Raising the Level of Discourse

I don’t know if you have noticed it or not, but with the continuing assault on the English language, with the constant abuse of expression and words in general, we’ve (collectively of course, not individually) all gotten dumber. There are countless examples of this truth everyday. From the inanity of text messaging and instant messaging to the explosion of cursing on tv and in public, communication has gone from conveying meaning to white noise. While the volume of communication taking place has grown exponentially, the actual meaning and logic conveyed has shriveled correspondingly. Obviously, part of this is a supply problem–it is very easy to communicate and because of this, people communicate without thinking about what they’re saying. But more and more we are flooded with increasingly meaningless chatter and bombarded with F-bombs.
You will notice that there is a great deal of hate being spewed out on the internet on tv and in public in general. And despite how often liberals attempt to characterize conservatives as hateful, hate mongers, and nearly every noun that they can come up with their fourth grade reading level that they can throw behind the word hate, they are the ones who spew hate. I will add that hate is a noun and a verb, not an adjective. This is another way that the less-than-thoughtful abuse the English language and display ignorance (I swear if I hear another sports coach use the words game plan as a single word, particularly a verb, I will throw the offending object out the nearest window). Perhaps it is because they often choose emotions over logic, but it is almost impossible to find a thoughtful criticism of conservative thought. Instead, 9 times out of 10 you will find vitriol, hatred, and a general explosion of caricatured generalizations that reflect more on the writer or speaker than the target of their hatred. There is no critical thinking taking place during these noxious rants, just pure animosity. And once the speaker or writer has given voice to these emotions, he hides and runs away from any criticism or objections.
Of course it isn’t only liberals who are filling the air with expletives and emotion filled, meaningless rants, but I would propose that the majority, if not the vast majority is by liberals. That which liberals might label “hate speech” could be well reasoned, cooly delivered and without any apparent animus.
Perhaps it is wishful thinking to hope that we could adopt a more thoughtful, civilized society in which people use whole words to communicate. Perhaps it is naivete to think that we might be able to express ourselves without using bodily functions and expletives as puchlines. Just call me a dreamer.

Bad Theater

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”-Macbeth

There is something prescient in William Shakespeare’s prose, something that, if I didn’t know better would convince me that he had witnessed modern American politics. Macbeth’s view of life reveals Shakespeare’s critique of poor theater–it might be boisterous but there is no substance behind the style. Liberals today trump substance with stylization and elevate high sounding theories over practical, proven tactics. Moreover, they value hollow gestures and silly declarations more than sincere action. The most recent piece of political theater took place last night in a ridiculous partisan display of buffoonery and grandstanding. Last night the US senate gave it the old college try, pulling an all-nighter to try to pass a “crucial” yet meaningless bit of legislation. This legislation was meaningless for more than one reason. First and most obviously, the legislation was bound to be vetoed. Secondly, the legislation had no teeth– it only called for a drawdown in troops, not specifying how many (6? 60,000?) or when all the troops should be withdrawn. This was another example of Democrats’ second favorite pastime behind taxation: grandstanding, bloviating, and self congratulating. Preferably at the same time. It was, admittedly an attempt to satisfy the radical left base of the Democrat party who want immediate withdrawl from Iraq, regardless of the consequences. But it was a waste of time and tax payers money, and once again proved that the only thing that Democrats are capable of accomplishing is generating hot air. Even the New York Times admits that the 110th Congress has had ”only a few signature accomplishments on the domestic front” thus far. Think of the ridiculous displays that have gone on in the 7 months or so since this Congress has been inaugurated. As John Boehner eloquently stated, “the first five months of the 110th Congress have been marked by broken promises, missed opportunities and gridlock caused by strife within the majority party’s ranks.” It is no wonder that this congress has a significantly lower approval rating than the admittedly miserable ratings of President Bush.
What this Congress has accomplished is open a shocking number of witch hu–ahem– investigations and hearings and general grandstanding, bloviating and self congratulation. A mind numbing 300 investigations and 600 hearings in the first 100 days. The point of these hearings and investigations? Politics, pure and simple. This is what your tax dollars are spent on, and since we voted them in, this is the government we deserve. Hopefully this unproductive do-nothing Congress will help the American people wake up to the reality of the Democrat party and they will elect conservatives in 2008, but I’m not holding my breath. Unfortunately, the same is true for (dingy) Harry Reid.