Bigotry is Not Just Wrong, it is an Indication of Political Blindness

The other day I was in the gym, and I was amazed.  A couple of guys were chatting (by chatting I mean loudly pontificating) about immorality, social decline, etc.  One of them kept referring to "faggots" and how he was teaching his children that they were in no certain terms not one of "those people."  Then they moved on to discussing how America today was going down the same path as Rome, Persia, etc.  I ended up cutting my routine short because of how angry I was becoming, and because I did not feel like goading on some imbecilic neanderthals about not only their irrational bigotry but about how they were ignoring the causes of the United States current troubles and replacing them with petty prejudices that have no bearing on the current malaise that has engulfed this country

Now I actually agree that the American Empire is heading in the wrong direction, and I think that the comparison to Rome is actually quite true. We rely on force of arms to project our power and on an every larger military complex to maintain order.  We have an Imperium where we are dependent upon the outside world for a lifestyle that encourages superficiality, indolence, and that breeds a "bread and circuses" mentality among most citizens.  Entertainment has become many peoples sole focus, and currently over 40% of U.S. citizens receive some kind of payment from the federal government.  If there is a problem, let the government fix it!  We are in the act of abdicating our rights and our responsibilities, one televisions show and food stamp at a time.

Compounding this, it is today very difficult to have an educated discussion regarding difficult issues of any sort.  I briefly toyed with the idea of approaching the meat-heads in the gym and asking them to keep their conversation at a level that would not offend more open-minded individuals.  I decided against this mainly because I A) did not think they would be kindly disposed to my request, and B) was far too worn out to get into any kind of verbal or physical scuffle with people who were clearly far more muscle than intellect.  I am not especially proud of my retreat, but at least I made the decision consciously.  Today, many people are trained to avoid discussion of difficult topics.  If someone tries to discuss an issue intelligently and openly, they are often vilified, marginalized, or laughed at.  Juan Williams, formerly of NPR, discusses this trend in an interview with The Daily Bell.  When it is impossible to discuss difficult and important topics (and most if not all important issues of the day are difficult and polarizing) how can constructive solutions be found?  Conflict is avoided, the current course of events continues down the same path, and the best possible result is stagnation. 

Einstein and others stated that insanity is best defined as doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.  Today I look at the world, in particular the west, and see nothing but insanity.  Without the willingness to discuss difficult issues, without a willingness to be uncomfortable and to question established orthodoxy, I expect to see a continued malaise and degradation of living standards in the United States and beyond.  This has nothing to do with the fact that Sally and Amanda are lovers, or that Tim likes to be tied up, or that Veronica is a Wiccan.  It has everything to do with a refusal to look at why things are as they are, and to have meaningful discussions about why we are on our current path as well as what we can do to change our course.