Please do not roll your eyes at the fact that this is a political post. I understand that the only people that read political blogs are those that have a political blog already. This is not that type of post. I will flat out tell you that my politics are very liberal, but nothing in my life is etched in stone and I am ALWAYS open to different ways of looking at issues. I am definitely not so eloquent as to be able to defend all my positions but if you have anything to offer as a valid argument opposed to my opinions, then please feel free to tell me. I will post any opposing views as I know I am not the Keeper of the Truth. The only thing I ask is that you are civil with your comments. I am in control of so little in my life and cafeleone.net is one of those things. So, nothing would thrill me more greatly than to hit delete on any comment I think is offensive and doesn’t help the cause any. I really want to be a “nice guy” on the internet. I want people to see me as genuine and open. The problem is that I am an atheist and a liberal and that occasionally leaves me wide open for angry comments. Sorry, that I am being defensive.
OK, back to the point of this post: I just finished Al Gore’s latest book, The Assault on Reason. I am certain I read somewhere that this book was touted as relevant for all people “no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall in.” That is rubbish, of course. This book does not hesitate to attack the current administration for its continued failures on its policies in Iraq and other issues. If you are a supporter of George Bush and the direction he is taking America, then obviously this book is not for you. You will learn nothing and the point of the book will be lost. The flip side of this is that Gore is preaching to the choir for most of the people reading it.
This fact is fine because this book is not about Bush’s failures. This book is about the slow diminishing of rational public discourse in America. Essentially what this means is that we have lost the ability to rationally debate the issues and that the opinions of the people matter less than the opinion of those in power. Those in power will do whatever they need to do to consolidate their control over the opinions of others including, as Noam Chomsky puts it, “Manufacturing Consent;” essentially, making people believe what those in power want them to believe.
My opinion is that Gore does an effective job at presenting his case. I have a few problems where I don’t trust some of the physiology of the brain that allows people to become malleable in their opinions and Gore seems like he has figured out his way around quotations.com website because his writing is interspersed with many quotes that at times seem contrived. These are just my feelings as I am not even sure that “opinion” is the appropriate word for it.
The really nice thing is that Gore gives props to the blogging community specifically and the internet in general. He states that blogging is a great “point of entry” for the average citizen to express and, more importantly, share their opinions with others and to form communities of people with similar views.
So, here is my proposal, if BoMR (Both of My Readers) will allow. Occasionally, I want to post a relevant issue on my blog, provide some links that can express the issue better than I and just put it out there to get your thoughts on it. Any issue from Bush, Hillary, Iraq, the world’s view of America, immigration, the marriage of politics and religion, whatever seems relevant. I am not smart enough to discuss world politics as I barely understand U.S politics, but I would LOVE to hear what others from around the world have to say, if anything.
By doing this, I hope we too can have a small public forum where different opinions can be expressed. At 7 hits a day, 5 from me, I bet this could really take off.
Don’t worry, I will still write about the Baby Goats and other nothings that keep you both coming back for more!
What do both of you think?
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