Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents
which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.
Horace
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Tyson Timbs v Indiana
DEAD WRONG: Games and High Tech Gadgets Are a Distraction From Mastering Surgical Skills
Could You Be Friends With a Democrat?
Probably. I used to be one. I know some of my nieces and nephews are/have been leftist, e.g., supported Obama; to be honest, I've almost never discussed politics with my relatives, although I think they know their crazy old uncle has a political blog. I think there's natural skeptical reaction to elders from young people. It takes unusual intelligence to be able to scrutinize one's own assumptions; for example, I did not come to conservatism through Reagan or to libertarianism through Ron Paul. I often have a nuanced perspective; for example, I love Coolidge generally, but I am revolted by his nativist perspective on immigration. I also have some differences with Ron Paul, but if you've noticed I've embedded a number of his video clips over the past 2-3 weeks. I'm far more tolerant than most people I know; in fact, I understand leftist perspectives better than most of their proponents.It reminds me of when I spent several weeks in Brazil in 1995. I played the dumb monolingual American, but the fact is I knew more Portuguese than I let on. Some of the merchants there would haggle higher prices for "rich" Americans vs. their fellow natives. It pissed me off.
The point is that I have never really met other people who think like I do. I deal with people with differing opinions all the time. I read opinions that I disagree with. Yes, I can get testy with certain people, e.g., who lack intellectual integrity. It's not personal, but the other side makes it so.
One of my best friends, BB, a former fellow doctoral student and office mate at UH, is a fairly conservative Baptist who probably didn't care for my Catholic beliefs, but he never tried impose his beliefs. I remember going to an ISIS conference cocktail party and seeking him there. He never had a drink, but he was there with all these people around him drinking. He never said a single judgmental thing. He is one of the most tolerant people I've met in my life; I've never seen him let his emotions get the better of him. I've learned a lot from Bruce, and being his friend has made me a better person.
