Are You "Open-Minded" Or Not?

I don’t know
Kinda new at this self exam thing
I think what I think
I’m a pretty good listener
Until I smell oncoming BS (bored stiffness)
Then I just act like I’m listening, smiling when appropriate, offering coffee, trying not to yawn….

Wife catches me at this

‘What did I just say?’

You said, ‘did you hear what I said?’
Then I said, ‘sure’
and here we are back at ‘what’

…..come to think about it, I’m not even a pretty good listener


I’ll be in the shop
 

I am open minded about somethings, but closed on others, for instance, I detest racism and anti-gay bigotry.
 

rgp said:
What ever happened to freedom of speech ? Does it only apply when you agree ?
Click to expand...

Nothing happened to freedom of speech. You can make as big an ass of yourself as you want, and no Government entity can interfere.
However there is nothing that says I can't you my freedom of speech to cancel yours.

Why do people do not understand that the 1rst amendment, (and all of them for that matter) pertain only to prevent the government from doing harm.
 
3-5.gif
 
Robusta said:
Nothing happened to freedom of speech. You can make as big an ass of yourself as you want, and no Government entity can interfere.
However there is nothing that says I can't you my freedom of speech to cancel yours.

Why do people do not understand that the 1rst amendment, (and all of them for that matter) pertain only to prevent the government from doing harm.
Click to expand...


What ?

So if you like something? or you like someone? , and I do not ? I am automatically making an ass of myself because I disagree with you?
 
rgp said:
What ?

So if you like something? or you like someone? , and I do not ? I am automatically making an ass of myself because I disagree with you?
Click to expand...


You referenced freedom of speech. Freedom of speech, (the 1rst amendment) is guaranteed in the constitution. This means that the government is prohibited from restricting your opinions and blather.
You however are on your own with your fellow citizens. They are as free to refute any statement you may make as you are to make it. They don't have to be polite they don't have to be nice.
If someone responds negatively to your statements, they are NOT restricting your right to free speech. They are exercising their inalienable right to speak just as you did.

And yes depending on what we are disagreeing about and the degree of passion in our disagreement I may in fact consider you an Ass just as you probably consider me to be one also.
Sorry no protections there, everyone is an ass to someone at some point!
 
Well, here we go......in a way:

While wife and I aren't racist, but we are making plans on moving to an area that many in the U.S. would consider racist. Why? The demographics of the small city is 97% White and less that 1% Black. Where we currently live, Blacks make up almost 40% of population and there are some extremely nice Blacks where we live and in the area. We watch movies with extremely talented blacks in them, like Hidden Figures, Jumping The Broom, The Shack. We think Octavia Spencer is an excellent actress as well as Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. We are both big-time Motown fans and have the greatest hits of Earth, Wind and Fire and Kook and the Gang. We have met Rodeo World Champions, like Fred Whitfield and Charlie Sampson, who were excellent black rodeo cowboys.

Thing is, we don't like living in an area, like we now, that is really diverse. Some "diversity" to us is fine, but it's very high here.

As far as the GLBT community goes, we definitely don't support them. Part of that is due to our Christian beliefs.
Back in the mid 90's, I worked for a Lesbian couple at their Equestrian Center. Both ladies were very nice, but after a few weeks, I ended up quitting.
Our Great Niece has stated to her mother that she is Bi-Sexual and does live with her girlfriend. She's in the Army and her girlfriend is a Nurse. The entire time we've known this Great Niece, she always shown "Straightness". Heck, she was even in our wedding. Due to her sexual beliefs, we no longer correspond with her on Facebook. She posted a picture once on Facebook of her and her girlfriend kissing at a wedding both attended. That was enough........no more of anything with her. Our choice.

I don't consider us "bigots" at all for how we feel about the GLBT community. People absolutely don't have to agree with their lifestyle........no matter what anyone thinks.

Ok, THERE, I got a couple of "not open-minded" things out. Please don't crush us for our beliefs. If we don't want to believe in certain things, we absolutely don't have to.
 

  • My dictionary defines open minded as "willing to consider new ideas, unprejudiced, nonjudgmental, nondiscriminatory." I am those things but I don't tolerate criminals or those who abuse others.

 
To me hate is a waste of time.

IMO it does more damage to the person doing the hating than it does to the person/group being hated.

In most cases the people being hated aren't even aware the hater exists.
 
We definitely don't "hate", but do disagree with certain things people are about.

Tattoo's are another debatable thing in society. Most "open-minded" people aren't bothered at all by tattoo's, how many or how they look.

Where we live, earlier this week was like a Celebration of Ink on local news. "Show us your tats and tell us about them". Almost like the local news was promoting them. Wife and I don't like them, just as many young and older (as in Seniors) don't, but there is a big tattoo shop in our indoor local mall down the street. Haven't seen many people in there, but it sure is an "Upper-Scale" shop.

Lucky for me, I didn't get the two Eagles, one on each forearm, that I was thinking about getting before I met my wife. She doesn't like them at all.
 
