Constant's pations

If it's more than 30 minutes old, it's not news. It's a blog.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Compromise

The current debate in America is a false choice. The correct question is whether Americans are willing to compromise on values, or whether they prefer peace. Americans prefer to comprise on the law so that they can wage war.

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If you give Americans a choice between whether they prefer safety or insecurity, they’ll choose safety. If you give Americans a choice between compromise, or winner-take-all, the Americans will change their answer depending on whether they are on the losing or winning side of the argument.

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Compromise is something Americans aren't willing to accept. It means they're giving something up, not getting it all. Rather than look at an opportunity as something they can jointly share, Americans are likely to perceive all situations as, "I must win, or I will lose."

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Consider an orange. Suppose two people are arguing over who should have the orange. One side gives various reasons, then the other. Eventually, the discussion boils down to, "I'm going to get this, and you're not." One side wins, and the other side loses.

Suppose we consider how each side defines victory. One of the people wants to make orange juice. The other wants to make marmalade. Orange juice only requires the inside juice; marmalade only requires to outside skin. They both can share, and achieve their goal.

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When asked whether they would rather compromise their values like the Constitution, or whether they would like to compromise with an enemy, Americans will reject compromise with an enemy, and they do compromise on their values.

Americans prefer war, and are willing to sacrifice their law. This is not victory, but barbarism. Americans freely choose barbarism to the sound of beating drums.