I won't lie to you, I'm worried. A piece of quality journalism appeared today at Barbwire. Titled Why People Don’t Get It. What to Do About It., the plan he lays out is so deviously simple, it cannot fail to put a Ted Cruz or a Rand Paul in the White House come 2016.
Shawn's bio is testimony to his power to shake the mighty halls of government.
Shawn Meyer, father of seven and husband of one, pastors a small nondenominational church in west central Ohio. As a public speaker with diverse interests, Shawn has trained and lectured for schools, churches, camps, and charitable groups on topics ranging from bioethics to bow hunting. He is also the author of a pair of politically-incorrect children’s books: “Conner’s Big Hunt” and “Conner’s Spring Gobbler.” Boisterously active in politics and cultural reformation from his youth, Shawn’s fighting spirit is inspired by love of God and country.
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In a shriekingly powerful piece published at Barbwire today, Shawn expresses dismay that we the people aren't falling all over ourselves to listen to perfectly reasonable crackpot teabaggers spout nonsense at us. Lamenting that "folks whose grandparents were scandalized by Richard Nixon sticking his gum underneath the desk shrug their shoulders when Obama bulldozes the school and sets the rubble ablaze," Shawn is in a perplexed state of mind. Further, he is tired of you rolling your eyes at him and he's not going to stand for it. Consequently he has devised an infallible plan to get us all to listen. Well maybe not you and me since he writes the political left off as far too stupid to even engage. But his dangerously brilliant strategy to win over the rest of the ignorant masses is surefire.
So, Shawn Meyer disciples, here is how it's done. First off, avoid facts.
Don’t overwhelm your conversation partner with a mountain of facts. No one is interested in that. It almost never fails; when I speak to a group of people, someone comes up afterward and offers to e-mail me a 2000-page PDF on Common Core. Or they hand me a self-published report on the United Nations that looks like the Los Angeles phone book. If the people who are already on your side don’t want to eat your elephant sandwich, what makes you think someone who is uncommitted will? Offer hors d’oeuvres.
That's the ticket! Hors d'oeuvres instead of pesky, easily provable facts. No one needs to
read to get to the bottom of things. Just swallow everything the Shawn Meyers out there vomit up and regurgitate it the next day to your coworkers at the water cooler. People will be hanging on your every word and your higher ups certainly won't fail to notice!
Be conversational in your approach. Don’t simply dispense information. This is no time to try to impress people with your knowledge; the goal is to influence and enlighten. For everything they know, know-it-alls don’t have many friends and they enjoy little success persuading others. Be amicable. Be humble and don’t be afraid to ask a few questions of your own.
Do not, I repeat, do not try to impress people with your knowledge. Sure, this sounds tough, but it may be more simple than you think. Remember, you are armed with highly dubious second-hand information that you felt no need to research yourself. That should give you the courage needed to be humble.
Stick with the undeniable facts. It is undeniable that Obama has shuttered Keystone and prevented job growth. It is undeniable that his IRS targeted conservatives. With the wealth of demonstrable and damning facts, we can easily avoid conspiracy talk. It won’t get you anywhere anyway. As much as you might be convinced FEMA has a plastic coffin with your name on it and a million more for your Tea Party friends, you’ll never prove it. That kind of talk will warm most people up to you about as effectively as handing them a wet skunk.
Yes, stick with those facts that you have been told are undeniable. And always remember, the proper thing to do at any dinner party is to remove the tinfoil hat. Same with avoiding giving wet skunk as a hostess gift. That's just good manners.
Finally, lose the arrogance. If you look down on people for their ignorance, they will detect it and resent you for it. When pride courts you, keep in mind you would be just as blind as those you are tempted to despise were it not for the grace of God.
Losing that arrogance is probably going to be the biggest challenge of them all. After all, you and people who think exactly like you have the Almighty on your side and your side only. That coupled with all them teabagging-smarts is a heady cocktail. It will be very difficult not to be condescending but the Almighty tut-tuts it and so should you.
To sum, if you want to get anywhere as a lasting force in American politics, ill-inform yourself and then do unto others.
Where do they come up with these people?
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March 20, 2015
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