This is a thought experiment. Imagine a virus, like ebola, started getting passed among the teabag parties. It was 100% fatal to everyone over the age of 18, but was not contagious, so they did not spread it to other people. So in the period of a couple weeks, all the teabaggers were gone. Wouldn’t America be better off?
Some say it would be a bad thing, since there are going to be some doctors and useful people like that among them, but I say this wouldn’t be a problem because there would also be less patients, so less need for doctors. The people who are disproportionaly represented in the teabaggers are all useless elements to society: religious idiots, racists, and morons. (I know, I’m repeating myself) If there was some magic way to eliminate the dross from society, that would be a great thing – wouldn’t it?
Imagine if the same thing happened to all the Liberals, or all of the Greens, etc etc. Would America be better off? I suppose it depends on one’s perspective and political bent.
Personally, I think America is all about difference, and that our system is healthy because it’s open even to the nutballs on either the right or left. Even the Liberals are ok…I suppose…
Seriously, wishing death on a large swath of the populace because you disagree with their political views is a stinky thing to do. I don’t want the tea partiers dead … I want them beaten so soundly at the ballot box that they slink away in shame.
I want them to wake up and see the bullshit Fox is dishing out. Remaining conservative is fine. Just be a conservative who is not so easily swayed with dishonest bullshit.
Why either? Why not imagine them simply as having a different point of view and seeing if reasoned debate is possible…and compromise? Why does everyone have to think the same or be the same or have the same view point or perspective? Why would that be a good thing?
And, like many sins, so terribly, terribly tempting . . . sigh . . . :o
Well, I’m sure the Tea Partiers are not immune to said temptation either.
And, FTR, it is a kind of death-wish I have seen expressed openly on both Democratic Underground and Free Republic, but way more often on FR. There’s just no comparison.
I think one of the funniest things in the past couple years is when the tea party called themselves teabaggers. Pure gold. I find myself using the term from time to time for a bit of comedic relief.
That said, continually calling them teabaggers does not lead to an honest debate, and comes off as pretty childish.
Imagine if somebody started a similar thread, but instead of teabaggers said blacks or Hispanics. And then went on how, yes a few police officers and useful people like that would be among them, but then there would be less crime and therefor less need for cops.
I wonder how long the Mods would allow such a hateful thread to stay open.
Because they are unreasonable, and because compromise with rightwingers doesn’t work. The Democrats and now Obama have been making that mistake for years; trying to reason with lunatics and compromise with the uncompromising only leads to disaster.
Not all viewpoints deserve respect or debate. Teabaggers are basically the Klan. What is there to talk about?
By the way, my answer to the OP is that no, I don’t think have the Angel of Death kill them all off in a Passover would make the country better. It’s the ideology that has to be defeated, not the people. It’s a rump movement that will go the way of 60’s segregationists eventually.
I think it would be great if they all got really, really bad gas. Not explosive diarrhea or anything harmful, just nasty, bloaty, stinky, gas. And not the fun kind of farts either, but the no-relief giving kind that makes you wonder if you need an emergency change of underwear.
The only cure would be to actually think about what you’re saying, writing on a sign, or chanting. Bleating out engineered marketing slogans or echoing talking points would just make it worse, but taking a moment to reflect on the truthiness of a claim and distinguish between needless fearmongering or whatnot and actual policy discrepancies would offer relief.
Sure, some people would never catch on, and would always regurgitate Rush’s or Beck’s latest misdirection and tortured logic despite the intestinal disgruntlement. Racists, of course, would never make it out of the bathroom long enough to congregate.
But the throng of conservatives, those whose ideas and principles are sound and whose motivations stem from policy choices rather than vitriolic emotional rampage, would gradually become tamer and more rational in their discourse.
This means, of course, that though Fox news takes a major hit in viewership, the overall goals and aspirations of tea party members actually advance more quickly and more effectively than before–their *message *is heard, and ideas are actually articulated, not just their silly rhetoric. Since they take the time to listen and process ideas, more compromises are achieved and working together is possible in ways that were never before imaginable.
Sigh.
If only.
Oh, of course the only way for it to really work is if it was contagious and didn’t discriminate between political bents.
So if the Nazis were marching, you’d celebrate their “different point of view?” If the Klan was marching down your street, burning crosses and screaming “kill the niggers”, you’d try to have reasoned debate?
Once again the ‘progressives’ show that they’re anything but.
With all the expressions of intolerance and hatred here, you’d think this is Journolist or something. Someone call Ezra Klein - we’ve got some new candidates for him.
Wishing death on groups, particularly when the only point of wishing them dead is to avoid hearing their viewpoints, is dumb.
Calling an entire movement racist when there is little evidence that the movement, as opposed to a few notable members, even cares about race, is dumb.
These are not the only dumb comments, but they are salient.
Since this thread started in the pits and has moved right along, I am going to give it a more appropriate home.
