Apolitical Rock

One of my favourite quotes on the issue of personal politics comes from Chris Rock: Never Scared (2004):

Everybody's so busy wanting to be down with the gang. "I'm conservative", "I'm liberal", "I'm conservative". Bullshit! Be a fucking person! Lis-ten! Let it swirl around your head. Then form your opinion. No normal, decent person is one thing, okay? I've got some shit I'm conservative about, I've got some shit I'm liberal about. Crime, I'm conservative. Prostitution, I'm liberal!

It's a tender reminder that not all things in life are black and white. 

I think truths can be gleaned from various sources. For example, even though I critiqued "NiceGuy", it doesn't mean all the things he said are automatically invalidated. The trick is in finding the "truths" (as relative as this may be) and filtering them through a lens of fairness and hearing out both (or more) sides of an issue.

I think that's what irked me about NiceGuy's site. That is, his fundamental message is buried (at times) under a heap of vitriol and hatred. Take his response to an (admittedly smug) reader in "A Most Curious Submission".


Automatic bias.

Views should be about balance.

There's also the issue of acceptance and tolerance. That is, we have to concede that not everyone's gonna agree with our thoughts. That's life. We gotta respect that. 

Appeal to them. Preach to them. Whatever. If they don't wanna have a bar of it, best to move on elsewhere. 

Or, stay right where you are if you're voicing your views from a stationary position. Heh heh.

Respect human life and dignity. 

Change the channel if a TV show offends your sensibilities. No ratings = no show, right? And, if it's a success regardless, then you can at least stand proud and say you didn't contribute to it. It'll end eventually, anyway. 

Unless it's Meet the Press.