Not to listen to a person when they are speaking to you is the height of bad manners.
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Anyway, getting back onto the actual topic, I think part of the problem is in many cases everyone thinks they're having a different discussion then the one they're actually having. And often people bring in their personal baggage that complicates matters.
Something like this?
I said, "God has spoken, and we must listen?!" Should we listen to a raving loon? I have tried comedy and that just gets me infractions. I change tack and that gets me an infraction. Obviously, there is a lot of people on this forum who simply tolerate me because they think that I am a nut.
The Bible is God's Word. Should we listen to what it inspires or ignore what it inspires?
Everyone has their own agenda, and boy do they like to push it. I know that I do.
To respect someone beliefs you have to believe they are believable. If you cannot bring yourself to believe in belief, you'll not achieve real respect.
I agree with this completely. While I respect human beings, I cannot find any respect for beliefs which are preposterous to me. For example, people differ on which books they like. One person may love crime serial dollar novels, another person may read the same books and find them laughable, cheap, and under-researched. Should the person who so loves the crime serials be offended when the other reader rejects and dismisses them? Respect of a person's feelings should not automatically gain respect for belief sets of which one finds distasteful.
I love the Kill Bill movies. I have a friend who can't stand them, but is still very fond of my company. Though we have gone round and round about it, I still like him just fine. When it comes to religion, the problem is that it effects a person's way of life and, by extension, the lives of those around them. I like Kill Bill. If I went around like a perverted samurai, severing heads and limbs to the tunes of Asian girl band performed surf rock music, I would expect someone to have a problem with my behavior.
...Then I would make them pay for their insolence (just kidding!).
Funny, When it comes to Kill Bill I have no problem with the combat violence but the element of sexual sadism prevelent when Beartrice is in the coma in hospital is deeply unpleasant. I rather think it reflects QT's personality. He certainly lacks taste. The whole thing is a bit cartoony, reflecting its manga influences and origins in a graphic novel. QT - definately a child of the 70's.
There is a difference between respecting beliefs and just being civil. If you feel repelled or appauled by someone's attitudes then perhaps it's just better not to engage with them. If you choose to do so then you should just show good manners and refrain from responding to provocation. If someone is incapable of making an argument for their position, what's the point in engaging in a slanging match?
Alternatively, providing you have the right contacts and a sufficient budget, you could just have them killed, or better still, do as Varenne suggests and take care of things yourself! (I'm kidding too) (Honest!!!) (But only about the last paragraph...)
I agree. I have definitely given too much energy to these arguments in the recent past, I must admit. Being serious really doesn't suit me, so I'm going back to silly mode. It's something that everyone can enjoy!
I think QT is sick in the head, and wealthy enough to overindulge the id. Generally I think his collaborations with Rodriguez are the most fun. Jackie Brown is a decent flick. Deathproof wasn't tolerable for me. Girls talking in cars for two hours = boring! I'm about to get in some kind of trouble for derailing this thread, so here I go shutting up. :D
Actually, I don't understand your comment, Arrowni, at all, and suspect I would disagree with it--if it only made sense to me. We are all crammed with beliefs that are unbelievable, including the self-defined atheists. Personally, I don't believe in unbelief including atheistic belief in unbelief. (Hmm. Does that even make sense? :) )
My goal is not to get angry with a person expressing beliefs that I refuse to accept for myself. That alone should lead to civil discussion. That doesn't mean I will practice some wimpy behavior keeping the anger hidden within myself. It does not mean I won't offer an opposing viewpoint. What it means is I will refuse to get angry, even silently within my own mind. I'm not sure I've achieved this state, but reading forum posts is good practice.
Both Hawkman and Varenne Rodin mentioned Kill Bill. Take any of these action heroes from any movie. In general, the good guys don't lose their cool. They don't get angry even when they are kicking their opponents into submission. The bad guys, on the other hand, lose it completely.
I am silly to point this out, but you must not have seen Kill Bill. The good guy is angry for pretty much the entirety of the movies. The bad guy is extremely cool and composed. I see what you're saying, but I don't think it applies to what we were saying. There was no mention of holding in some secret anger. It's almost the opposite. It's the letting go of feeling effected by someone who is set in their ways. That's as nicely and clearly as I can put it. :)