And a Happy 4th to all!


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yogiboy

It is disheartening to me that a celebratory thread on this forum turned into an "us vs. them" rant.  However, not entirely surprising given that the folks here represent the near 50/50 split in ideologies within our country at this time.  Whatever your beliefs, the one thing that makes America great is our ability to elect our officials – we get to choose our own destiny! 

To those who don’t like Trump, consider that if the last four years had been utopia, and/or if the Democrats had nominated a more viable candidate, Trump may not be the president now.  He is certainly not perfect, either as a man (too thin skinned) or as a leader (too divisive), but none of us are perfect, even our presidents.  As a voter, I mostly hope that my candidate will deliver about 80 percent of the stuff I voted for and I expect to put up with about 20 percent of stuff I don’t agree with.  However, as well-said by @ozzy62 , “You would think we could all be proud of this country and how awesome it is.”

I have a pendulum analogy about American politics. Historically, when the pendulum has swung too far in one direction, the voters have always caused it to swing back the other way.  The best times seem to be when the pendulum is closer to the center, not too far one way or the other.  However, it could be argued that the most change occurs at the extremes.  If you don’t like the way things are now, then take constructive action to facilitate change by backing candidates who better match your beliefs, lobby your elected officials, and/or become a candidate yourself.  Fear mongering, name calling, and fighting with your fellow Americans will not get it done, and only expands the divide.   

I can make an analogy about audio opinions and politics...

In audio, acoustics science matter the most as in politics geo-political "objective" situations matter the most for our understanding. Geo-politics is to acoustics what bi-party politics is to an upgrade, a necessary good or evil, relative to our acoustics understanding..

National bi-party politics is often small money for the blind. There is one party with two names. No democracy save for the fool...

Celebrate your country with no bi-partisan opinions , they are already obsolete.

Happy 4 july week to all Americans from a neighbour...

 

 

Happy (Belated) 4th:

Politcal rants and other "free" speech:

Being involved in various "unite" groups (including my own) for the past 8 years, I’ve discovered a relevant question:

Are you are warrior?  Or, are you a sniper?  A warrior is one who puts on their armor and stands face-to-face battling for their deeply-held beliefs.  A sniper is one who hides in the bushes from a safe distance and takes pot shots at others.

For those who "warriors" who want to take part in REAL political debates can do it here: 

https://braverangels.org

I promise you’ll have a full 3 minutes to make your point -- without interruption -- and will be treated with dignity and respect.  The organizers and administrators are a 50/50 spilt between "reds" and "blues" and this is done on purpose.  The group is also granular and broken down into various caucuses.  Annual membership is only $20.  Did I mention that the group actually wants to resolve problems between us and not amplify them?

To those Unapologetic Fire-Breathing Partisans in our group who like to ambush audio topics, other members, and/or harmless goodwill wishes with distain and contempt do have the option of the RIGHT place to discuss --- politics. It’s prudent, relevant and a good use of (everyone’s) time to take those discussions there.  If we had a member that consistently (and passionately) spewed the superiority of a particular American-made, air-cooled, rear-engined, opposed piston, 6-cylinder vehicle, we’d be wise to direct them to a Corvair forum.  Not everyone on an audio forum is interested in following your deep dive into (highly skewed) automotive history.

Same with politics on this forum.

In closing, I can’t overemphasize the value HERE of our common links and connections.  An audio forum may not save the world.  But, it can recognize our humanity and bring out the best versions of ourselves (and others) for part of our day.  And, at the very least, suspend what we don’t like about each other for a brief period of time.

- Johnny Youniteus