Reflections From a Murky Pond

This post stems from Bruce’s brief but vitriolic comment on a post at Reflections From A Murky Pond. In it Bruce labeled me “divisive.” This got me to thinking about divisiveness and the Left’s use of the phrase.

Thus we have this post thanks to Bruce, who would be offended at providing inspiration to one of “my sort.”

Adherents of the Left’s ideology in America use “divisive” as a very strong insult. It is fast becoming one of their favorite epithets to hurl at Conservatives. The Left does not like and is seemingly horribly offended by those who vocally disagree with any or all of their agendas. Therefor dissent is divisive and divisiveness is Wrong and not to be tolerated.

Perhaps we should all remember that, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary divisive is defined as:

Divisive
Pronunciation: \də-ˈvī-siv\
Function: adjective
Date: 1642

Definition(s):

1. creating disunity or dissension

So essentially the Left views dissent and/or disagreement with their manifesto(s) as legitimate cause for contempt and disgust. In their minds such dissenters are somehow less worthy than than those who have swallowed the Left’s message. Since divisive is being used as the insult this isn’t even a matter of loathing the Conservatives’ opinions; the very act of having a different - and therefor divisive - opinion seems to be the cause for rancor, disrespect, and denigration.

Please don’t get me wrong - I don’t expect scions of the Left to agree we with me, nor do I expect them to be kind or polite in their disagreement. Such an expectation would both be completely unfounded and hypocritical since history has shown me that neither they nor myself have a propensity for “pulling our punches” when we engage in argument. What both intrigues and concerns me is that they seem to view my disagreement itself as a wrongdoing.

A phrase comes to my mind:

We are Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

– Third of Five aka Hugh
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode I, Borg (1992)

Has anyone else noticed this trend? Has the use of divisive or divisiveness as as the paramount insult by the Left struck anyone other than myself as worrisome?

BTW: The Right has its own way of being vile and insulting their opponents. The difference seems to be that the Right is offended by the opinions of the people who they disagree with, whereas the Left seems to be offended by their opposition’s very disagreement itself.

As I’ve mentioned many times in the course of publishing Reflections From A Murky Pond, I’m Pagan - a follower of Morrigu and Cernunnos; Christmas as such has no religious significance for me. As an American though, Christmas has a mostly secular but quite cultural significance. It involves good cheer, family, charity, and a certain innocent joy strangely mixed and alloyed with an orgy of commercialism.

Could some please tell me though when did we sexualize Christmas? Every year when the holiday season rolls around various catalogs and stores start advertising very erotic - often downright sluttish - Christmas lingerie. Since this has been going on for years and years I assume there is a continuing and steady market for such theme lingerie.

I just don’t get it though. Peruse the nine (9) samples of such things below. I picked them as examples of the theme that were still PG-13 and not requiring of NSFW banners. They’re all marketed through Amazon.com, a quite mainstream, mass market retailer as opposed to an erotic lingerie and/or “stripperwear” outlet.

Now I’m hardly a prude, and as a relatively normal, heterosexual male I have a decided and admittedly prurient interest in attractive women half dressed in lingerie. I just don’t understand the connection with Christmas; it’s not a fetish that makes any sense to me whatsoever.

Men, tell me if and why you’d be particularly interested in seeing a woman in Christmas themed erotic lingerie. Women, please tell me if you’d purchase and wear such things and if an why you’d be comfortable with- or interested in doing so.

BTW: Each of the images above is a link to Amazon, where you can if you so desire purchase the lingerie depicted. I figured that, since I was using them as a resource, I should send some business their way.

President-elect Barack Obama is a smoker! He hasn’t so far managed to shake his addiction to tobacco. Obama still either needs or enjoys a cigarette now and then. This is apparently newsworthy. WTF???

Variations of this non-story keep popping up across the MSM, much to my confusion and mild concern since this should be considered a non-issue by anyone with a brain.

Strangely it doesn’t seem to be the Right who are keeping this foolishness in the news; it’s the Left. Apparently the Stop Smoking arm of the Liberals has a problem with Obama’s cigarette habit. Has political correctness - and smoking is so politically incorrect as to be nearly as bad as being Pro-Life - reached the point that the Liberal-driven MSM has to keep reporting on this? Or is it just a “safe” topic that the MSM can take Obama to task for?

OK, people - Obama smokes cigarettes. He seems to favor Marlboro Lights. Why do any of you care?