That's where we differ. I believe that all views are worthy of airtime. I just don't have to listen to those views that I believe to be offensive.sycasey said:I'll note here that you didn't actually ask me what I thought wasn't "worthy of airtime," rather you jumped to a conclusion that it's merely "those who disagree with me." Not so.Golden One said:Thank you! You have perfectly captured the essence of liberalism. In other words, "If you agree with me, you're worthy of airtime; if you don't you're not."sycasey said:
All viewpoints are worthy of being CONSIDERED. Once considered, not all are worthy of the same airtime.
There are two categories of views that I would say are generally not worthy of airtime:
1. Overtly racist/sexist/homophobic/etc. views that seek to reduce the humanity of people based on factors they cannot control. Not worth my time.
2. Views that have long ago been debunked by all available scientific evidence. Flat Earthers, to name an extreme example.
In my opinion, the Republican Party has been trending too far in the direction of these two categories in their arguments. I know, not everyone agrees, and I wouldn't ever expect 100% agreement anyway. I'm just making clear that I'm not rejecting conservative arguments out of pure intolerance of conservatives. It's because, in my view, these arguments are not worth my time.
Now, to be clear, I do not advocate that the government actively restrict these people's rights to free speech. But I do think that once the argument has been considered and has run afoul of either of the above standards, I and anyone else are entirely justified in shunning those who continue to make such arguments. I'm sure that will look like intolerance to them, but it's really just considering a viewpoint, finding it wanting, and then moving on to more productive things.
IMO, that is largely what happens when a lot of people come together and share their views and life experiences in a large city (like S.F. or L.A. or NYC). Some of those views don't pass muster and fall to the bottom of the barrel. If those happen to represent most of the current "conservative" dogma, then so be it. Come up with better arguments.