You're browsing blogs: that one's lame, that one's ignorant, that one's just a rant, and that one . . . what an enthralling topic! You jump in with fervor, absorbing every word, whether you agree with it or not, it's an excellent blog. But of course, you don't agree. Naturally. So you begin, with equal excitement, to comment and discuss . . . and then you put your foot in your mouth.
I speak from personal experience. I put my foot in my mouth often. But if we may examine the root cause of this awkward social taboo, I think we can agree that it stems from not knowing to whom we are speaking. We have no perspective for these opinions, unless we are familiar with the author. I am looking forward with great anticipation to defending and discussing opinions, but both of us are just going to end up embarrassed if I don't give your some background.
Politically: I am libertarian, I believe that government should be limited as the founders intended it, and that personal liberty should be above all preserved. The less laws, the better. The government exists to maintain social order and administer justice, and the government should not legislate morality.
Socially: I am more conservative and traditional. I like what I am familiar with and am not one for radical ideas. Social issue and political issues seem to go hand-in-hand, however, so whenever my conservative and libertarian views come into conflict, I turn to my beliefs in the 3rd sphere:
Religiously: Jesus is my Savior and God created the universe. I am hesitant to label myself a "Christian" but if that's what you want to call me, sure, I'm a Christian. I am a ridiculous bigot in this area, I'm sorry, but I won't push my beliefs in your face, because that's just rude.
Myself: I am young, inexperienced, and sheltered. But I am also opinionated and I have done my research. Be forewarned: many of my ideas rest on more philosophical grounds than hard data, and I won't listen to one without the other.
I look forward to sharing my opinions with you, and learning about the world from what you have to share. I hope explaining a little about my background will dispel any potential confusion in our further discussions. Happy blogging!
"Be forewarned: many of my ideas rest on more philosophical grounds than hard data, and I won't listen to one without the other. "
Well that's good. Resting on hard facts all the time would get boring, would it not? Even in a factual piece, we often like to see some personal opinions thrown in there.
Welcome to ProgressiveU and Happy Blogging.
I agree, Bridge. There's a science to the philosophy as well, and they complement each other nicely.
Also, HRH, it is so hard to interpret others without experiencing the gut feeling you get about someone when you first meet them, detecting the changes in their voice, or even picking up on their eye movements, etc. Background is a big thing, too- with my spiritual theory, for example, others with the same science background as me have a much easier time understanding it. I, however, have a hard time understanding why anyone would ever want to have a conservative social perspective. All I can do is accept that this is what floats your boat, and the ocean's a big enough place for both of our ships.