- Colleague #1: Wow, is that a protest?
- Me: Cool, it’s the Occupy movement!
- Colleague #2: Can’t be. Those people in front are carrying American flags.
- Colleague #1: I think I heard about this somewhere… What’s it about, again?
- Me: Kind of general fed-upness with corporate greed, joblessness, income inequality and the disappearing middle class…
- Colleague #2: Yeah, they don’t really know themselves what it’s about. All kinds of people just showing up.
- Me: Yeah, even people who carry American flags and love their country.
- Colleague #2: Well, I just think they should put some time in before they’re entitled to do that.
- Me: But even the military’s not hiring now.
- Colleague #2: I know, but those idiots don't have any idea what they're talking about. Do you really think taxing the rich is a good idea?
Isn't this brilliant? First, you equate patriotism with capitalism so you can say that anyone who is anti-business is anti-American. Once you have claimed this moral and economic high ground, you maintain that anyone else trying to stake it out is a misguided, directionless idiot. And when the idiots reach critical mass and actually present a factual, coherent, reasoned argument against your oversimplified sound-bite opinions, you change the subject and throw in a little ad hominem attack.
I'm in Texas.
At a manufacturing conference.
Going deep undercover for the next week.
Over and out.
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