OK. If Political Rhetoric DOESN'T Influence Peoples Behaviour

[Bluerthanblue]

What the hell is the point of it?

:shrug:

Why say anything if you aren't attempting to influence others?

This is just ridiculous imo.

[woo me with science]

1. Huh? Saying that political rhetoric was likely not the cause of these shootings

is not the same as saying that it does not influence behavior at all.

[Bluerthanblue]

6. is there no middle ground? Was the rhetoric solely the cause of

what happened? No, not in my opinion. But to deny that the words and images used by politicians and media personalities did contribute to the climate of 'rage' and 'anger' which result in violent acts is foolishness.

Words DO matter. They have power. To heal and to harm.

What is wrong with the call that Sheriff Dupnik made to tone down the rhetoric??? Why should that reasonable, responsible admonition be allowed to be turned into something other than what it was? Limbaugh, Palin and others vehement denial that anything they've said or done might have contributed to this- and their deflecting any responsibility towards others, sure seems to me like "too much protesting".

[woo me with science]

7. Edited to add the word "likely."

I think the evidence is trending that way.

[Bandit]

8. How about the next assassination attempt?

Or the next one after that.. This isn't simply about this particular shooting..This is about Republicans engaging in intimidation tactics through their rhetoric and imagery. What better time to bring attention to it? This shooting could very well have been influenced by it..Maybe not but eventually.......

[woo me with science]

11. But I think it's a false argument.

I don't think anybody is saying that it has NO effect.

Frankly, I think the greater danger is that authoritarians use this incident to stoke fear and take away even more of our freedoms in the guise of "protecting" us.

[Bluerthanblue]

13. I'm not in ANY way advocating the authoritarian take over of anything

I don't believe the goal of those who dislike the over-the-top dialog is to legislate 'speech' either.

But the CALL- the encouragement for the language and tenor of the rhetoric to be 'toned-down' is something that I believe needs to be made and demonstrated, by all of us.

The arrogance and vitriol that has taken over this country in the last 10+ years has gotten totally out of hand. When people act like Limbaugh acts, and instead of being confronted and discouraged they are emulated and rewarded we only spiral downward even further.

I don't advocate outlawing the rhetoric. We should be able to live together without so much hatred, anger and fear. For everyones sake.

[woo me with science]

14. Agreed. nt

[HuckleB]

2. Indeed.

Oddly, those who want to dismiss the possibility that political rhetoric played a part in Loughner's life conveniently ignore that the more recent evidence shows that he was influenced by right wing sources. Meanwhile, they pretend that what happened two, four or six years ago is more important. It's a bizarre attempt to whitewash the very strong possibility that ugly rhetoric had an influence on this guy.

[Mark Maker]

3. If a tree falls in the forest

and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?

[MineralMan]

4. Can I quote you on that?

:shrug:

[Mark Maker]

10. Sure, fine. I plagiarised it in the 1st place

You know what "they" say...

"Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright." - Sam Seborn

Not that I'm either, but I admit it so don't be nailing me to a tree.

[LostHighway]

5. Indeed. Just because he was ill doesn't mean he wasn't influenced by politics

We can hold hands, and then put our fingers in our ears, but this guy was influenced by the media like anyone else, and folks should be aware that ideas about currency, his references to the Constitution in outbursts in his community college, don't come from nowhere.

[cali]

9. no one is saying that political rhetoric doesn't influence others.

great example of a straw man, though.

[Bluerthanblue]

12. Sarah Palin sure seems to be saying that her comments and

rhetoric didn't play into what Loughner is accused of doing.

Limbaugh seems to think that his continual rampages and incendiary comments don't contribute to the climate of hatred and violence that has taken over this country.

I don't believe any 'one' personality is ultimately responsible for what happened in Tuscon (other than Loughner himself) but there is no denying that other factors contributed to it. Sheriff Dupnik's pointing out that comments about resorting to "2nd amendment solutions" and the use of cross-hairs to target individual politicians may not have been comfortable to hear- but they are valid statements imo. And he had every right to speak his mind, didn't he?

[HereSince1628]

15. I suspect much of it is for Infotainment n/t