Why is the other person automatically close-minded?
What if they've considered and thought about their position, decided they wished to follow it, and then encounter someone who believes differently, but condescendingly believes THEY'RE close minded?!!!
For example, I am against illegal drug use. I've softened my position on truly sick people....if you're bed ridden and dying of cancer, and a marijuana cigarette will ease your suffering, I know the asshole cops would probably arrest them anyway and drag them off to jail to die a horrible death, but come on, it's not like the 70 year old is going to go operate a forklift or drive a car, trapped in bed.
But that's it. I've spent a life time watching the BAD effects of illegal drug use, on family members, friends, or hearing friends stories, and it's horrible. Most people who are for illegal drug use are close minded and don't want to hear those stories.
There are a lot of myths that are perpetually put forth, and they've become reality when in fact they are bullshit.
"Only Conservatives, those who are spiritual or religious, Republicans, those are THE ONLY people who are close minded!!"
BULL FUCKING SHIT. I'll easily prove it - go try to convince someone who believes in conspiracy theories that they're wrong. Good luck wasting the rest of your life on that!
Go try to prove a liberal college professor he's wrong, ....with solid facts. Go try to prove that America ain't that bad to someone who hates America.
I believe in cases where people are truly criminally wrong, you don't debate them, you simply arrest them. They WANT a debate, and this usually traps "thoughtful, refined" people who think they're "smarter" than all us intolerant buffoons, but they're full of shit too!
If someone's an asshole who's hitting women, to show he's a tough guy, you just beat his ass or arrest him, or both. You don't have a debate with him, that devolves into semantics that goes on and on for 3 hours. You knock his ass out.
If a pedophile is raping kids, you don't get trapped into a debate with him about the sexual activity of the Greeks or Spartans and how backwards America is...while his victim cowers in fear from him....you throw him to the ground, hand cuff him, and throw him in jail for 20 years. Let him debate his 300 pound pissed off cellmate.
Adolf Hitler wanted to debate Roosevelt. Roosevelt ignored him and bombed his troops. Saddam wanted to debate Bush. Bush ignored him. They're not going to sit there and debate someone who's going to lie the whole fucking time.
