I like this post...
This issue is critical in trying to have a rational conversation between conservatives and liberals. It boils down to the fact that both groups have made some basic assumptions about the nature of life and, subsequently, how they form thier values and moral code. I think people make extreme statements (such as "I hate...") based on the feeling that others are trying to force their assumptions and beliefs on them. And... Given the assumptions they have made, their belief system is quite logical, and they cannot see how anybody could think differently.
I have been drawn to reading the posts on this board, and I am convinced it is just because people who obsess about cigars really do share something, even if it is just a very eccentric view of life be it from the conservative side or the liberal side. I keep telling myself, "If you don't like what they are saying, just don't read it..." And, I think I keep reading it, because it is not always what is being said as much as HOW it is said. I have been coming here on a daily basis (give or take) for about 4 years, and some of the names have changed, but there is still a common thread that runs through the group that keeps me and others coming back. One might say, "this is captured in the term, BOTL" and I guess that is true.
