FAO JI – An honest assessment

[Siderite]

I apologise for what may be an overly personal subject matter, but I feel like I need to air this regardless.

Firstly, I apologise for hasty responses and mischaracterising from my end. Looking back I realise I interpreted the ‘dim message’ too much about my own interpretation. However, I do not think you yourself behaved impeccably. I was not calling you pompous for disagreeing, but lectures about expecting better of me.

My position, from my own research is that accusations against Joe Biden in the Hunter Biden case are not founded with much basis in reality from evidence we have seen so far. I think the material emanates from a conspiratorial right? Does that mean everyone who thinks this way is doing so through dishonesty? No, I think they are searching for a truth but have been misguided. Yes, this doesn’t mean I necessarily think they’re being measured about it. You said that why can’t it just be about being wrong. In short, for you, I think it is. I am not saying you are being disingenuous, but I think you are placing too much trust in what I suspect to be false.

You could say that this is just my opinion. Fair, I accept that. I am not after everyone agreeing with me, the ‘enlightened centrist’ (not said without my tongue in cheek). I do hold my right to think negatively of what I see as nonsense, and I am not going to dress it up to please others. That would be politically correct and dishonest of me. In my mind being balanced isn’t to “both sides” everything, but giving a fair assessment of what any side is presenting. The material offered by the American right, by and large, leaves a lot to be desired, and for me to pretend it’s otherwise would be dishonest and not from a measured position.

I will leave it at that. This has given me a lot to think about regarding how I approach disagreement. Maybe I have been too influenced by social media and how people engage on there. It does make you more dismissive because of the amount of litter, bad faith takes and vitriol on there, but that isn’t an excuse. I apologise for what was snark. I stand by the crux of my argument, my interpretation of your core position, but realise I could have framed it better. I think so can you, especially regarding tone, but that doesn’t make my own curtness and snark good.

However, I do try and separate the human from the argument. While I don’t think your position is as measured as you think, I think it’s very biased, I did not separate that from the human. If things like me saying your position is biased irritates, I apologise, but I can’t put it fairer than that. In short, again, I just think you’re incorrect, not part of some conspiratorial hive mind (though, my opinion differs for others).

[Just Iron]

Thanks for bothering to reflect on this, Sidey. ( And also for making the effort to get past the closure of our discussion to offer the above. Nor sure why that closure happened.) One problem is that online discussion cuts off important aspects of communication eg body language, facial expression, tone etc Also makes for more confusion since immediate clarification isn’t possible before we formulate a response. We sure are on different pages re the laptop … but the truth isn’t going to be evident for either of us some time I think. Maybe we will re visit this in the future?
On the Nazi issue it seems to be ironic really that we have somehow clashed when you are actually, in my view, the most clearsighted on the issue of the Jews and Israel. Ah well.

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Siderite

[billpuntonsghost]

“ I was not calling you pompous for disagreeing.,but lectures about expecting better from me.”
That word pompous is a recurring theme JI?

[Siderite]

Just Iron wrote:

Thanks for bothering to reflect on this, Sidey. ( And also for making the effort to get past the closure of our discussion to offer the above. Nor sure why that closure happened.) One problem is that online discussion cuts off important aspects of communication eg body language, facial expression, tone etc Also makes for more confusion since immediate clarification isn’t possible before we formulate a response. We sure are on different pages re the laptop … but the truth isn’t going to be evident for either of us some time I think. Maybe we will re visit this in the future?
On the Nazi issue it seems to be ironic really that we have somehow clashed when you are actually, in my view, the most clearsighted on the issue of the Jews and Israel. Ah well.

I suspect it was closed because moderators thought it was getting too heated.

I can agree to disagree, and will change my mind if something more substantial crops up. The current evidence is very little for me, and I think there was a reason even right wing outlets like Fox News wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. Right now I think of it as Benghazi, pizzagate, Obama the Kenyan and all these other silly things Republicans have got worked up about, but aren’t grounded in much or reality. A lot of it quite worrying for democratic norms. Anyway, there will be a wait and see, but I don’t think there’s any real sign of concern coming.

It was your commitment to the Jews which made me double back when that analogy was made. I don’t think there’s any escape from the analogy and what people think of with that quote. People think of it not so much as hushing a political opponent, but sending whole swathes of society to concentration camps and extermination. I don’t think it is reasonable to compare the Trump case to that at all.

Anyway, I will leave it at that, as I have sent bpg off a bit. :-)

1 user thanked author for this post.

Just Iron

[billpuntonsghost]

Don’t worry Siderite, I will not be upsetting you with the Christian message.
You prefer the silent Christian.

[Just Iron]

Just to be clear, Bill .. have I upset you at some point? I do indeed seem to have that gift. I will reflect on it.

[billpuntonsghost]

..in your own words “a clumsy post”- without apology to distress caused. But hey, we’re not perfect, that’s why we need a Saviour in Jesus Christ.

[Iron-awe]

Neither was Jesus was he bill?, I mean that’s some mistake for a carpenter, getting nailed to a big piece of wood.

[Author]

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