{link » A Reprise for Civility?}
Discourse is an art not a science. Although my education and my profession have been largely in the realm of science, I have an abiding interest in and appreciation for the arts. But art is open to interpretation to an extent that science is not, and therein lie both danger and opportunity. My blog is a product of the opportunity; this post addresses a prominent danger.
Discourse is an exchange of opinions, which latter may be called euphemistically "personal truths". Criticism of an individual or a group of individuals is an expressed opinion. Interpretation of that criticism as an expression of hatred is also just an opinion unless the criticism itself is an explicit expression of hatred. But the interpretation that the criticism of a specific individual or group is an expression of hatred for another individual is an opinion without merit.
I am not now nor have I ever been an Obama hater, nor a hater of any sitting President or any previous President-elect. Nor have I ever disrespected the Office of the President, nor do I ever intend to do so. I re-iterate my best wishes to President-elect Obama and fervently hope that the Ship of State fares well on his watch. But I reserve my right to express my opinions as I see fit, ever mindful of the norms of civil discourse where appropriate.
Discourse is an art not a science. Although my education and my profession have been largely in the realm of science, I have an abiding interest in and appreciation for the arts. But art is open to interpretation to an extent that science is not, and therein lie both danger and opportunity. My blog is a product of the opportunity; this post addresses a prominent danger.
Discourse is an exchange of opinions, which latter may be called euphemistically "personal truths". Criticism of an individual or a group of individuals is an expressed opinion. Interpretation of that criticism as an expression of hatred is also just an opinion unless the criticism itself is an explicit expression of hatred. But the interpretation that the criticism of a specific individual or group is an expression of hatred for another individual is an opinion without merit.
I am not now nor have I ever been an Obama hater, nor a hater of any sitting President or any previous President-elect. Nor have I ever disrespected the Office of the President, nor do I ever intend to do so. I re-iterate my best wishes to President-elect Obama and fervently hope that the Ship of State fares well on his watch. But I reserve my right to express my opinions as I see fit, ever mindful of the norms of civil discourse where appropriate.
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