How often do we ask people questions which are to be answered “yes” or “no,” when a definite answer is needed and they hedge their answers with “both.” Or how about when you really want to know what they want for dinner and they say, “I don’t care”. You know they do. I think the hardest people to please are the ones who say they don’t care.
Sometimes it does not make any difference. If you were to ask me how I wanted my liver cooked I would say, “I don’t care.” I don’t. I hate liver. There is no way it can be cooked that changes it from an organ that filters toxins out of the body. That is what it tastes like and that is what it smells like. My response is not because I don’t care. It is because you asked the wrong question.
But say we are discussing freedom of speech and I am trying to get them involved. I might ask them if they think four letter words should be allowed at school. When I poll the class try to get them to write a paragraph I get blank stares. Someone always wants to write two paragraphs.
Many times this is simply a refusal to take a stand. That can be because they really have no opinion or it could be they are afraid of criticism. It could also be a problem of ignorance.
We have an election coming. We need to be listening carefully to see when the different candidates are taking a stand and when they are blowing smoke. When they are asked about illegal immigration, women in combat, aborting babies to sell body parts, transfer of wealth and socialized medicine the answer cannot be “both.”
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.