This is why most people say they don't like lawyers. Or Congress (which is mostly made up of lawyers). Too much partisan irrationality. (Which I define as ignoring really simple reasoning, and denying facts that are easily provable. That is partisanship at its worst.) Most ordinary people, especially during late childhood, have an innate sense of fair play that permits them to play nicely together. A neighborhood gang can even play baseball without umpires, or basketball without referees, and with nobody telling them that girls can't participate. They just play. And they have fun. Because when nice kids agree to their own rules, call their own balls, strikes, and outs, they actually try to be fair to the other team as well as their own team. Even strong differences of honest opinion usually get settled after only a few expressions of outrage. Even then, an agreement will usually be reached within a short time, and then the game resumes with everybody happy.
Lawyers and politicians don't play that way. They play to win at all costs, fairness be damned. And for that they pay a price in public stature. Politicians are not generally regarding as altogether decent people. They are not popular. Currently, the Democratic Party, according to one source, is viewed favorably by 40% of respondents, and unfavorably by 51%, for a net negative of 11%. The Republican Party does even worse, with 35% favorable and 56% unfavorable, for a net negative of 21%. The American people truly do not like their governing class. They think both parties are hopelessly partisan. I tend to agree. But, like that jury working to wade through the gaslighting of both lawyers, individual voters need to decide which party to support, or whether to shun both. I have chosen to vote Democratic, but not because I think that Democrats are saints. I merely think that, on balance, they are less bad than Republicans. Not primarily because of Donald Trump’s poor personal character, but because of the merits of Republican vs. Democratic priorities. Neither side is totally good, but the Democratic side, when compared to Biblical standards—which matter greatly to me—comes out significantly better in my book.
I will not hate on those who disagree with me, but I will call them out when they get into fairness be damned territory.
What does that have to do with this thread? I’m just expressing my opinion of partisans on either side who argue like lawyers in court while practicing fairness be damned. I'm not saying that all, or even most, of the posts here are too partisan, but some sure are. And idealistic as it may be, reason and fairness still matter to me. I remember what it was like, playing nice with others who played nice in return. I wish more adults could be that way.
