re: #335 suchislife

But do you consider these equally valid opinions? I mean, does it seem to you that those respective people fact check their ideas, and do you agree with one group more then the other?
Because I think this is a false equivalency. The most vocal and numerous of the people who think Obama will destroy the country think he’s a communist, or at least somehow ideologically opposed to capitalism as it is commonly understood, and also that he is stupid. The most vocal and numerous of the people who think Palin would destroy the country think she is religious in a way that clouds her thinking, has no integrity and is not educated/intelligent enough for the job. I mean, this is not ultimately about narcissist vs whore. That’s just how it is expressed. But those reasons for the hate are things that can be checked, and judged either wrong, right or somewhat wrong/right.
Like I said earlier, I think the first question should always be, is there a good reason for the political vitriol?

I think that the idea (which I do not hold) that Obama is a communist and the idea that Palin is religious in a way that clouds her thinking (which I do believe), are equally distasteful, in that we do not want these types of people holding high office in our country.

And of course the reasons for the hate are things that can be checked - which is how I came to believe that Obama is NOT a communist (and I did not vote for him), and it’s how I came to believe Palin’s thinking is cloudy.

There’s good reason for argument and differing opinions; I simply do not believe that it is necessary to resort to name calling (narcissist in chief; Nazi whore; etc.) in order to express one’s beliefs, arguments or dissent.

Mandy made the point that “narcissist” is a different sort of “name-calling”, than “Nazi whore”.

I disagree - both insults are ways to simply shut down the discussion before any discussion can take place as to WHY a person believes the insult fits. I’m more interested in knowing the process that a person used to form his/her opinion, than I am in knowing the person’s final conclusion (the insult).