Critical Thinking Matters
I have never had a bumper sticker or a lawn sign expressing political or social views. A popular sign I have seen on lawns reads as follows:
BLACK LIVES MATTER
WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS
SCIENCE IS REAL
NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL
LOVE IS LOVE
KINDNESS IS EVERYTHING
Of course black lives matter, but the movement is not above criticism. I believe we should do everything we can to provide opportunity to all people, stop the senseless killing and violence in minority communities (by cops and by the members of the community), and recognize that racism is not merely a white phenomenon. The problem of racism deserves more than just a slogan, but we get more slogans than serious discussion.
Women's rights are human rights, but they need better definition. We need to identify the reasons for disparate treatment of women and (1) discuss the reasons that are not based on sex and (2) remedy the situations where the reasons are. I notice there was nothing on the sign dealing with gender identity, which is even more complicated.
Science is real, but science is messy. New data gives way to new theories. Science should not be a weapon, and bad science needs to be rooted out. Pseudoscience is rampant, and many who recite that "science is real" are anti-vaccination, in favor of organic farming, and against GMOs. They would not be if they were serious about science. Perhaps the "science is real" slogan should be "I believe in critical thinking."
No human is illegal is ridiculous when you think about it. A person's citizenship status or residency status is subject to being characterized as illegal, but they are still a person with human rights. We know why people want to come to the United States, but we cannot accept everyone who wants to come here without some planning and thought. We need a good immigration policy, not a slogan.
Love is love. Agreed.
Kindness is everything. Agreed. Now, if the people behind these slogans practiced kindness, including toward those people who do not agree with these slogans in lock step.
