In response to this thread, I question whether it is helpful to be meeting the provocative opinions of Yogi Yorgenson with anger and/or frustration. Just because a person’s opinions are offensive, is it better to infer that that person and others who hold similar unpopular opinions possess other negative qualities?
Many of the opinions of the abovementioned person I have heard expressed by friends, family and loved ones. For example, I have a positive relationship with at least one person (a separate person for every statement) who would likely assent to the following statements:
…AIDS is a disease that could be cured by “curing homosexuality.”
…black people should “stay in their place.”
…Hispanic people should all “go back to Mexico.”
Despite the fact that I am in total disagreement with the above opinions, I still find these friends to be wonderful, loving people and try to be loving towards them. However, when they speak out of hatred or ignorance, I disregard any misguided statements they make. I suspect that there are many people, perhaps including Yogi, with misguided ideas who are wonderful, kind, loving people who simply need to be ignored while putting forth harmful or prejudiced opinions. Instead of being negative towards them, would it be preferable to show them how much we care for them? Or, is combating ignorance something that needs to be done by ceasing relations with (ignoring) people who repeatedly state deliberately ignorant opinions?
lel, willful ignorance is almost impossible to overcome. I refuse to waste my time trying to combat it; for change to happen in that situation, it would take an internal change by the individual which is unlikely to be engendered by anything said and done on a message board. I prefer to show my disdain for that type of ignorant behavior, and withdraw from further discussions which would only escalate the invective.
And I’m not going to try to care for someone who I suspect of being either a sock puppet or a troller. I’m saving my compassion for family, friends, and patients. I’ve had compassion burnout before, and it wasn’t pretty.
My wife and I were friends with a married couple. I knew the husband since high school. (I’m 48)
We no longer see them. One to one they were very nice people, they were ALWAYS polite to any person no matter what color or religion they were.
When we and they would get together for dinner or just to talk no matter what the conversation was it would ALWAYS turn into talking about those DAMN JEW BOYS or those DAMN NIGGERS.
I don’t even think they knew what they were saying. We had a black mayor and this former friend put in a lot of time working for free helping him get elected. When he would speak of the mayor he would call him THAT NIG MAYOR.
I’m not a person who can confront a person so we just stopped seeing them. Might be the cowards way out but my insides don’t get tied in a knot anymore.
rande…