Comments on: Abortion and Opinion http://twodems.com/2006/01/24/abortion-and-opinion/ News, Opinion, Analysis & Victory Sun, 04 Jul 2010 04:01:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Jonathan Margolick http://twodems.com/2006/01/24/abortion-and-opinion/comment-page-1/#comment-286 Jonathan Margolick Fri, 27 Jan 2006 13:16:44 +0000 http://twodems.com/2006/01/24/abortion-and-opinion/#comment-286 I wholeheartedly agree on the "lazy American" thing. But I think it's also a matter of our desire to be right. As I'm frequently found telling anyone who will listen, righteous anger is the biggest problem in American politics today: It feels so good to be right, and to be *more* right than someone else, so we differentiate ourselves however we can, and in the process simplify the argument to the point of absurdity. Whoever had a rally for "pro-sensible abortion policy person who espouse a policy of both abstinence when it's possible and abortion when it's necessary?" No one. We scream for pro-life and pro-choice sides because they're short and sweet, and if we each happen to think they mean slightly different things, well, too bad. Yes, laziness is a pain. But we like being right, too, and the more you're willing to include in a debate, the less room there is for unequivocal rightness. Nuance is no fun. I wholeheartedly agree on the “lazy American” thing. But I think it’s also a matter of our desire to be right. As I’m frequently found telling anyone who will listen, righteous anger is the biggest problem in American politics today: It feels so good to be right, and to be *more* right than someone else, so we differentiate ourselves however we can, and in the process simplify the argument to the point of absurdity. Whoever had a rally for “pro-sensible abortion policy person who espouse a policy of both abstinence when it’s possible and abortion when it’s necessary?” No one. We scream for pro-life and pro-choice sides because they’re short and sweet, and if we each happen to think they mean slightly different things, well, too bad.

Yes, laziness is a pain. But we like being right, too, and the more you’re willing to include in a debate, the less room there is for unequivocal rightness. Nuance is no fun.

]]> By: Sarah Saxton-Frump http://twodems.com/2006/01/24/abortion-and-opinion/comment-page-1/#comment-285 Sarah Saxton-Frump Fri, 27 Jan 2006 02:01:01 +0000 http://twodems.com/2006/01/24/abortion-and-opinion/#comment-285 I think, also, Jon, that despite the near consensus on many "benefits" of abortion, we frequently neglect the blatant misnomers of Pro-Choice & Pro-Life that frame the debate in ways favorable to each side & perpetuate misconceptions. "Life" is not the opposite of "choice"; it is the opposite of death. How many of our pro-choice friends are running around insisting that we kill babies & carrying "Pro-Death" picket signs? Very few, I would imagine. It is, similar to the drug-dealer example from this morning/James' post, an issue of upholding Constitutional rights despite their disagreement with some policy initiatives and personal beliefs. One can very easily be both pro-life AND pro-choice, but America's current "party division" on abortion requires they butt heads. More than our forgetting the nuanced distinctions between 'our' and 'their' position, I think the abortion debate is a reflection of the "lazy american" streotype- we're incapable of taking times to analyze shades of grey when it's easier to be enraged by a soundbyte. Yeah. So that's my two cents on that. I think, also, Jon, that despite the near consensus on many “benefits” of abortion, we frequently neglect the blatant misnomers of Pro-Choice & Pro-Life that frame the debate in ways favorable to each side & perpetuate misconceptions. “Life” is not the opposite of “choice”; it is the opposite of death. How many of our pro-choice friends are running around insisting that we kill babies & carrying “Pro-Death” picket signs? Very few, I would imagine. It is, similar to the drug-dealer example from this morning/James’ post, an issue of upholding Constitutional rights despite their disagreement with some policy initiatives and personal beliefs. One can very easily be both pro-life AND pro-choice, but America’s current “party division” on abortion requires they butt heads. More than our forgetting the nuanced distinctions between ‘our’ and ‘their’ position, I think the abortion debate is a reflection of the “lazy american” streotype- we’re incapable of taking times to analyze shades of grey when it’s easier to be enraged by a soundbyte.

Yeah. So that’s my two cents on that.

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