Parrot is Best Served Cold

I read a story that seemed appropriate for my thoughts today:

A young man named Jon received a parrot as a gift. Unfortunately, the parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.
Jon tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, reading scripture to the bird, and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary, but it continued to spew profanities at a remarkable rate.
Finally Jon was fed up. He yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. Jon shook the parrot and the parrot got even angrier and more rude. In desperation, Jon finally grabbed the bird and shut him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then, suddenly there was total quiet, not a peep was heard.
Fearing he had killed the foul-mouthed bird, Jon quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto Jon's outstretched arm and said "I believe I may have offended you with my crude language and actions. I am sincerely remorseful for any inappropriate transgressions and fully intend to do everything I can do to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
Jon was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. He was about to ask the parrot why he had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, but the bird continued...
"By the way, what did the TURKEY DO?"
 
We've made it through the elections...sort of.  I think one of the most frustrating and disheartening thing to me was the rhetoric that took place as the candidate's campaigns dredged on.  The rhetoric from the candidates is never very pleasant.  After all, they're trying to win an election, and the best way to win an election is to trash the other guy....right??  That seems to be the strategy employed by both sides in almost every election I can remember.
 
However, the trash talk I was most disgusted by was the 'conversations' that took place between the average citizen.  I admit it...I'm a Facebook ho.  I can justify it.  Besides this blog, there is no other place where around 450 can read my opinion on any given subject.  Nowhere else do I have a captive audience of that size.  So, like it or not, they get to hear what I have to say.  Like it or not, I get to hear what THEY have to say also....as well as what their friends have to say.  And the pages that are 'liked' have millions of other folks that I'll never rub shoulders with making public comments, some of which would make their mama's blush.
 
The thing that most disturbed me about the campaign posts was the way people chose to discuss the candidates and issues.  What I always hope for is at least a certain amount of logic, respect, calm, rationale, reasonable discourse, and the like.  What I saw was labeling, name calling, death wishers, disrespect, blathering, and a healthy dose of  parroting.  And it came from both sides! 
 
I keep my eye on 'news coverage' (that's a frickin joke) from both sides...predominately Fox News and MSNBC.  In almost every argument, the talking points from the citizens of our fair country were almost word for word from their respective party and/or 'news' outlet.  Usually that was laced with insults, name calling, labeling, and the other things already mentioned.  For crying out loud, when did people stop the hard work of thinking for themselves??  Holy cow, are we really that ignorant that we need biased commentary to dictate our discourse??  We're smarter than that, folks! 
 
I have an idea....I want to win you to my point of view.  My strategy:  insult you, call you names, label you, be as disrespectful as I can to you, wish your candidate be pushed off a cliff...and shabam!  I've won you to my side...right??  What the hell are we thinking??
 
I have a better idea.  Stop parroting and think for yourself.  Fact check everybody...even your own side...my side might be wrong on a few issues.  Be respectful.  Don't call names.  Don't label.  Don't do incredibly stupid things like wishing people dead.  Be logical, be rational, be calm, and be patient.  And most of all, leave the door cracked open to the possibility that you and/or your side may be wrong on some issues.
 
I'm not sure what the freezer is in the analogy of the parrot and turkey above, but we need something to improve upon our communication skills in our country.  It is probably more critical now than ever before!  We have huge issues that need to be tackled which will never be as long as we cannot talk to one another respectfully.  Leave the parrot in the freezer...it's nearly Thanksgiving, and that's all about the turkey!  FG

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