Things I need to do, and stuff I've got on my mind

[wordinista]

Because posting my to-do lists on my LJ actually helps me GET STUFF DONE:

Vacuum
Clean kitchen
Empty dishwasher
Laundry (in progress: 1 load washing, one on-deck)
Dust living room
RESEARCH PAPER (goal: 3 single-spaced pages [which I will then convert to double-spaced so I beam at my level of accomplishment])
GO TO HOME DEPOT and get:
      4 3/4"X10' PVC pipe
      24 3/4" PVC end caps (...I may need only 12)
      Adhesive vinyl stripes, possibly found at a sign shop?

I am exceptionally disappointed in the Miami/FSU game -- I know the 'Canes are a freshman-heavy team this year, but a lot of the coaching decisions seem to be more of the same.  Randy Shannon cleaned out the staff, as far as I know, but his replacements don't seem to be doing much better than the previous staff.  I don't know.  I DO know that my boys were able to come back from a nearly 20 point deficit, going into the half with a 3-21 score.  The game ended 39-41, though there were a lot of wacky flukes that happened, which benefitted the 'Canes.  I'm still disappointed they lost this game -- really, this was the only game I wanted them to win.  And they lost by two.  :(

I have a much longer post in mind, re: people's political posts and the posts of people who are Sick to Death of Politics and the consequent posts from the former group, but I have a lot I want to do today, and probably won't get around to writing it.  But here's my basic breakdown:

1.  These are our LJs.  Some of us pay for the space, and some don't, but the fact remains that these are our little corners of the virtual universe, and should be a Safe Place for us to talk about what we like, and what we don't like.  This goes for folks talking about politics as well as the folks who are Sick to Death of reading entry after political entry on their frends lists.  Free speech, yo.  It goes both ways.  (And it really doesn't matter if they're just sick of reading political entries, or if they're sick of politics altogether.  Our LJs are places where we can express ourselves and our opinions, however unpopular.  As long as it falls within LJ's TOS and doesn't fall under the rubric of speech NOT covered by the Constitution, i.e. inciting people to riot or what have you, then people can pretty much bitch about whatever they want to bitch about.)

2.  There is, of course, an excellent argument in "if you don't like it, don't read it," and I support that argument wholeheartedy.  However, as much as we insist that these are our personal journals, putting something out there means that someone's going to read it.  We have our friends lists because there are people with whom we want to share our thoughts.  So it's problematic to say "so don't read my entry" when these are friends we're talking about -- people we ostensibly want to share our ideas and opinions with.  And also, that argument likewise works both ways -- no one HAS to read anyone else's entries.  We choose to.  And by making that choice, we run the risk of tripping across views we disagree with.  It's not fair to say, "If you don't like it, don't read it. Suck it up and deal," because the same can go for whoever's reading those "OMG ENOUGH ALREADY" posts on their f-lists.  If you don't want to read those types of posts, then don't.  But if that continues, there's going to be a whole lot of talking, and not much listening going on.

3.  So maybe it's an issue of courtesy.  Personally, insofar as politics goes, I don't care who says what on their blog.  It's their blog.  It's their space.  It's their tiny little bit of internet real-estate.  I care when huge, long, winding posts (political or otherwise) aren't put behind LJ cuts.  I care when I see the people I like and respect using hateful, vitriolic language against people whose ideas and principles differ from their own.  It's not the politics or lack thereof I take issue with, it's negative, angry, condescending, hateful, and, yes, ignorant language (from either side) that bothers me. 

And it would bother me no matter what the topic; however, politics seems to bring out the worst in a lot of us when we're faced with those whose opinions are in opposition to ours.  Because, for me, that anger and that negativity says a lot about the person, and I'm finding myself disappointed in people -- not in their views, but in the language they're using to express those views.  Now, granted, it's their LJ, and they can say what they want on it, but that doesn't mean that there won't be repercussions later, because "freedom of speech" does not equal "freedom from repercussions."  Does this mean we should censor ourselves on our own LJs?  No, I don't think so.  But there is something to be said for courtesy -- we have friends-locks, LJ-cuts, and filtered locks for a reason. 

People on our friends-lists are our friends, remember, and while I don't condone walking around on eggshells, being worried to speak our minds (I was there myself not too long ago), I think it's important to give people a choice when it comes to reading or not-reading posts that are lengthy, issue-oriented, potentially incendiary, or that otherwise have the potential to carry with them repercussions.  Personally, I try to remember to use LJ cuts, warning people of a rant, a lengthy entry,  strong language, or what have you.  Because while it is my LJ, I understand not everyone wants to read overly long, or exceptionally ANGRY entries. 

...Overly long entries like this one.  XD

Comments

[aoi-tsuki1.livejournal.com]

*nodnod* It'd be twelve degrees of impossible to calculate how many jerky and/or illegal scare tactics, misinformation and even incidents of physical violence are perpetrated on each side; sadly enough, some people (not you) are content to throw them back and forth till one runs out, in which case the other "wins." Duuuuumb. And who knows how many of these things are known/approved by the candidates themselves? Not me.

It's kind of silly not to argue that the media's paying more attention to potentially racist or assholish Obama detractors--I've never seen any stories I can remember about people being bullies or outright dicks to McCain supporters, or if I have, it ends on a "See, the Book of Revelations said he was the Antichrist!! Poor people suck!!" note, which kind of pisses on its credibility. That said? Damn my brain if I ever thus conclude that it doesn't ever happen. Gahhh.

We should become omniscient and just get it over with.

[w0rdinista.livejournal.com]

I've never seen any stories I can remember about people being bullies or outright dicks to McCain supporters

The one that really sticks out in my mind was this guy (a gentleman on the elderly side -- probably in his early 60s) pulled over because he saw someone defacing a McCain sign. He told them to knock it off, and the guy doing the defacing beat him up (punching him in the pacemaker in the process, which sounds like the punchline of a really bad joke, I'll admit).

We should become omniscient and just get it over with.

A-freaking-men.