Aunt Bea said:
To me hate is a waste of time.

IMO it does more damage to the person doing the hating than it does to the person/group being hated.

In most cases the people being hated aren't even aware the hater exists.
Click to expand...


Probably very true...I don't 'hate' anyone , I disagree with a few. But if one person states that they 'like' [them] & I say well, I'm not crazy about them, and would just as soon avoid them...that does not make me an ass. Just a person with an opposing view.
 
Aunt Bea said:
To me hate is a waste of time.

IMO it does more damage to the person doing the hating than it does to the person/group being hated.

In most cases the people being hated aren't even aware the hater exists.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more with your statement but you don't have to look very far and you will see or read comments by people who thrive on it. There are also some folks who enjoy being happy, move along on their own path, and pay little attention to others who are traveling through life on a different path. Conversely, some are constantly incensed by the behavior of others, even if has little or no effect on them directly?

We all start and finish (life) in similar ways. If other's lifestyles do not affect me directly ( and most don't) then I pay little attention to what they are about. The key to that statement is "directly affected" . It seems like one of the most bothersome things to folks that enjoy hating, are other folks who are "different". Everyone has their own definition of "different" but in the eyes of some -you shouldn't be - - - - - - - -different, that is. :)
 
ClassicRockr said:
Ok, THERE, I got a couple of "not open-minded" things out. Please don't crush us for our beliefs. If we don't want to believe in certain things, we absolutely don't have to.
Click to expand...

Rockr....you have every right to your beliefs and every right to live in a place comfortable to you.

It is when we openly talk about those beliefs then we are labelled racist. Going quietly about your ways saying nothing is the only way to avoid that.

I live in an area which is densely populated by those of the Muslim faith....I don't hate them but I do hate the way they are pushing their standards on us and expecting us to change to suit them.

And now in saying that, I will likely join you in a race to get out of the way of the pelting stones.
 
Mizzkitt said:
Rockr....you have every right to your beliefs and every right to live in a place comfortable to you.

It is when we openly talk about those beliefs then we are labelled racist. Going quietly about your ways saying nothing is the only way to avoid that.

I live in an area which is densely populated by those of the Muslim faith....I don't hate them but I do hate the way they are pushing their standards on us and expecting us to change to suit them.

And now in saying that, I will likely join you in a race to get out of the way of the pelting stones.
Click to expand...

Well, what I absolutely DON’T do is talk make a comment about any race here out in the open. Wife and I may say something to each other in the privacy of our apartment, but it is never a “hatred” type comment. We don’t hate any race.

Life in any of the Rocky Mountain States is very different than here. We have found that we just don’t fit in here. IOW, we made a mistake moving here.
 
"It is when we openly talk about those beliefs then we are labelled racist. Going quietly about your ways saying nothing is the only way to avoid that."

And that is my rub with it all........If one person can voice an 'approving' opinion on whatever, anything or anyone...why is it that another cannot voice a 'disapproving' one ?

IMO Political correctness has made it impossible for damn near anyone to have & voice a differing opinion. And again, opinion...I think that is just wrong.

I like who I like & avoid who I do not like. If that makes me a racist & or a bigot in someone else's eyes ?...So be it . I'll not be shamed into changing.
 
Gary O' said:
it's still ever present
along with freedom of listen
Click to expand...

fmdog44 said:
Everyone is both closed and open. It's human nature.
Click to expand...

I think most people are as open minded or closed minded as their core beliefs allow them to be.
Our core beliefs are neither right or wrong. They are merely thoughts that we have said and repeated enough times to ourselves that we get passionate about so we begin to defend them when in reality they are just neutral ideas. We add our idea of right or wrong to them. Yep! That’s definitely human nature.
 
One of my aunts was known to cry out "no matter what you say, you'll never convince me" when she was losing an argument with her siblings.

I take this as a working definition of closed minded and stubborn.

My take on open mindedness is a willingness to listen to other people with an acceptance of the idea that they might have something to say that we can learn from. I'm happy to be called open minded if that is the definition.
 
Hummm, just read the definition of "open minded" and the definition isn't totally what I thought it meant. Being "open minded" deals more with listening, as well as speaking, in a debate and considering the other person's ideas.

I pretty much always thought it was the "go with the flow" type personality, which, in some ways it is.

I had never lived in a big city area until I got out of the Navy in Long Beach, California. Even though I lived in Long Beach for a few years, and a couple of other areas of big cities in So Calif., I came to realize that I didn't totally have the same "thinking" as most. Now, when I was in parts of Colorado, in Billings, MT and parts of Wyoming, I didn't feel "different" at all about anything.
 
So many claimed to be so open minded....& yet they themselves are completely closed minded to the idea that others may not agree with them. And then they judge those that do oppose as ....[pick-a-label] .....So tell me just who are the closed minded ones ?
 
A person who is open minded is educatable. They can unlearn some things learnt long ago, such as racist attitudes and bad manners. They can learn to appreciate new foods, new forms of music or art that they once would have rejected. Open minded people are capable of personal growth.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top