Help With A Response Please...

[Bzzzz]

The following is a post from another board I'm on...

>snip One of the more interesting implications of Darwinian theory when applied to the human species is rather interesting and, as stated further on, can actually be seen taking place in our current world...
>snip the society becomes increasingly "dumbed down"...
>snip I obstinately maintain this has finally happened here in the United States and the truly stupid have taken over and it is all because of the highly educated liberal...
>snip The liberals are, after all, the self-proclaimed highly educated thinkers of our times and in the end those same liberals are responsible for all of the stupidity we see around us. If you don’t like the war in Iraq don’t attend an anti-war protest but rather beat up a liberal because it is all their fault after all.

This guy makes me seeth...
:mad:

[atommom]

1. Honestly, I don't know how to respond to that kind of stupidity!

Why would the highly educated tend to be liberal? Could it be that opening one's mind up to different ideas makes you a better, more humane person?

You could always try this one on him. I don't know the original author.... I lifted it out of an old DU thread, in which the author wasn't credited.

"A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN"

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.

All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.

If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.

He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.

The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

[Jim__]

2. You didn't give us a link, so I'm not sure what his argument is.

Your quotes show a lot of name-calling; not reasoning. Do you want to refute his argument? If so, can you state what his argument is? Or, do you just want to attack his post?

As to the current level of stupidity in the US, his post could serve as a sterling example. For instance:

One of the more interesting implications of Darwinian theory when applied to the human species is rather interesting ...

His "analysis" leads him to redundancy.

I obstinately maintain this has finally happened here in the United States and the truly stupid have taken over

One of the definitions of "obstinate" in my dictionary is not yielding to reason or plea.

So, by his own words, he is unreasonably maintaining his position.

The liberals are, after all, the self-proclaimed highly educated thinkers of our times and in the end those same liberals are responsible for all of the stupidity we see around us. ...

He's made an assertion. Does he support his assertion anywhere? If not, he is just demonstrating his own ignorance of how to make an argument.

... If you don’t like the war in Iraq don’t attend an anti-war protest but rather beat up a liberal because it is all their fault after all.

Even accepting his premise, how does beating up a liberal change anything with respect to the war in Iraq? His "solution" to the problem, does nothing to address the problem.

[Bzzzz]

4. This guy...

is really, really rude. He hates gays, abortion, atheists/agnostics, etc., etc. He claims to be a xtian, loves Bush, thinks the war was necessary...he can be a very good debater, yet childish with his name calling and such towards the person he is debating with. I enjoy the banter between us, but I really want to refuke this post. Thank you for the help.

[jamesinca]

3. If we are the educated, how are we responsible for stupidity

Can this person back up the accusation? Anybody can say anything they want, but it does not make it true. The poster talks of this society becoming increasingly "dumbed down". Ask the poster, who has been in the WH and shaping educational policy for most of the last 25 years? That is right, the republicans have been. Ask the poster what ones education or intelligence has to do with supporting the war? How is beating up a liberal going to make somebody smarter or more educated? The poster states that the truly stupid have taken over and it is the fault of the highly educated liberal. This says a few things 1) Liberals are intelligent 2)Conservatives are stupid 3) This country has become increasingly conservative and hence more stupid 4)The president, most of the senators and house reps, and supreme court justices are stupid because they are conservative by this persons own argument.

Mostly remember, this person is just talking trash and can't back it up. This person is just looking to start a fight and nothing else.

[TomClash]

5. He ought to know

The country has picked the far right to run things so it must be "dumbing down."

[ccinamon]

6. tell him he's right

the "stupid" people have taken over and "stupid" people breed at twice the rate and they vote republican -- that's how we got in this mess! people like HIM are the problem -- whine about "liberals" and "liberalism" but refuses to learn and accept new ideas and thoughts,,,and they never get off their butt and try to help anyone.

They "obstinately maintain" their ignorance and prejudices -- and his ridiculous post proves it!

[livvy]

7. Ummm....bite me, comes to mind, but...

I don't know how productive it would be. It doesn't sound like this is a person who can be reasoned with. Maybe it's not worth your time to even try. Or you could just keep asking for the proof, links, etc. for them to support their position. Good luck!