The Tired “Angry Conservative” Charge (and Game)

“Angry” and passive-aggressive Dave Armstrong with his ever-suffering wife Judy (July 2009)

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This pathetic display took place on my [very public] Facebook page. It’s classic; textbook, which is why I re-post it.

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T*** S***** (TS): You consider Breitbart a credible news source? Are you kidding?

Dave Armstrong (DA): Yes. No. Do you consider MSNBC and The New York Times as credible news sources?

TS: Not MSNBC as much as the Times. I would put Breitbart in the same category as MSNBC and Fox. Personally, I prefer to triangulate my news sources. I fact check them with other sources.

Dave – Why are you so hostile?

DA: How is my reply more “hostile” than your comment?

TS: Your tone throughout your posts is hostile. Why are you so angry?

DA: I’m not angry. I’m passionate about ideas and truth.

TS: You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.

DA: I’m not angry at all. Not one wee little bit. If you can’t stand the “heat” of competing ideas, get out of the kitchen.

TS: I have no problem with competing ideas. There’s your anger again —

DA: I told you I am not angry. Are you saying I am lying about myself?

TS: There it is again —

DA: Bye bye.

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I then blocked her. She refuses to believe my self-report that I am not angry in the least. She knows better. The obstinate denial of a person’s self-report, making them a liar, is the instant death of all trust, friendship, and discussion.

No doubt now she believes that my blocking her is more proof that I am angry as a hornet. Her behavior exhibited an extreme lack of charity and was grounds for immediate removal for ethics violations. I block people like this precisely so that the rest of us can engage in calm, civil, mutually respectful conversation. Insisting that others are lying through their teeth doesn’t advance that goal.

If she knew me even to a small degree, she would know that anger is not one of the things I struggle with at all. I assuredly have lots of other faults, but that’s not something I wrangle with.

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(originally 1-25-17 on Facebook)

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