Too much or not enough.

[Doug H]

Is it me or does American society have the image of too much or not enough? Doesn't seem to matter the subject: War or no war, too strong or too light law enforcement, prudish or sluttish dress codes, prudish or loose morals, etc., etc.... I'd blame the media for twisting my perceptions, but I look around at others attitudes and responses to situations and ponder. Criticism seems to be high and the middle ground seems more like the pinnacle of a steep mountain than a gray area with wiggle room to allow for circumstances. Has society gotten to the point that the only criticism one can get is either big cheers or 3 tons of raspberries?

Doug H.

[Doug H]

Is it me or does American society have the image of too much or not enough? Doesn't seem to matter the subject: War or no war, too strong or too light law enforcement, prudish or sluttish dress codes, prudish or loose morals, etc., etc.... I'd blame the media for twisting my perceptions, but I look around at others attitudes and responses to situations and ponder. Criticism seems to be high and the middle ground seems more like the pinnacle of a steep mountain than a gray area with wiggle room to allow for circumstances. Has society gotten to the point that the only criticism one can get is either big cheers or 3 tons of raspberries?

Doug H.

[hw]

Doug H I'm not sure if I understand this post or not. Are people expecting or wanting too much from life? Does the media influence our opinions? If that is what you are asking than I say yes to both. Give us a little more detail please. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[florida-david]

i think he's referring to king w. bush' black or white mentality. i think we are getting more this way, but its only due to this president. i exist in the gray, sometimes straying into the black or the white.

It's apparent to me that Doug is saying that the mentality is that everything is either right or wrong in people's minds. I suppose it is to some people, but I for one believe that many things are gray--neither right nor wrong. As a Christian I believe there are things that ARE either right or wrong, but many things in life are simply a matter of choice, or individual belief.

[gamblefish]

That's me baby!! Either one extreme or the other. It's all or nothin' baby!! When I do something, I go at it 100mph. When I started this nudism thing, I had to be nude whenever and wherever, within the bounds of not getting caught of course. If I was rich, and got into,like waterskiing or something like that, I would have to buy the fastest boat and the best skis and, well, you get the picture...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by florida-david:
i think he's referring to king w. bush' black or white mentality. i think we are getting more this way, but its only due to this president. i exist in the gray, sometimes straying into the black or the white. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hey, I thought everything that was wrong with me was either my parent's fault or society's fault , you mean I can blame the pres. too?!?! /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

[averagejoe]

I am sure that the vast majority of Americans are fine with what they have and who they are.

It is, however, the extreme viewpoints that get the ratings and therefore the press. That's why we get to hear about the female streaker at the mall or the church group that bans topless bathing for men at their functions. We don't hear about the woman that was a little daring and wore a skirt two inches shorter than normal today, or the man that decided to work in his yard with a t-shirt on because he was shy. We hear about those too poor to buy milk or get a tour of Bill Gates' mansion. Anyone want to see my twenty-seven year old ranch home or hear about my neighbor's pinching pennies to buy a new car?

Be careful to never confuse what you hear and see in the media with what you know from your own personal experience. That, and age really does give you some amazing perspective. I always tell everyone it's amazing how smart my father suddenly became when I turned about twenty one. As I have gotten older I begin to understand that most people aren't that much different than me, that nothing I do or say will change their beliefs unless they're looking to change and that there really is nothing new under the sun. So look at those 260 million Americans that way and realize that, except for those you see on Jerry Springer and such, most are content with what they have.

[hw]

My Grandmother used to have a saying which is still true to this day. "Believe only half of what you see, and none of what you hear".
I agree there is a lot of gray areas in this crazy world of ours. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[shãybare]

The President? Give me a break. I'm in my fifties and there have been people thinking this way all my life and I'm pretty dang sure it was that way before I was born.

[gamblefish]

Oh, Shaybare, you don't look a day over 49 ?.

I think a lot of areas in life are gray, and some are black and white. The hard part is figuring out which is which.

Of course, a lot of areas of my life are black and blue...but that's a whole 'nother thread...

[luvnaturism]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by shaybare:
The President? Give me a break. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Strong leaders excite strong feelings, so that people praise and criticize more than they really deserve.

I haven't seen any comments about our current President from the Arab press that are more insulting than what was written in the US papers about Abraham Lincoln when he was in office. Teddy Roosevelt was praised to the heavens by some while others considered him to be a satanic idiot. FDR also. My father used "Truman" as a swear word (in later life he changed his mind, and came to regard Truman as one of the great Presidents). Reagan moved people to extremes of rapture or animosity.

Weaker leaders don't provoke extreme feelings. People largely forgot about LBJ as soon as he left office, the nation having realized that he wasn't able to govern in a time of crisis. Carter was and is appreciated for his personal character, but he didn't bring much leadership to the office and so didn't excite much emotion.

It's more fun, and more satisying, to praise or criticize in extremes. It lets us ventilate. But only strong leaders really allow us that opportunity.

[shãybare]

People may react strongly to things the President does or says but it is not the President that cause these people to react the way they do.They reacted to other things strongly before Bush ever came along. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[gamblefish]

I think if we got a bunch of crop-dusters and filled them with Grecian Formula and sprayed the whole country that there would be no more gray areas.

Ok, seriously, I think that sometimes things are not so cut-and-dried and that before we judge someone's actions we should realize that we do not know everything that went into their decision to do whatever they did to make us judge them. Comprendo?

That is the most serious post by me ever!...I feel sooooooooo dirty!!!!!!!!!!

[mel9122]

hi hw. my grandmother had the same saying,my grandfather used to say do not except more out of life than you put into it.gamblefish i put down 'b' it is either bald or brown.

[florida-david]

hey guys, notice in my post i said that things are getting MORE black and white, not that they were not that way before. bush's attitudes and beliefs segregate opinions, not drawing concensus.

luvnaturism - just because someone is a strong leader does not make them a good leader. in my opinion, king w. is not a good leader, though a bullheaded and opinionated one. that is what is causing MORE of the black and white.

[gamblefish]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mel9122:
gamblefish i put down 'b' it is either bald or brown. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Huh? Oh, you mean the driver's license thing!!
I put down "b" too, but I thought it meant brain-dead... /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[Doug H]

What got me started thinking about this was the criticism of the war, the president, and the war's progress. (some valid and well thought out, some not so well done)[They should make journalists and editorial columnists who want to cover a war take some history classes first.] Talking with some coworkers on the subject had me thinking that what is wanted for a definition of "good war/bad war" is 3 or 4 simple declarative sentences. As an amateur student of military history, I'll tell you that that is not possible. The decision and the factors in the decision are simply not that simple.

What prompted me to speak up somewhere though was all the flak about Dale Earnhart Jr's pass below the line at Talladega last Sunday. The one thing that I haven't even heard NASCAR mention is that Junior was completely Matt Kenseth when Mr. Kenseth moved left and forced Mr. Earnhart below the line. That means, according to Mike Helton's speech at the Daytona drivers' meeting, that if a penalty should be handed out it should be to Mr. Kenseth for not leaving room. No one is even mentioning him for being at fault in the matter. (As a follower of the No.6 of Mark Martin, I have nothing against Matt Kenseth. If he holds on and wins the championship, Mark can at least say he owned the team that won.)

These are examples of what I mean when I say everyone wants things to be in black-and-white, but unfortunately some things need to stay at least a wee bit gray.

Doug H.