When you think about it, it is actually pretty much on the money. I wouldn't consider it an insult. It's more of a description or catagorization.

I agree. It was more the usage in the context I referred to that I found insulting.

I agree. It was more the usage in the context I referred to that I found insulting.

 

I never would have used the term if you hadn't have brought it up. At that point, it was fair game ... but all in fun.

When you think about it, it is actually pretty much on the money. I wouldn't consider it an insult. It's more of a description or catagorization.

 

I agree "secular progressive" an apt description. Certainly it describes me, and I kind of like it better than "secular humanist."

 

The issue, of course, is where people on the right or left of the term manage to steer the connotations of the term. As a proud liberal it's interesting to hear people on the right try to use that word as a smear word, and this is the same way. Ditto when people try to paint "atheists" or "evolutionists" or "Darwinists" in a negative light by definition. As identifying categories without any meaning being loaded by a speaker, those are all apt descriptions of groups of people proud to wear those titles.

 

And the same can certainly be said about the way many on the left use the term "Christian conservative" negatively though there are plenty of good people who wear that identifier proudly.

I never would have used the term if you hadn't have brought it up. At that point, it was fair game ... but all in fun.

Oh no, I don't mean YOUR reference. You are fine. I mean the way it was used by Mr. O'Reilly.

Oh no, I don't mean YOUR reference. You are fine. I mean the way it was used by Mr. O'Reilly.

 

Read "Culture Warrior" ... you'll love it.

I agree "secular progressive" an apt description. Certainly it describes me, and I kind of like it better than "secular humanist."

 

The issue, of course, is where people on the right or left of the term manage to steer the connotations of the term. As a proud liberal it's interesting to hear people on the right try to use that word as a smear word, and this is the same way. Ditto when people try to paint "atheists" or "evolutionists" or "Darwinists" in a negative light by definition. As identifying categories without any meaning being loaded by a speaker, those are all apt descriptions of groups of people proud to wear those titles.

 

And the same can certainly be said about the way many on the left use the term "Christian conservative" negatively though there are plenty of good people who wear that identifier proudly.

 

Excellent points. I wonder if the current need to categorize everyone is a recent development as we try and work with so much information. It seems like we try and lump everything into a category and then dismiss or defend based on that. There is no doubt that we are bombarded with way more information today than a generation ago.

Fresh off of the wire, some good news.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hospitalized Sen. Tim Johnson's condition has been upgraded from critical to fair, his office says.

I was thinking about him the other night and was wondering how he was doing (they were talking about congress being back in session while I was at the gym).