Question of the Day

[ayoub]

In what topics do you find yourself unable to understand and accept an opposing view?

---

There is no such thing as an acceptable level of collateral damage in my view.

Comments

[theblackwreath.livejournal.com]

Blood Sports, I will never understand how people get pleasure from hunting down animals and killing them in horrific ways for fun.

[feywild.livejournal.com]

When you said Blood Sports, I thought at first you meant human vs. human. I agree, though. If you don't need it to eat (and you better be starving), you have no business killing it.

[padiwack.livejournal.com]

Rape. Child molestation. A whole bunch of "ism's" as well, such as ageism and racism etc.

[speedingslug.livejournal.com]

This for me too.

[milagro75.livejournal.com]

Homophobia, bigotry, any type of "elitist" race assumption.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Prejudices in general are objectionable, but sometimes I can see where they are born...

[billzy.livejournal.com]

People who can not accept equal parenting!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

YES!

[donnickcottage.livejournal.com]

I can always understand, I can't always accept; the topics are many and my desire to make them public is nill.

[shamrocks-13.livejournal.com]

I think for once you coined me perfectly. Can understand, but cannot accept. I lost a friend over my inability to understand other people.

And with her loss, and my temper, I lost a big part of me.

So I am unable to accept myself right now.

[mattg.livejournal.com]

I can't stand the Dutch.

[juciest.livejournal.com]

Why?

[feywild.livejournal.com]

Opposition to gay marriage baffles me. There is no logical, social, or biological explanation for why it should not be allowed.

[mighty-rontor.livejournal.com]

Damn! I should have added that as well. I agree 100%!

[mighty-rontor.livejournal.com]

"Undefined" as a catch-all for why one can't divide by zero. That there are no theories available for lay folk to talk about is a total cop-out.

Papal Infallibility. Yes, I understand that they are talking about infallibility on spiritual matters, but the fact remains that the church is a political system with a history of shitty spin-control.

"Extra ecclesiam nulla salus." Outside the church there is no salvation. I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that Gandhi is going to hell because he wasn't a Catholic.

"My vote doesn't count because it won't change anything." Fuck You, you souless, apathetic, lazy prick.

[cmerun12.livejournal.com]

*bows low*

You ARE the king!

[painted-dreams.livejournal.com]

I agree with that.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

You and I will have to agree to disagree on this one.

[cmerun12.livejournal.com]

I can give you examples where "acceptable level of collateral damage" makes sense. You may not agree with the amount, and that's fine. You have to understand that there are some things where collateral damage can NOT be avoided. Minimizing the amount is a better way to go.

As for your question - it's not that I don't understand (or don't want to understand), it's that I don't care one way or the other. If I don't have a vested interest in the topic, I'm pretty apathetic about it.

Re: You and I will have to agree to disagree on this one.

[juciest.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

[shamrocks-13.livejournal.com]

Naturally, only serious harmful things, such as child molestation, etc. I expect certain retarded levels of abuse and hurt so I am okay with that. But never to a child. Ever.

In other sections of my life, I pretty much am unable to accept who I am anymore.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I accept who you are :D

[chandos.livejournal.com]

I can agree with a lot of what folks have already said, but my current bafflement is how men get the shaft when a couple divorces, particularly if there is a child involved.

The women gets custody of the children, the guy has to fork over more then half his pay in child support and/or alimony even if the woman has a job and is capable of supporting herself and any children. (This gets to me even more if it's the woman who is initiating the divorce.)

So the guy doesn't get to see his kid as much, has to live like a college student because most of his earnings are going to the ex. It's not fair, it's not right, the guy gets the shaft.

I haven't heard an argument made that would make me change my mind on this.

[deleted a massive rant]
A collegue is going through a divorce at the moment which has brought all this frustration with the system back to the surface.

[bluesgirly.livejournal.com]

I do agree with this too. Fathers get reamed.

[bluesgirly.livejournal.com]

I work on being good about that but I'd say any person telling me they hate pit bulls is going to make me annoyed, on alert and the conversation will be ON JACK!

[editgrrl.livejournal.com]

There's a columnist in a local paper who would love to hear from you. *g* After this story (http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/two-pit-bulls-invade-nc-home-familys-dog-killed) today and the idiot responses, I'm sure she'll be spewing her hatred soon.

Have you been on Dogster yet? I ask cause there is much pibbie love there. :)

[editgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ha, I made a list of these one time cause I was so angered by a story about some jerk doing something horrible to an animal. It became a really long list. Purposely physically harming animals and people was at the top, as was being against gay people getting married.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Sounds like a good list...

[magsmom.livejournal.com]

I have very strong opinions and positions on many topics and generally don't discuss them because I find that, for better or worse, I often cannot separate the person from his/her opinions.

Not for insignificant things, mind you, but for the biggies, like racism, homophobia, child abuse (in ANY form), etc. Apathy toward (with?) these topics likewise infuriates me.

I tend dismiss people with opposing viewpoints. Sometimes that's stupid on my part, sometimes it is not.

I can respect their right to that viewpoint, and maybe even understand it, but cannot accept it and generally distance myself from that person pretty quickly.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I can see opposing viewpoints in a lot of things, and understand root causes, but understanding doesn't lead to agreement...

[nikki--nicole.livejournal.com]

Okay so...thinking I didn't have anything to say, I read everyone's comments, made a few of my own, and have come up with a couple of things.

