Wherein Pino Puts His Tail Between His Legs

Last week I stepped in it.

Look, the guys over at Poison Your Mind are wonderful thinkers and really good writers.  They’re wrong almost all the time, save the majority of their musical picks, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are careful and thoughtful guys.

Further, after many many months and debates I’m convinced that they care; they care about America, Americans, non-Americans and ideas that make up all that.

They’re open to debate, both at their own joint and here, as they comment in spite of my often less eloquent style.  To be sure, the debate sometimes isn’t about changing the Cardinal Direction as much as it is about subtle corrections to course.  That is, while my general ideas, thoughts and opinions may not change, I walk away with another valid perspective that I find myself challenged to refute, to think harder to validate my position and confirm where I’m coming from and why.

Debates like that, with these guys, and anyone of quality that we disagree with, demands a level of discourse above the average.

And I was below average.  By at least 2 standard deviations.

I owe the boys an apology:

Guys, I’m sorry.

Where we are as a nation, as a people and as a thinking population that desperately wants to make things better, pits us against each other as we naturally have different plans and thoughts and road maps on how we get there; hell – sometimes I suspect we’re arguing past each other as we don’t agree on where it is we’re going.  Elections intensify that.  Presidential ones even more so.

And so it is, than in the course of my personal life I find myself in debate with friends, co-workers, neighbors and even strangers over the course of things.  Of destinations, of journeys, of short-cuts and detours.  And it can get rough, real rough.  Legitimate critiques against the “them” can, and often do, feel  like specific attacks on the “me.”

And so it was that when RR offered insight into Romney’s comments regarding gifts to specific minority groups, specifically African Americans and Hispanics, I responded as if he were offering critique of me.  And I did it without reading the story he quoted.

I showed my ass.

Those guys over there at PYM specifically, and the larger debate in general, demand and deserve better.

I have to work on that.

8 responses to “Wherein Pino Puts His Tail Between His Legs

  1. I would expecct no less from you pino – far as I’m concerrned, you’re pretty much a stand up guy.

    • I would expecct no less from you pino – far as I’m concerrned, you’re pretty much a stand up guy.

      Thanks Moe. I try. Alas I fail too…….

  2. forgot to subscribe to this thread, so .. . .

  3. We all over react sometimes. But damn, I forgot about “Poison Your Mind.” I have to start reading that blog again!

  4. Oh for god’s sake, don’t encourage DE to post more musical crap. He already indulges his hipsterism too much.

    We all get very rough and tumble on here, and it’s good to know we can all admit when we go too far. It’s the Internet, and blogging isn’t for the thinskinned. Things got heated, but no worries.

    But yeah, we don’t come to play, and I like to think we can find the weak spot to put the shiv in when it’s offered 🙂

    Anyway, let’s all get back to making fun of John McCain, surely we can all get behind that one!

  5. Gotta run right now! But thanks for the post, pino.

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