I would like to take a minute here on Troubling Trifles to address a certain mentality I find pervasive in this society of ours.
It is simply this: scoffing belittlement and contemptual dismissal of everything that disagrees with one’ opinions.
This mentality does not address the points being made. At best, this mentality deliberately muddies the waters and obfuscates the discussion through pressing tangential questions and through an implacable insistence on providing endless bibliographies. Of course, by insisting on citing sources for every minutiae of every nitnoid fact, a person stilts the conversation into incoherent ramblings without direction, much like your nephew asking you, “Why? Why? Why? Why?”
Eventually, you’ll tire of the conversation or else run out of answers, because in truth, no one can answer questions of “Why”. Asking questions of “Why” about an issue or about a person will invariably lead one to question a person’s motives and intentions; the internal springs and gears that generate a man’s mind.
This is an impossible demand and an impossible question. The best self-aware person cannot answer that question even after years of vivisecting his mental processes.
If these inquisitors– of the secular or religious stripe– would be honest with themselves and with the person they are attacking, they would simply tell the other person to “shut up”. If they were honest, they would also declare off the top that they know everything there is to know about that particular subject and they will not listen to anything that contradicts their views.
Especially in blogs, so many people seem to believe themselves experts on every subject under the sun and opposing views are usually met with the most flagrant examples of arrogance, condescension and belittling tirades. I also find it telling that a good number of the people doing this behavior are also the ones complaining how no one in our society is listening. Indeed, the vast majority of blogs can be called the mutual admiration society of the 21st century where every believes in the same things, say the same things and congratulate themselves for their views.
… and people wonder why no one is listening anymore. Please look in the mirror.
I was one of these people, and on my bad days, I do the same behaviors as these people. It is easy to be sucked into that continuum and have this particular behavior be constantly reinforced by the praises of others. A little recognition of how we contributed to the problem might be in order. So, yes, look at our small part enabling in the destruction of the West, confess it to Jesus and to one other person, and press on. But by all means, look.