First off, I can't stand most kinds of discrimination. I think it is pointless, but at the same time, I can't stand when people want to help out a group of discriminated against people so bad, that they end up discriminating against the opposite group. For example, a person in a wheelchair gets a job because they can't not hire him because he's in a whellchair, so now he can't do the job to it's full extent, and other coworkers have to suffer taking on part of his load. Meanwhile, another person, more than competant for the job doesn't get it because they don't want to hire him over the disabled person.

Secondly, when people judge me for being prejudice...of course I'm prejudice, everyone is, but I have no problem keeping an open mind for when I actually meet the person, and my prejudices can easily be proven wrong.

Lastly, I cannot wrap my head around why when couples, especially couples with children, divorce or split up, why they can't be civil. Of course I don't expect these people to be best friends afterwards, and if there aren't kids, they don't even have to talk to each other again, but just be civil! Especially when there are kids, now...why would you insult your ex in front of your children? Or argue with them when your kids can hear? Hello! That's your child's other parent! Just put aside your differences when the kids are there, and hash it out when they're not.

Okay, that's all.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

The divorce thing seems to be fairly popular in this... Thankfully, me and my ex are good with each other, now...

[delphaicdragon.livejournal.com]

I cannot understand how people can honestly, truly, think that just because someone is different from them in some way (race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, etc) it means they're less of a person or have less value.

I just... I can't wrap my head around it. Period. There's NO excuse for it.

Yes, I have my intolerances... but it's not for the people. It's not even for their beliefs... it's for the way they try to push their viewpoint on others. At that point? THEN I think less of you.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I can accept that they have an excuse for it, but I can't agree with them.

*hugs you*

[angellamongus.livejournal.com]

You know.. I pride myself on trying to have an open mind to opposing views and even if I don't agree, I still try to understand where a person is coming from. I actually enjoy debating those issues that most avoid bringing up with others with opposing views as long as the other person is also capable of understanding that while we may not agree, we're both entitled to our own opinions and doesn't get angry if I don't change my mind...

That being said however, there are a few things that I will never accept an opposing view on. I don't accept that there's an acceptable reason to rape or abuse someone. While I understand it's a control issue, I will NOT accept that it's something that's not wrong. I will not sit there and listen while someone tries to justify it saying it's okay. I can not understand why some people think it's okay to abuse children, to abuse others, to rape someone, to abuse an animal.

I can not understand or accept that it's okay to judge others based on their colour or beliefs or sexual preferences.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Well said...

*hugs you*

[fox-bard.livejournal.com]

Basic discrimination (of any and all beings) stemming from xenophobic rhetoric. Even though I understand the perspective from a completely psychological view, I cannot divorce my own emotional well-being completely based upon my own past history of perceived abuse by those who prefer prejudice and ignorance in order to justify lifting their own flagging self-esteems.

Oh, and shit like this riles me up, too. It strikes too close to home. http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/22/mother-admits-she-doesnt-love-her-daughter/?icid=200100397x1216661157x1201126812

Edit: One for the road - the only thing I find more distasteful than rape (as if that wasn't sick and disgusting enough) is someone who lies about rape or being raped.

[the-ravyn.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with all of this.  This is what ires me the most as well.

And that article?  Holy shit...I have absolutely no words.  I'd really like to give that woman a POTHing, though.

[nonickname96.livejournal.com]

Child abuse/sexual abuse/serial killer mentalities/umm... murders in general (usually).

♥

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

All of them are indefensible!

♥

[kelly-pink.livejournal.com]

no specific topics really. but people who wallow in their ignorance or refuse to try and see the other side...them I cannot understand or accept.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I'm with you.

[beloved-juno.livejournal.com]

Perhaps when it it comes to matters like ethical integrity.

For instance, fidelity is one of my biggest issues in that arena. I have never had someone be able to offer me a satisfactory excuse for why they cheated on someone, and by cheating I mean going outside their relationship behind the other person's back or without their knowledge and consent.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I can understand that!

[sabotabby]

I can usually understand an opposing view, but that doesn't mean that I accept it or respect the reasons for it. Case in point: I understand why people are anti-abortion, but I believe that they are wrong, and it's hard for me to ever get close to them because I know that, as a woman of reproductive age, they don't in their heart of hearts see me as a full person.

Ditto for gay marriage. People oppose it because they either haven't thought it out, they're scared of taking a side against their family or religious institution, or they're insecure in their own sexuality. The last two reasons I feel sympathy for, but again, no respect.

People who believe in an acceptable level of collateral damage don't see the Other as human. That is understandable, I guess, as there are some folks that on an emotional level I can't regard as fully human either. But intellectually, I know better, and so should they.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

*hugs you*

This is part of why I like you!

[mysticpickle.livejournal.com]

Torture.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Torture can be a difficult one...

*hugs you*

[legrandeval.livejournal.com]

Anyone not from NI explaining the NI 'problem' or the peace process or the peace dividend or asking me bloody stupid questions about NI when they think they actually have an idea. I mean how would they like it if I did it to them? This is why I don't. I can accept that people from NI has their own views. I may not agree with them. I don't expect them to agree with me but I accept their right to hod their own opinions. accept mine and don't tell me how I should think or feel about my own country. It irks me slightly.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know how that feels...

*hugs you*