laprogressive.com/?p=12717#comment-41123 The notion that humans are better than other animals and only humans are capable of empathy is theological, not biological. A rat that can only access food by giving a painful electric shock to another rat will stop eating. Only humans are capable of torture. The notion that humans are better than other animals and only humans are capable of empathy is theological, not biological. A rat that can only access food by giving a painful electric shock to another rat will stop eating. Only humans are capable of torture.

]]> By: Flick http://www.laprogressive.com/the-media/empathy-for-the-common-man/comment-page-1/#comment-41118 Flick Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:26:33 +0000 http://www.laprogressive.com/?p=12717#comment-41118 Is it possible that what we are taught ad nauseam, that ours is a two-party system, is a sham, a PSYOP in the classic divide-and-conquer tactic? I saw a great bumper sticker that said, "Forget your stupid culture war until we figure out how to make our government obey the Constitution." Freedom is not attempting to gain control of the levers of government to force others to live by your values. As long as one is locked in the left-vs.-right false dichotomy, that one will remain defeated, ineffective except to serve the state. Is it possible that what we are taught ad nauseam, that ours is a two-party system, is a sham, a PSYOP in the classic divide-and-conquer tactic? I saw a great bumper sticker that said, “Forget your stupid culture war until we figure out how to make our government obey the Constitution.” Freedom is not attempting to gain control of the levers of government to force others to live by your values. As long as one is locked in the left-vs.-right false dichotomy, that one will remain defeated, ineffective except to serve the state.

]]> By: Walt http://www.laprogressive.com/the-media/empathy-for-the-common-man/comment-page-1/#comment-41107 Walt Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:05:23 +0000 http://www.laprogressive.com/?p=12717#comment-41107 JonBenét, Caylee, Stephen Johns, Neda, Hitler, Pol Pot, border “militiamen", Barak Obama, Republicans, soldiers, and Cheney also the shooting of a guard in Washington D.C at the Holocaust Museum and the killing of a Latino family by right-wing. All this in one article trying to push the Progressive Political Party ideas. Its not too pretentious, I mean lets be fair, he did leave out the death of George Tiller. JonBenét, Caylee, Stephen Johns, Neda, Hitler, Pol Pot, border “militiamen”, Barak Obama, Republicans, soldiers, and Cheney also the shooting of a guard in Washington D.C at the Holocaust Museum and the killing of a Latino family by right-wing.

All this in one article trying to push the Progressive Political Party ideas.

Its not too pretentious, I mean lets be fair, he did leave out the death of George Tiller.

]]> By: Mark's Notebook http://www.laprogressive.com/the-media/empathy-for-the-common-man/comment-page-1/#comment-41095 Mark's Notebook Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:03:52 +0000 http://www.laprogressive.com/?p=12717#comment-41095 Thanks for such a cogent, direct and thoughtful opinion piece. Calling somebody inhuman in a political discussion is simply an exercise in Straw Man Building and deflection from what is really important. Thanks for such a cogent, direct and thoughtful opinion piece.

Calling somebody inhuman in a political discussion is simply an exercise in Straw Man Building and deflection from what is really important.

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