The meaninglessness of words...

[anan_ab]

As I strolled out of my university's library towards a coffee shop, I was abruptly grasped by an older woman and asked if I supported equal rights. "Of course," I spout off without thinking twice about it. She then implored me to sign some petition. Being the indecisive skeptic with some modicum of understanding of politics, I inquired about the

Comments

[firemosa]

that is real effin sneaky. equal rights my ass

Kind of reminds me of the whole concept of the patriot act.
"Do you love America?
Then you should support, a,b,c,d....."

sadly, this old ladie's tactic worked on our congressmen, too.

[walker_evans]

Very well said, Motyl-6.

It tends to, in my eyes, come down to a pair of points which are difficult to reconcile with regard to the other.

(1) "I worked hard to get where I am, and I should be entitled to the full extent of luxury and privilege which my hard work has gained. I should not be made to suffer for those who do not or cannot do the same given that the government of this nation provides that anyone who works hard and has ambition can do what I have done."

(2) "It is the obligation of every member of a society to give some measure of assistance to those who are underprivileged or otherwise do not have the oppportunities or standard of living as determined by the State in representation of the general wishes of the majority of its citizens."

They are definately quite opposite ends of the spectrum, but I tend to find that most people I meet, when it really boils down to it, holds to one of those two ideals.

[okitsaj]

That was ridiculous. It (almost) never ceases to amaze me what people will sign/do/say/etc. without questioning. That's not to say it surprises me, but it usually astonishes me. Although, perhaps I'm not giving the people who signed that petition enough credit -- maybe they did ask about the details and actually supported the issue. But it doesn't sound like many did. I often wonder what it would be like if more people were active, well-informed participants in local, state, and national politics. It's so easy to passively sign a petition because it sounds like it promotes equal rights, pat yourself on the back, and feel like you've fulfilled your civic duty for the day (week, month, year). Ignorance is bliss, perhaps? Blah. This story makes me feel both sad and motivated to be a more active, well-informed citizen myself.

P.S. Back on caffeine, are you? ;-)