COMMON SENSE IS DEAD

[iamaboringperson]

In the midst of everything that is going on around us, in particular, daily talk on terrorism, I'm indeed grateful for a piece that was sent to the Shepparton News by one Kay Saxton.
And I guess it highlights the sentiments that many of us feel as we seek every day to come to grips with some of the inexplicable stupidity that we see around us.
The piece is appropriately called "Common Sense is Dead."
And thanks to Kay Saxton of Shepparton, I share it with you.
And it says:
"Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No-one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in and out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, and that life isn't always fair.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge.)
His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were put into place.
Reports of a 6 year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, for which only worsened the student's condition.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but couldn't inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot - she spilled a bit in her lap and was awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility and his son, Reason.
He is survived by two stepbrothers - My Rights and Ima Whiner.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.
If you still know him , pass this on, if not join the majority and do nothing."
We can all relate to the death of Common Sense.
As I always say, the problem with common sense is that it is NOT common.


ALAN JONES TRANSCRIPT: from the "TODAY SHOW" 18/03/04

[FluffyMcDeath]

Not sure how long this has been going round. Earliest instance I found was mid 2002.

Isn't it nice of Kay Saxton of Shepparton (and Alan Jones) to omit to mention that this is a chain email.

Gotta wonder about the character of people who don't give credit where it's due. Plagiarism, anyone?

[MAD]

Hoya!

So true... The world we live in now is REALLY pathetic...

Be funky

M A D

[KennyR]

"Common sense" is a typical conservative fantasy, pulled out when things aren't going their way. So forgive me if I'm unconcerned.

[cecilia]

"Common sense" was murdered by Political Correctness.

[MAD]

Hoya!

@KennyR

Come on mate! Stop seeing the "evil" Conservatives everywhere!
Don't you agree that kids have no more respect for no one, including themselves, now? Yes, kids DO rebel (that is the meaning of kid actually ;-) ) but now the society we live in does not seem to have any humane values like respect or intelligence.
We live in a world of brainless zombies...

Many people have kids and let the streets bring them up... The result? They become punks, drug dealers, loots, thugs and so on... YES, this HAS always happened in the past but nowadays, given the social services one can find in any "modern" society, it seems to be quite a shame that immature parents count on the government to take care of their offspring...

Be funky

M A D

[Speelgoedmannetje]

cecilia wrote:
"Common sense" was murdered by Political Correctness.For good reason: everyone uses common sense for their own good. So maybe I should say, common sense is being killed by people themselves, or maybe I should say: common sense has never been existed.

But nevertheless you got a point. The primary aspect our economy will die from is: the over-use of lawsuits instead of complying with agreements.

[Vincent]

cecilia wrote:
"Common sense" was murdered by Political Correctness.

Nah, it was just butchered, amputated and left for scraps after the PC Brigade started.

It just struggled on for a while after and nobody really noticed.

[Tigger]

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot - she spilled a bit in her lap and was awarded a huge settlement.



I'd like to point out (as I usually do on this topic) that McDonalds was in the wrong (big time) then made a collosal mistake after the fact, and they and there stock holders had to pay for it.
-Tig

[T_Bone]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:

cecilia wrote:
"Common sense" was murdered by Political Correctness.For good reason: everyone uses common sense for their own good. So maybe I should say, common sense is being killed by people themselves, or maybe I should say: common sense has never been existed.


I think political correctness get's used far more often for one's own good than common sense.

[Wolfe]

Political correctness is needed. It warps the mind and makes free thinkers allow others to think for them. Thus common sense is abandoned. Makes them more gullable and then they buy Windblows instead of making a smarter choice. :-D

If it wasn't for Political Correctness and a lack of Common Sense Bill Gates would be broke and lonely. :lol:

[Glaucus]

KennyR wrote:
"Common sense" is a typical conservative fantasy, pulled out when things aren't going their way. So forgive me if I'm unconcerned.Actually, "common sense" can easily be (ab)used by either side. The only thing fundamentally right about that "article" was the part about common sense not being very common at all. It isn't and never was.

