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One of my major flaws is that I hate with a passion being "told" what to believe. The result is a nearly instantaneous anger. It doesn't matter what the subject, as soon as someone disparages (whether rightly so or not) something that I believe the opposite of, or even am on the fence on, and even sometimes something I agree totally with them on...I get mad.
My mother called this stubborness as a child. It's more than being stubborn though. I now recognize that I do it, and can feel myself doing so as I'm getting mad.
The great thing about the internet is that more often than not, I actually can make myself step back. I can make myself NOT respond. Just like in written form, I can work at making myself not fly off the handle and say something I don't mean the way it comes out. Seriously, the written word? Gets me out of trouble. I get on fire sometimes, but for the most part, I manage to avoid controversy.
I'm a moderate with conservative leanings. I was raised in the south. There are always going to be certain things I'm more conservative on. Oddly enough, I'm surprisingly liberal for a criminal justice major. CJ is where I have some very liberal tendencies...and that's considering that classic liberal leanings on criminal justice (rehabilitation instead of retribution) are not where I lean.
Anyway, my stubborn flaw has been getting a workout from the Democrats and the Republicans lately. *snerk* For voting reasons, I'm always registered a party so I can vote in the primaries (NC is a state where you can only vote in the primary for the party you're registered for). I want every vote to count. I was registered Democrat for several years, and right now I'm registered Republican. If we had a better third party system in NC I'd be registered Libertarian or Green Party.
So, that stubborn flaw got workout number one because of the current group setting up a stand on the street corner outside of our offices. They want to "educate" the public on what's going on in Iraq. Their opener? "What is your opinion on what's going on in Iraq." Okay, I'm not stupid. I know that my opinion doesn't matter to them. And they aren't playing smart anyway, because they accost people as they're headed to get lunch (never get between a hungry person and food, especially a hungry me and food). I've had coworkers who've had to deal with these folks before me, so I knew what was coming. I'm thankful for that preparation, because no matter the reasons we went to war, I can't help but see the good that has come out of it. It's not a black and white issue. Heck, the Iraqi athletes are demonstrating right now how good it can be to play a sport without fear of being tortured. Anyway, I was a good girl and responded "My opinions aren't popular, so I decline to comment." They're not. Not with either side. So I'll keep my mouth shut and move on instead of getting myself lectured on a street corner while my sandwich gets cold.
Workout number two came from the RNC on Saturday in the form of a census questionnaire. *eye roll* Yeah, I filled that thing out last year, and it ticked me off then. I don't respond well to blatant attempts at manipulation. I know both parties do that. No doubt. Hell, most surveys are formed to be biased, no matter what the survey is. The mere creation of a survey becomes biased through the questions used and the way it's worded. It comes down to how subtle you are when forming those questions. The RNC wasn't being subtle. Which ticked me off. So I kind of answered lots of questions either as Undecided or with a No, because the wording of the questions I just couldn't agree with. I think I had one question that I actually agreed to. The kicker, just like last year, was unfortunately the donation question. Wanting my money. Which I'm not giving to *any* political party, because I don't completely agree with any of them. But here they were, asking for my money, with the only No option being "No, I want to have liberals in office for the next 10 years." Oh. Hell. No. Hell no. See why I don't respond to manipulation or being told what to do well? Like last year, I filled in the No with an added sentence. "No, I want to have liberals in office for the next 10 years, and because I'm too smart to respond to blatant attempts and emotional blackmail."
Between my response to the war protesters and my response to the surveyors, I feel I have struck a blow for the moderates, all because of my flaws. Hee.
My mother called this stubborness as a child. It's more than being stubborn though. I now recognize that I do it, and can feel myself doing so as I'm getting mad.
The great thing about the internet is that more often than not, I actually can make myself step back. I can make myself NOT respond. Just like in written form, I can work at making myself not fly off the handle and say something I don't mean the way it comes out. Seriously, the written word? Gets me out of trouble. I get on fire sometimes, but for the most part, I manage to avoid controversy.
I'm a moderate with conservative leanings. I was raised in the south. There are always going to be certain things I'm more conservative on. Oddly enough, I'm surprisingly liberal for a criminal justice major. CJ is where I have some very liberal tendencies...and that's considering that classic liberal leanings on criminal justice (rehabilitation instead of retribution) are not where I lean.
Anyway, my stubborn flaw has been getting a workout from the Democrats and the Republicans lately. *snerk* For voting reasons, I'm always registered a party so I can vote in the primaries (NC is a state where you can only vote in the primary for the party you're registered for). I want every vote to count. I was registered Democrat for several years, and right now I'm registered Republican. If we had a better third party system in NC I'd be registered Libertarian or Green Party.
So, that stubborn flaw got workout number one because of the current group setting up a stand on the street corner outside of our offices. They want to "educate" the public on what's going on in Iraq. Their opener? "What is your opinion on what's going on in Iraq." Okay, I'm not stupid. I know that my opinion doesn't matter to them. And they aren't playing smart anyway, because they accost people as they're headed to get lunch (never get between a hungry person and food, especially a hungry me and food). I've had coworkers who've had to deal with these folks before me, so I knew what was coming. I'm thankful for that preparation, because no matter the reasons we went to war, I can't help but see the good that has come out of it. It's not a black and white issue. Heck, the Iraqi athletes are demonstrating right now how good it can be to play a sport without fear of being tortured. Anyway, I was a good girl and responded "My opinions aren't popular, so I decline to comment." They're not. Not with either side. So I'll keep my mouth shut and move on instead of getting myself lectured on a street corner while my sandwich gets cold.
Workout number two came from the RNC on Saturday in the form of a census questionnaire. *eye roll* Yeah, I filled that thing out last year, and it ticked me off then. I don't respond well to blatant attempts at manipulation. I know both parties do that. No doubt. Hell, most surveys are formed to be biased, no matter what the survey is. The mere creation of a survey becomes biased through the questions used and the way it's worded. It comes down to how subtle you are when forming those questions. The RNC wasn't being subtle. Which ticked me off. So I kind of answered lots of questions either as Undecided or with a No, because the wording of the questions I just couldn't agree with. I think I had one question that I actually agreed to. The kicker, just like last year, was unfortunately the donation question. Wanting my money. Which I'm not giving to *any* political party, because I don't completely agree with any of them. But here they were, asking for my money, with the only No option being "No, I want to have liberals in office for the next 10 years." Oh. Hell. No. Hell no. See why I don't respond to manipulation or being told what to do well? Like last year, I filled in the No with an added sentence. "No, I want to have liberals in office for the next 10 years, and because I'm too smart to respond to blatant attempts and emotional blackmail."
Between my response to the war protesters and my response to the surveyors, I feel I have struck a blow for the moderates, all because of my flaws. Hee.