The Tea Party: Greatest Enemy of Common Sense in America

[pimpdave]

[john9blue]

i'm not at all surprised that a scumbag like you browses r/atheism

even the idiots over there were able to refute this picture:

I am pro-choice, but it is disingenuous to act as though abortion is purely a matter of personal freedom. Those who are pro-life believe that a fetus represents a human life rather than a non-sentient bunch of cells as those of us who are pro-choice would argue. Therefore, in their eyes, an abortion constitutes killing a person. It isn't only wrong to be one who receives an abortion, but the fetus's being killed is itself a tragedy that should be avoided.

The argument in this image makes as much sense as:

Citizen: I don't believe in murder.
Government: Then don't murder.

It is helpful when trying to debate a point (and in almost every other interaction) to put yourself in the other person's shoes. It can help you see that while an argument may strengthen your resolve because it appeals to your line of reasoning, the other side is often approaching the issue from a very different angle.

Edit: Incidentally, I realize the irony in describing myself as "pro-choice". The terms pro-choice and pro-life are evidence of the point I'm making, which is that the two sides frame the issue completely differently. "Pro-choice" oversimplifies the issue into a women's rights issue (like the link does), and "pro-life" oversimplifies it into only being about a fetus's life. Obviously, nobody is really anti-choice or anti-life, but each side believes the other to be so when that isn't what the debate is about at all.

Edit2: I feel like a lot of you don't understand what I was trying to say. In my above post, I never argued either position. I merely presented the pro-life argument. I am not pro-life. That does not mean that I need to stick my head in the sand and pretend I don't know how those folks feel about this issue. They aren't exactly shy about the fact that they believe that abortion is murder. Just because I said what their argument is doesn't mean that I agree with it or even think it's a valid argument. It doesn't mean that I support all Christian ideology or all right wing ideology. If you want my personal opinion on abortion, I'll give it to you, but those of you sending me insults should really learn to distinguish between somebody stating facts about a debate and taking a side. This isn't about making concessions to the other side; I just want you to realize why the other side came to the conclusion that they did so you can think critically about how you can appeal to them when trying to convince them that your opinion is right.

Both sides seem to think this is a tug of war of either pro- versus anti-life or pro- versus anti-choice. That doesn't get you anywhere because it turns out you're standing perpendicular to each other and there's nobody at the other end of your rope.

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comment ... overnment/

[BigBallinStalin]

That response overlooks the general idea of government. It's not a place where you can visit in order to impose one's theocratic views on the entire nation.


I'd like to see more cases where a woman is tried for "murdering" her son after getting an abortion. I want the ridiculousness to appear on national television on a more regular basis.

[pimpdave]

What's reddit?

[Phatscotty]

your photo is a lie, as well as your misleading, slanderous, and hate-based thread title.

[Juan_Bottom]

I would have thought you'd agree with the pic, phatscotty.

[Phatscotty]

I would have thought you'd agree with the pic, phatscotty.

I saw the inaccuracy before I even finished reading it. Not like accuracy matters to someone pumping steroids into their platform of hatred, intolerance, and bigotry though.

[notyou2]

He doesn't believe what comes out of his mouth let alone what he writes anonymously on the net.

[Night Strike]

I would have thought you'd agree with the pic, phatscotty.

When the first two arguments on the picture are demonstrably false based on what is ACTUALLY doing on in our government, then of course he wouldn't agree with the picture.

[Juan_Bottom]

I would have thought you'd agree with the pic, phatscotty.

I saw the inaccuracy before I even finished reading it. Not like accuracy matters to someone pumping steroids into their platform of hatred, intolerance, and bigotry though.

But it says "if common sense was used" though?

Do you believe that the Constitution goes against common sense?

[Phatscotty]

He doesn't believe what comes out of his mouth let alone what he writes anonymously on the net.

the answer to the problem with the picture is so simple you will have to ignore it when you find out. You could try thinking about it for a second as well

[Victor Sullivan]

HALT!

