Check, please

I've been thinking today about the role that assumptions play in our life. We live in a world (and we continue to construct a world) in which ethnic, religious, philosophical, and social groups(to name a few) are spoken of with an alarming combination of vague understanding and precise criticism. In the "old days"(yes, I know, that is a generalization. I was making a stab at irony), the lack of specific information lead to all sorts of misunderstandings, unfair judgments, and persecution. One rather humorous example of this can be found in the perpetuated myth of cannibalistic cultures. The fact is, there is hardly any (I say hardly because I haven't looked under every historical stone) factual evidence that supports the idea that there were any primitive cultures that consistently practiced cannibalism. There is, however, a vast array of travelers tales wherein someone "barely escaped" or "managed to overcome" a group of gruesome savages who made an attempt on their corporeal soundness. Interestingly enough, all of these stories originated from areas that later came under the direct or indirect power of the Imperialistic forces of the time. Perhaps this is a coincidence. Perhaps fear was used to justify the extortion and general mistreatment of unknown people groups.

Today, the easy accesibility of information makes it much easier to gather information about other groups, ideas, worldviews, etc., and yet the same trend of generalizing and, subsequently, attacking other groups continues. Kanye West has a great line about this line in his new radio single where he says "you say the Obama nation is an abomination/that's a great way to start a conversation". Kanye isn't the most erudite in interviews but he does make a great point about how oftentimes we love to be divisive rather than charitable when it comes to ideas that differ from our own. Glenn Beck has a book out in Barnes and Nobles called "How to talk to Idiots". Its about talking to liberals. Need I say more?

I could give more exanples but I'm sure you get the point. Despite the vast amount of information at our finger tips, the majority of Americans on both sides of any aisle you can think of would rather put bumper stickers on their cars and march around with signs than take the time to be a bit more open-minded and willing to engage the other "party" in conversation. There are a lot of liberals that are not idiots, and there are a lot of conservatives that are idiots. There are a lot of Christians who think that Obama is heaven-sent, and a lot that think that he is hell-bent. Wake up people, and then grow up. Don't engage any group or idea in a general way. If you are passionate about the debate between conservatives and liverals, spend some time learning what it is that the liberal movement is actually about (preferably from a liberal) and why they think the way they do. I'm not saying you need to accept everything, but rather just the opposite. A conviction about anything that is based on vague conclusions and dubious assertions is no conviction at all. Christ doesn't call anyone to be ignorant. How can you engage the world if you have no idea why people think differently than you do? This applies just as much to atheists, pantheists and whoever else. My atheist philosophy professor demanded one thing of us, that we present a differing viewpoint in the most charitable way possible, and we all need to incorporate this into the way we think about the world. Ask yourself: "Why would someone who is really smart think that this other idea is true?" Build arguments, make assertions, construct defenses, be passionate about what you believe in, and be open to being wrong. I only ask that before you discuss the ideas, assumptions, beliefs, etc, of a group that thinks differently than you do, check your facts. please.