Teachable Moment? What Separates A Bad CT (Birthers) From A Healthy CT (JFK & Truthers) [View All]

[stopbush]

CTs have been thrust into the news with today's despicable murder at the Holocaust museum by a RW nutjob who was absolutely positive that there are conspiracies that are alive in this world and those conspiracies are ruining lives and hurting white people - like the Holocaust never happened, Jews run the world and Obama wasn't born in the USA.

That's the RW side of nutjobdom.

But on the other hand, we on the left have our favorite CTs, as mentioned in the title line. Yet, these Dem CTs are regarded as "healthy" and acceptable CTs, at least in that they are both tolerated and encouraged at DU (I won't even get into some of the fav evils that bushco was supposedly about to hatch but never got around to, like concentration camps and martial law).

So, what's the difference?

Is it simply that our "healthy" CTs don't lead to violence and murder? Is it that there's more proof for our treasured CTS while there's no proof for the crazy RW kind (not likely. In fact, both sides rely on hysteria and paranoia as a substitute for fact to drive their beliefs.)? Is it that we don't really feel that passionately about our CTs, treating them more like parlor games and exercises in creative thinking, rather than as actionable truths (don't know about that one). How about that guy who killed Dr Tiller? He was a religious nut whose belief in an imaginary god led him to commit murder. Not necessarily a CT, but a view on life that has grown out of a belief in the fantastic (god).

This isn't meant as flamebait. It's meant to start a general conversation on the dangers of allowing fantastic, baseless ideas to morph into a belief that is perceived as a reality...and worse, is acted upon as if it was a reality.

Perhaps these horrible killings represent a teachable moment for this country.

OK, asbestos suit on. Flame away.