4 ms·

As a conservative who typically votes Republican, it frustrates me that an otherwise thoughtful individual like Wil Wheaton in the middle of a plea for empathy

by Zanni 8y ago

As a conservative who typically votes Republican, it frustrates me that an otherwise thoughtful individual like Wil Wheaton in the middle of a plea for empathy and understanding drops language like "President Shitler" and says of Twitter "the most lucid and concise indictment I can give Twitter is: it's the service that Donald Trump uses to communicate with and incite his cultists." Dude, if that's how you think and talk about people whose political opinions you disagree with, how can you expect anything better in return? I'm appalled by how you were treated. I'm on your side. But I get the distinct impression that if the shoe were on the other foot, and you knew how I voted, you would not be on mine.

martimarkov 8y ago
I don’t think he disagrees with the political view but rather with his moral code, compass or even his lack of humanity. From my view (not related to the USA) it does seem like a correct statement. None of the masses that voted for him have shown empathy towards others or have a logical argument. That being said if he didn’t win and it was a different candidate with the logic lacking masses I think a similar statement would be valid as well.
charcoal23 8y ago
I'm finding it difficult to see how a Trump voter can complain about tone. Trump himself is usually toxic and abrasive, and relies heavily on petty insults with the eloquence usually found on grade school playgrounds. His followers proudly wore "fuck your feelings" on their clothing, and that seems to have been their operational philosophy ("cucks! snowflakes! get out of your safe spaces!") before they realized how much the rest of the country hated them. Now, ironically, they complain about insults and not being accepted. With all that in mind, is it any surprise people on the Left treat Trump with zero respect? And can you not understand how ridiculous it is to demand that respect when respect has not been given by your side. From the president on down, there has been no grace, no diplomacy, no kindness. This is a classic "remove the log in your own eye before complaining about the mote in another's" situation. And that's without getting into how this administration is the most corrupt in modern American history. Perhaps the most corrupt ever in our nation. And is intent on doing as much looting & damage as possible before they're finally kicked out. Difficult to treat someone with respect when they're behaving in such a reprehensible fashion.
- bena 8y ago
  I think the issue is that log goes both ways. Complaining about someone being petty and insulting rings hollow from someone being petty and insulting. It feels like a "rules for thee, none for me" situation. Or the even worse "no bad tactics, only bad targets". We can insult Trump because he is a bad person. Trump can't insult me because I'm a good person. Well, who decided one was a bad person and which was a good person? You? That's not exactly unbiased. Why is Trump a bad person? Because he insults good people? But what makes those people good? Because they insult bad people? Well all you've done is put a level of abstraction between the problem of why do you get to decide who is good and who is bad? And how do you make that determination? Trump mocks the weak, the disabled, things people can't help, things he's guilty of himself. He's self-serving, he inconsistently applies rules, favoring sycophants despite their actions and criticizing critics for doing things he ignores in his favorites. He's actively trying to avoid investigation into certain aspects of his campaign. These are all reasons he's not a good person. Because good people don't do those things. So I don't care if you dislike Trump. If your entire discourse about him is to mock him for his appearance or call him derogatory names, then how is what you're doing any different? I wouldn't want you in charge either. And I wouldn't want anyone you vouch for in charge either. There is the concept of being the better person. There's no point in wrestling with a pig. You'll both get muddy and the pig enjoys it.
  - krapp 8y ago
    >There is the concept of being the better person. There's no point in wrestling with a pig. You'll both get muddy and the pig enjoys it. You're not entirely wrong, but in this case, the pigs are the ones that dragged us all into the mud, so it's understandable that some people wouldn't want to simply drown politely in the cesspool.
mst 8y ago
The aggravating thing to me is: the description of twitter does, to my mind, kinda match - and I know quite a few people who're very definitely conservatives who've accused the populism-driven Trump base of being a cult in far, far more eloquent and persuasive terms. And yet I still don't think Wil would be extending any sympathy to Never Trump Republicans if they got similarly attacked either, so I echo your frustration.

by Zanni 8y ago

martimarkov 8y ago

I don’t think he disagrees with the political view but rather with his moral code, compass or even his lack of humanity. From my view (not related to the USA) it does seem like a correct statement. None of the masses that voted for him have shown empathy towards others or have a logical argument. That being said if he didn’t win and it was a different candidate with the logic lacking masses I think a similar statement would be valid as well.

charcoal23 8y ago

I'm finding it difficult to see how a Trump voter can complain about tone. Trump himself is usually toxic and abrasive, and relies heavily on petty insults with the eloquence usually found on grade school playgrounds. His followers proudly wore "fuck your feelings" on their clothing, and that seems to have been their operational philosophy ("cucks! snowflakes! get out of your safe spaces!") before they realized how much the rest of the country hated them. Now, ironically, they complain about insults and not being accepted. With all that in mind, is it any surprise people on the Left treat Trump with zero respect? And can you not understand how ridiculous it is to demand that respect when respect has not been given by your side. From the president on down, there has been no grace, no diplomacy, no kindness. This is a classic "remove the log in your own eye before complaining about the mote in another's" situation. And that's without getting into how this administration is the most corrupt in modern American history. Perhaps the most corrupt ever in our nation. And is intent on doing as much looting & damage as possible before they're finally kicked out. Difficult to treat someone with respect when they're behaving in such a reprehensible fashion.

bena 8y ago
I think the issue is that log goes both ways. Complaining about someone being petty and insulting rings hollow from someone being petty and insulting. It feels like a "rules for thee, none for me" situation. Or the even worse "no bad tactics, only bad targets". We can insult Trump because he is a bad person. Trump can't insult me because I'm a good person. Well, who decided one was a bad person and which was a good person? You? That's not exactly unbiased. Why is Trump a bad person? Because he insults good people? But what makes those people good? Because they insult bad people? Well all you've done is put a level of abstraction between the problem of why do you get to decide who is good and who is bad? And how do you make that determination? Trump mocks the weak, the disabled, things people can't help, things he's guilty of himself. He's self-serving, he inconsistently applies rules, favoring sycophants despite their actions and criticizing critics for doing things he ignores in his favorites. He's actively trying to avoid investigation into certain aspects of his campaign. These are all reasons he's not a good person. Because good people don't do those things. So I don't care if you dislike Trump. If your entire discourse about him is to mock him for his appearance or call him derogatory names, then how is what you're doing any different? I wouldn't want you in charge either. And I wouldn't want anyone you vouch for in charge either. There is the concept of being the better person. There's no point in wrestling with a pig. You'll both get muddy and the pig enjoys it.
- krapp 8y ago
  >There is the concept of being the better person. There's no point in wrestling with a pig. You'll both get muddy and the pig enjoys it. You're not entirely wrong, but in this case, the pigs are the ones that dragged us all into the mud, so it's understandable that some people wouldn't want to simply drown politely in the cesspool.

mst 8y ago

The aggravating thing to me is: the description of twitter does, to my mind, kinda match - and I know quite a few people who're very definitely conservatives who've accused the populism-driven Trump base of being a cult in far, far more eloquent and persuasive terms. And yet I still don't think Wil would be extending any sympathy to Never Trump Republicans if they got similarly attacked either, so I echo your frustration.