This has been out for a couple weeks, but it's still well worth checking out -- Newsweek's Baghdad bureau chief Rod Nordland takes questions about the still-new Iraq elections, and Iraq policy in general. Nordland's answers are pretty solid and non-partisan; what's refreshing is the smackdown he brings to uninformed rhetorical bomb-throwers, both left and right. The great thing is that it's done in the spirit of objectivity, which is what good commentary should always have.
Cal Lanier at Football Fans For Truth gives the play-by-play on some of Nordland's more cranky and caustic answers. Good stuff, and a sobering testament to the lack of informed discourse these days. People seem more concerned with civil discourse, but to hell with that. Informed trumps civil every day of the week, especially in serious times like now. Being civil to an uninformed fool does no one any favors, especially the fool.
3 comments:
vK! How the hell are you?
Still insisting on politeness where it isn't warranted, I see.
vK:
But still, assuming that the uninformed are fools underserving of civil response, even if agressive in their certainty, isn't going to do anything to make the respondent more informed, only slam closed the doors of discourse.I disagree. When your dog shits on the rug, do you smack his nose, or give him a cookie? If someone is knowingly ignorant, and asks a dumb question in the spirit of wanting to find out more information, that's one thing.
The people Nordland smacked down had it coming to them -- they came in with an attitude, an agenda, and little else. The people that wanted to ask a question because they genuinely wanted an answer, got an answer.
Obviously I don't have a problem with aggressive certitude, but at least I make sure to use links and quotes and evidence to back it up. I think that when someone is aggressively ignorant, the only way they'll really listen is when you tell them so. That's what we do with Bush and his faith-based minions, right?
Civility will not cure a fool. Then again, yelling at em rarely works either.
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