"If You Lie Down with Dogs...
You get up with flees." This quote is attributed to Benjamin Franklin's 'Poor Richard's Almanack', which was an almanac published from 1732 to 1758. According to Wikipedia, the universally acceptable meaning for this quote is "You should be cautious of the company you keep. Associating with those of low reputation may not only lower your own but also lead you astray by the faulty assumptions, premises and data of the unscrupulous."
The reason I'm thinking about this phrase is because I said it to myself yesterday after I foolishly engaged in a political debate on Facebook. There are many reasons that this was an error in judgement on my part. First, most people do not understand how to debate. I was actually on the Speech and Debate team in college (yes, we've already established that I'm a nerd) and I know how to take one side of an issue and argue the applicable points. I know that ad hominem (personal) attacks are not allowed and irrelevant. The people with whom I was engaged did not understand this.
The impetus for this debate was one of those cutesy liberal pictures talking about the student loan rate being doubled. I was arguing that our government has no place in education and they are the reason that schools are so expensive and loans are out of control. I then restated my usual 'no one deserves any of my money and taxes, even for education and caring for children, are stealing.' Some people got very ugly. They were incapable of addressing the issues in a rational manner and resorted to personal attacks that have no bearing on the actual argument. They simply confirmed my thoughts about the fact that people have been completely indoctrinated. So many no longer think for themselves. They hear this socialist excrement in school, church or on TV, and assume that it's true.
How can you argue with people who are incapable of engaging in a rational debate? You can't. So, why did I bother? Because I'm tired of it. I'm tired of people spewing their nonsense with no one stepping up to correct them. I don't want to get caught in the 'silence equals acceptance' trap. When the rational people stop talking, that's when we need to be really afraid. When no one is the voice of reason, what do we have left?
The reason I'm thinking about this phrase is because I said it to myself yesterday after I foolishly engaged in a political debate on Facebook. There are many reasons that this was an error in judgement on my part. First, most people do not understand how to debate. I was actually on the Speech and Debate team in college (yes, we've already established that I'm a nerd) and I know how to take one side of an issue and argue the applicable points. I know that ad hominem (personal) attacks are not allowed and irrelevant. The people with whom I was engaged did not understand this.
The impetus for this debate was one of those cutesy liberal pictures talking about the student loan rate being doubled. I was arguing that our government has no place in education and they are the reason that schools are so expensive and loans are out of control. I then restated my usual 'no one deserves any of my money and taxes, even for education and caring for children, are stealing.' Some people got very ugly. They were incapable of addressing the issues in a rational manner and resorted to personal attacks that have no bearing on the actual argument. They simply confirmed my thoughts about the fact that people have been completely indoctrinated. So many no longer think for themselves. They hear this socialist excrement in school, church or on TV, and assume that it's true.
How can you argue with people who are incapable of engaging in a rational debate? You can't. So, why did I bother? Because I'm tired of it. I'm tired of people spewing their nonsense with no one stepping up to correct them. I don't want to get caught in the 'silence equals acceptance' trap. When the rational people stop talking, that's when we need to be really afraid. When no one is the voice of reason, what do we have left?
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