The Other Seven Deadly Sins (part 2)

[The Wizard]

The next sin on our list is Prejudice. This is something we should all be familiar with. We grew up being taught about the Civil Rights movement, about racism or sexism, or whatever -ism is the bad thing of the day. Prejudice is hating someone because they're different in some way, whether the difference is physical or ideological. Prejudice is when you care more about what someone's demographic is then what they're saying.

   For a good example, let's take a look at America today. America has had a long and sordid past when it comes to prejudice, what with segregation, the Red Scare, etc. Even today, there are plenty of things I could use as examples (the treatment of Muslims and Latinos comes to mind). But I want to focus on another kind of prejudice, another kind of mindless division and hate. Party politics.

   Our country has two major parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, the Right and the Left, the Elephant and the Donkey. The Republicans believe in small government, national security, and sucking up to large corporations and WASPS. The Democrats believe in large government, civil rights, and sucking up to large corporations and everyone who isn't a WASP. But in this modern age, the beliefs that these two parties espouse have become less important than the parties themselves. Both parties care more about sticking it to each other than they do about their ideology. They care more about being right than actually doing they're jobs.

   Take a look at the news and at yourselves.  How often do you see politicians blaming the opposing party for a problem rather than trying to fix the problem, and how often do attempts to compromise for the greater good fall through because neither party was willing to act like adults?

   And you bastards do it too. You don't bother seeing what the other side has to say, you just write it off because you can't stand to be wrong or to have your narrow worldviews challenged. You read the news that agrees with your beliefs, you don't research or fact check, you just swallow the rhetoric. You let the politicians and media lie to you because they happen to share similar beliefs. But guess what, the reason they have those beliefs is so they can lie to you and get away with it.

[Freeky]

We grow grew(?) up being taught about the Civil Rights movement

Even today, there are plenty of things I could use as examples (the treatment of Muslims and Latinos comes to mind).

Both parties care more about sticking it to each other than they do about they're their ideology.

How often do you see politicians fixing a problem rather than politicians blaming the opposing party?

OR

How often do you see politicians blaming the opposing party for a problem rather than trying to fix the problem, and how often do attempts to compromise for the greater good fall through because neither party was willing to act like adults?

Some suggestions on grammar, and a different way of putting that last bit.

[The Wizard]

Thanks! Will make those changes now.

[Freeky]

 

[The Wizard]

I'm trying to refine my list of sins. I've changed Stupidity to Willful Ignorance and switched Gullibility and Irresponsibility out for Deception and Irresponsibility. Any thoughts?

[Freeky]

I'm just a proof-reader, dude, this is your babby.

[The Wizard]

I'm just a proof-reader, dude, this is your babby.

True enough. I appreciate the proof reading. The closer this thing is to perfect, the better.

[Freeky]

I'm just a proof-reader, dude, this is your babby.

True enough. I appreciate the proof reading. The closer this thing is to perfect, the better.

That's what I saw in part 1, so I thought I'd give a hand this way.

[The Wizard]

That's what I saw in part 1, so I thought I'd give a hand this way.

Well, thanks. My plan is to take this and a couple of other essays I've written, throw them together with some art by a friend of mine, some of my own WOMP, and whatever else I can think of, and bind them together into something like Intermittens, except angrier. Then I'm going to produce as many as I can, and distribute them at my school. And then watch the shit hit the fan.

[Freeky]

That's what I saw in part 1, so I thought I'd give a hand this way.

Well, thanks. My plan is to take this and a couple of other essays I've written, throw them together with some art by a friend of mine, some of my own WOMP, and whatever else I can think of, and bind them together into something like Intermittens, except angrier. Then I'm going to produce as many as I can, and distribute them at my school. And then watch the shit hit the fan.

Awesome, I wish you luck with that.

[The Wizard]

Awesome, I wish you luck with that.

Thanks. 

[Phox]

I think "We grow up" is an equally valid way of saying it. To me it implies an inclusive statement, encompassing past and future generations. In this case, I think it would work well as a rhetorical device.


That said, great piece, Semaj. I like this one much better than the last one.

[Freeky]

I think "We grow up" is an equally valid way of saying it. To me it implies an inclusive statement, encompassing past and future generations. In this case, I think it would work well as a rhetorical device.


That said, great piece, Semaj. I like this one much better than the last one.

That's why in that post I had a question mark next to it.  But thinking about it, these new generations aren't really learning what they need to.  I don't know if it's just the one I was living with, or if it was her school, or if was any other thing, but I have a feeling that people will not be learning much anything for much longer, if only because the sense of entitlement that many Americans seem to possess is growing out of control.

Also it seems to me the audience is intended for Semaj's peer group or older, possibly.  "Grow" doesn't really fit in that context, even if people read it later on, because that paragraph in particular is about the past, the reader's past and nostalgia (or at least that's the feel I personally get), and a cardinal rule of writing is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS keep to a single tense.

[Phox]

I think "We grow up" is an equally valid way of saying it. To me it implies an inclusive statement, encompassing past and future generations. In this case, I think it would work well as a rhetorical device.


That said, great piece, Semaj. I like this one much better than the last one.

That's why in that post I had a question mark next to it.  But thinking about it, these new generations aren't really learning what they need to.  I don't know if it's just the one I was living with, or if it was her school, or if was any other thing, but I have a feeling that people will not be learning much anything for much longer, if only because the sense of entitlement that many Americans seem to possess is growing out of control.

That's a good point. But that's not really the point of this essay, is it?

[Freeky]

I think "We grow up" is an equally valid way of saying it. To me it implies an inclusive statement, encompassing past and future generations. In this case, I think it would work well as a rhetorical device.


That said, great piece, Semaj. I like this one much better than the last one.

That's why in that post I had a question mark next to it.  But thinking about it, these new generations aren't really learning what they need to.  I don't know if it's just the one I was living with, or if it was her school, or if was any other thing, but I have a feeling that people will not be learning much anything for much longer, if only because the sense of entitlement that many Americans seem to possess is growing out of control.

That's a good point. But that's not really the point of this essay, is it?

Please note edit, I posted too quickly.