tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post114176491989973755..comments2009-05-18T18:44:22.612-06:00Comments on Spherical Chickens: BYU's Political VaccuumLiz Busbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08505062751148555335noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post-1142526806729399472006-03-16T09:33:00.000-07:002006-03-16T09:33:00.000-07:00I apologize for mispelling your name. It's an eas...I apologize for mispelling your name. It's an easy mistake. I'll fix that.<BR/><BR/>Your comment on stereotypes is cryptic. I'm not sure if you are serious or sarcastic. Care to expound and have an actual discussion, or are you just trying to sound smart and ticked off?<BR/><BR/>I'm aware that there are no Black Helicopters in your article. It's a metaphor I was using for any far-fetched government program that's sneakily violating people's rights. The point was that your article seemed to conclude that the only way the government can be controlled is to be constantly spying on it. I think this is clearly an exaggeration, and I was trying to point that out by exaggerating your point to the point of obvious ridiculousness.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the information on the spying program. Why didn't you talk about it in your article? It seems to me the difference between the two articles positions on "leaking" has mostly to do with whether they think the wiretapping is justified or not. Since Dave thought it was okay, he saw the leaking as an underhanded trick. Since you think it is wrong, you see it as comparable to the examples listed in your article. The real issue that should have been addressed is whether the wiretapping is right or not, but neither article really addressed that issue.Liz Busbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08505062751148555335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post-1142372546615976192006-03-14T14:42:00.000-07:002006-03-14T14:42:00.000-07:00In condemning stereotypes, I think you've quite ha...In condemning stereotypes, I think you've quite handily slapped one on me. Plus, I don't remember having anything published on black helicopters. Maybe the CIA has been tampering with my thoughts again...<BR/><BR/>Oh, and info is available on the NSA spying program. You should have Googled it.<BR/><BR/>http://www.abanews.org/docs/domsurvrecommendationfinal.pdf<BR/><BR/>http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fisa/doj-response.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post-1141885027762982752006-03-08T23:17:00.000-07:002006-03-08T23:17:00.000-07:00Oh and also, your thoughts on the stereotypes are ...Oh and also, your thoughts on the stereotypes are exactly what I was going for: each side sees the other in a perfectly distorted way, but can't see their own strange stereotypes.<BR/><BR/>Seriously, I have met more vegetarians at BYU than at my "secular" high school.Liz Busbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08505062751148555335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post-1141794707505373232006-03-07T22:11:00.000-07:002006-03-07T22:11:00.000-07:00Precisely my point - the extremes are too vocal an...Precisely my point - the extremes are too vocal and also too prevalent. Those of moderate opinion tend to assume that they just aren't educated enough about politics, or they just don't care. And because they don't speak up, there virtually is no middle ground. If it doesn't have a voice, it doesn't exist. In politics anyway. :D<BR/><BR/>(Had to delete previous version due to atrocious misusage of the word two.)Liz Busbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08505062751148555335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post-1141794604492621492006-03-07T22:10:00.000-07:002006-03-07T22:10:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Liz Busbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08505062751148555335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post-1141792645840718662006-03-07T21:37:00.000-07:002006-03-07T21:37:00.000-07:00I identify my own political ideology as rather lef...I identify my own political ideology as rather left-leaning, particularly relative to the majority here at BYU. And although just about everyone has a tendency to think his or her opinions make the most sense, a trap I admittedly fall into at times, I do make a concerted effort to acknowledge and understand views that swing further left and right of mine on the political spectrum.<BR/><BR/>There are, of course, many religious and social factors that contribute to the polarization we encounter at BYU, but I think the biggest problem is a frequent failure to recognize, validate, and respect all perspectives--regardless of how they compare to one's own. The extremist, vegetarian, R-rated-movie-watching caffeine-drinkers (who are the minority of liberal Mormons anyway--but here my bias shows, as I seem to find your conservative stereotype more frequently accurate) are just as narrow-minded as their conservative counterparts. <BR/><BR/>I would argue, though, that the moderate faction is much larger than you acknowledge. It's almost expected for those holding views extreme in one direction or the other to be more vocal--it's the moderates in any situation who tend to be heard the least. Perhaps we shouldn't be lament the lack of middle ground, but encourage those who stand there to speak up rather than allowing themselves to be overpowered by the extremes.Katherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17798018093384922192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23560503.post-1141767343550285042006-03-07T14:35:00.000-07:002006-03-07T14:35:00.000-07:00I don't know why your name is familiar to me. Mayb...I don't know why your name is familiar to me. Maybe just coincidence.<BR/><BR/>At any rate, this is a fine post on an all too frequent case of Polarized Ideologies on campus. I love to swing far a'left of the Center, but that's mostly for kicks and grins. My personal peace is found most profoundly when I'm able to grasp both ends of the candle of contention (as it were.) Accepting that both sides of an argument have legitimate concerns is the only way to achieve a truly meaningful solution.<BR/><BR/>Here's hoping your voice in UT assists that goal.Michael Bainshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13734972725056899460noreply@blogger.com