This thread is being reviewed by the Thread Police (TP) for a grossly biased thread title. The paperwork is currently being filled out, and in 5-7 business days, you may be issued a ticket. Please note that your fourth infraction will result in punishment by community service hours (in addition to the cost of the ticket/s). If you would like to challenge the indictment, you may appeal to the Forum Board (FB) for a re-review of the situation.

Junior Officer Victor Sullivan
Thread Police

[CreepersWiener]

HALT!

This thread is being reviewed by the Thread Police (TP) for a grossly biased thread title. The paperwork is currently being filled out, and in 5-7 business days, you may be issued a ticket. Please note that your fourth infraction will result in punishment by community service hours (in addition to the cost of the ticket/s). If you would like to challenge the indictment, you may appeal to the Forum Board (FB) for a re-review of the situation.

Junior Officer Victor Sullivan
Thread Police

[Phatscotty]

Citizen: I don't believe in abortion.
Gov't: Then don't get one.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?

Citizen: I don't believe in birth control.
Gov't: Then don't use it.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?


Citizen: I don't believe in gay marriage
Gov't: Then don't marry a gay.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?

Citizen Pimpdave: I don't like the Tea Party.
Gov't: Then don't vote for them.

Hey, it works!

[pimpdave]

The Tea Party: We hate black people and want to kill everyone who disagrees with us.
Government: You have been added to the terrorist watch list.

[Night Strike]

The Tea Party: We hate black people and want to kill everyone who disagrees with us.
Government: You have been added to the terrorist watch list.

Except the Tea Party has never said those things. Although the government has put us on the watch list anyway.

[Phatscotty]

In 2013, the Tea Party will BE the government.

[tkr4lf]

Citizen: I don't believe in abortion.
Gov't: Then don't get one.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?

Citizen: I don't believe in birth control.
Gov't: Then don't use it.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?


Citizen: I don't believe in gay marriage
Gov't: Then don't marry a gay.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?

Citizen Pimpdave: I don't like the Tea Party.
Gov't: Then don't vote for them.

Hey, it works!

The government forces you to pay for gay couples to get married?

[Phatscotty]

Citizen: I don't believe in abortion.
Gov't: Then don't get one.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?

Citizen: I don't believe in birth control.
Gov't: Then don't use it.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?


Citizen: I don't believe in gay marriage
Gov't: Then don't marry a gay.
Citizen: But you are forcing me to financially support and enable others to do something that I don't believe in and strongly opposes my religious beliefs
Gov't: YUP! What's the problem?

Citizen Pimpdave: I don't like the Tea Party.
Gov't: Then don't vote for them.

Hey, it works!

The government forces you to pay for gay couples to get married?

No, but you are on the right track

[Juan_Bottom]

In 2013, the Tea Party will BE the government.

If the Tea Party is the good guys, then why does their flag have a portrait of Satan on it? He looks like he is laughing at Adam.

[Victor Sullivan]

I would have thought the Tea Party would have close relations to the Grammar Nazis. Guess not.

-Sully

[Phatscotty]

tkr, as has been proven many times over, gay marriage is all about getting access to benefits.

[BigBallinStalin]

And something else trivial... equality before the law? i dunno lol

[Symmetry]

tkr, as has been proven many times over, gay marriage is all about getting access to benefits.

And heterosexual marriage is about what? You wouldn't want to come off all bigoted on this, would you? I think you can carefully outline how a dude who's in love with a gal and wants to marry said gal is completely different from a dude who's in love with a guy and wants to marry him, or, of course, a lady in love with a lady she'd would like to wed.

You aren't arguing that gay people marry for mercenary reasons. are you? That's be a bit homopohobic, no?

[comic boy]

In 2013, the Tea Party will BE the government.

Yep Ron Paul 2012 and Tea Party 2013 , Scotty the prediction king .....providing you remember that the direct opposite will actually happen