Would you consider yourself to be open minded?

[sapphi_snake]

HappySqurriel said:

I'm both open minded and not at the same time ...

I'm generally entirely willing to listen to opposing viewpoints and try to understand another perspective on most things; and I have been known to argue the opposite view of what I believe to understand an issue better. At the same time, most people's theories or beliefs are very poorly supported, and it is difficult to support another person's viewpoint which is very poorly formed.

To explain what I mean, I was in a discussion with someone who claimed that Jared Loughner's belief that there was a conspiracy to brainwash people through grammer was the sign of a delusional mind. I decided (for the hell of it) to argue the opposite view that it was entirely reasonable to believe that language was being used by people to control what people did or did not think of; and this was a form of brainwashing. My argument centered around the censorship that was in the news recently surrounding Huckleberry Finn and Dire Straits Money For Nothing, and that this demonstrates that there is an effort to erase certain words from our language in an attempt to control the thoughts people can think. While I tried to defend his worldview (and I believe I was successful) I do not share his worldview (or at least to the extent that he does).

If you'd take a semiotics class (or linguistics) you'd know that language actually does shape the way people think. Most people get all their information regarding the real world through language, not actual contect with the real world. Also, through language people learn what to ignore and what to not ignoe from reality etc. Of course there's probably no conspiracy like that guy says there is.