When your religion becomes the argument

I have seen several arguments against global climate change now that says the environmentalism is like a religion. One even went so far as to equate several mythologies to environmentalism. Each one of these commentators says that you can’t talk to environmentalists because it is their religion.

Ok, I won’t disagree to much with some of that, other then to say this. It seems to me that that is probably true on both sides.

I know of some people who will make a knee jerk reply based on who the speaker is. Some people cannot take anything Ted Kennedy says with out spitting out that he is a liberal looney. Others have the same reaction to George Bush – not the liberal thing but that he is bat-shit crazy. Others automatically discount anything governmental, or big business, or take you pick of enemies.

When this automatic reaction happens, you know you are going to be unable to change that persons mind. You might as well change the subject to something safe, like who is better: Cubs or Sox.

I have also made the observation that when some one says: “you need to educate yourself on this.” They mean that you better believe what they believe of the country, world, universe, is going to explode, or what ever.

My recent back and forth was with a guy who is absolutely positive that America is going to be over run with illegal immigrants who are evil criminals, “rapist, drug dealers, and gang bangers.” According to him there are nearly 10,000 illegal border crossing, get this, Per Day, and if we don’t do something about it, Al Qaeda will attack us again. Ok, I will just back away from the crazy nut.

10,000 per day, that would mean that the estimate 12 million undocumented aliens all came in over the last 3 years. I don’t think so.

The other problem I have with this is that this kind of rhetoric is blatantly racist. In one statement he said that the difference between “illegals and legals are that the legals will assimilate into our culture and the illegals won’t, they don’t learn English.” Ok that is the difference? Well tell that to the Polish guys who painted my house last year. Only the foreman spoke English, and they all had their green cards.

I know I have my knee jerk reactions. Environmentalism is one, protect the earth at any cost. Without clean air, clean water, and bio-diversity, we are screwed. Racism and political correctness are another. I will fight racism where I see it, and push for polite use of words when I can. So don’t try to argue with me on these – it’s my religion, or at least one of them.

I also know that there are just some topics you have to stay away from because the other person just won’t budge on it, so you might as well not even go there.