This being a blog site based on the discussion of political and social issues, its not a surprise we address a lot of issues. Everyone has their own opinion like expected, and of course shares it will each other. Now just the fact that we are blogging on a site on these type of topics, considered dull to the general populace, means we are all very opinionated people from the get go. This in turn leads to very heated debates, on the greatest issues of the day, to the meaningless ones we sometime hear congress debates. :)
I enjoy reading all of them, and adding my two cents worth, but I think to really make this site effective. We mustn't act like the government and be so partisan that we don't give the other side the light of day. I know we as humans don't agree with each other sometime, or even most of the time, but if you just open up ears, (in this case your eyes), and agree that your opposition can make some valid points, our blogging experience would be so much more enriched.
In the end I don't believe that we can all agree on a lot of issues, and that is why almost all of the issues we debate, have been debated for decades before us, and some since the beginning of time, in one form or another.
We all just have to many different personal experiences and reasons, to justify why we write and say the things we do. I'm all up for the idea of debating issues, but I think as an author and a reader you can't expect everyone to agree with you. Hence the word debate.:) The only thing I would like to see more of is genuine debate, without the personal attacks, and then we just might start progressing not only this site, but the country.
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You're quite right to point out the uselessness of personal attacks- if there was ever a way to obscure an issue...
However, I also believe that in this environment (i.e. the blogosphere), slightly more provocative discussion is permissible, simply because it generates more feedback. There is certainly a line between provocative blogging and offensive blogging, but I think it is more interesting if we discuss the extremes of an argument, rather than waste time in the middle like many politicians tend to do once the primaries are over...
I think attacks aside, the reason why things don't get fixed is that people rely on their superstitions to solve their problems.
What can solve the nuclear family? Banning gay marriage.
What will stop school violence? Prayer in school and banning all guns.
What's a way to solve global warming? Making people use energy less.
All these things have REAL solutions, but people have put forth things that wouldn't make an impact, but would be a good anecdotal and peripheral issue to make them feel better.
I think attacks aside, the reason why things don't get fixed is that people rely on their superstitions to solve their problems.
What can solve the nuclear family? Banning gay marriage.
What will stop school violence? Prayer in school and banning all guns.
What's a way to solve global warming? Making people use energy less.
All these things have REAL solutions, but people have put forth things that wouldn't make an impact, but would be a good anecdotal and peripheral issue to make them feel better.