- Mike

[Glaucus]

it seems to be quite a shame that immature parents count on the government to take care of their offspring...So are you suggestion immature parents take care of their kids instead?

Personally, I think "old" people always look back and think that "kids these days..." are somehow a bad batch. Personally, I think the opposite is true. I think us old people should look more closely at the kids and perhaps we might learn something from them. Youth is the future and old people just get in their way. Ever consider that it's not the kids that are the problem but us old folks?

- Mike

[FluffyMcDeath]

KennyR wrote:
"Common sense" is a typical conservative fantasy, pulled out when things aren't going their way. So forgive me if I'm unconcerned.

The fact that the Ten Commandments are mentioned as being part of Common Sense reveals the political motives of the writer. Many of the commandments are merely religious dogma to be ingrained and are not common sense.

Furthermore, common sense does not deal very well with things that are beyond the experiences of common individauls. A particle is also a wave? Makes common sense fall on its arse, but a fantasticly useful (and demonstrable) concept.

[Speelgoedmannetje]

I dunno what you guys understand by the word "political correctness" but here the lack of it causes refugees to be returned to the country where they come from, and where some dissappear or being tortured so every now and then :pissed:

[iamaboringperson]

cecilia wrote:
"Common sense" was murdered by Political Correctness.I wouldn't say 'murdered', more like: 'beaten up by' "Political Correctness[tm]"

[iamaboringperson]

KennyR wrote:
"Common sense" is a typical conservative fantasy, pulled out when things aren't going their way. So forgive me if I'm unconcerned.Does it really have anything to do with 'conservative' politics?

I've heard people with many different political beliefs use it. (religious of not)

What about 'good sense'? Or 'good logical sense'? Since I don't believe in 'common sense', terms like those are what I use instead.

(So, is it so bad to be saying that people should use their 'good sense of judgment' for example?)

[Speelgoedmannetje]

:-? I thought you were political correct by condemning perverts, Iama.

[whabang]

cecilia wrote:
"Common sense" was murdered by Political Correctness.
True.

[KennyR]

Iamaboringperson wrote:
Does it really have anything to do with 'conservative' politics?

Certainly it has a lot to do with conservative politics. Always they are thinking that the world is on a downward slide into chaos, and are afraid. But really, nothing much has changed over the generations. People are still people and they do stupid things a lot. Political correctness, anti-capitalism, all that stuff - just different names for the same old things. Nothing is really changing, but conservatives are paranoid and afraid - which is why they're conservatives. "Common sense is dead" and the cliched "What is this world coming to??" are the rallying cry of the conservative minded.

In the UK, the Conservatives build a lot of their policies on this. Policies such as the "Common sense revolution", "Grass roots", and "Back to basics". All were aimed at putting what they considered common sense back into the people. All failed utterly. But they sure as hell help get those middle class voters.

(So, is it so bad to be saying that people should use their 'good sense of judgment' for example?)

A person has common sense. People do not. If you try to force your own idea of common sense onto other people, not only won't it work, then you attack their liberty.

[kokigami]

iamaboringperson wrote:

...thanks to Kay Saxton of Shepparton, I share it with you.
And it says:
"Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No-one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in and out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, and that life isn't always fair.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge.)...

ok good questions. When is the right time to come in out of the rain. If early is better, why does the early worm get eaten? What happened to the old financial axiom "other peoples money". And how many wars have kids started...

Common sense is most often the cry of someone whining that someone else did something wrong, usually without evidence, but with 20/20 hindsight.

I think it is amusing that so many conservatives have supported the institution of zero tolerance policies, but that is the source of many of the items listed as "killing" common sense in this conservative diatribe.

[T_Bone]

kokigami wrote:

I think it is amusing that so many conservatives have supported the institution of zero tolerance policies, but that is the source of many of the items listed as "killing" common sense in this conservative diatribe.


More often than not it's Bureaucracy that kills common sense, not left or right politics, although the left IMO is responsible for most bureaucracy today, but this trend is changing as the bureaucrats are slowly calling themselves "Republicans" and the party's base seems to be spreading horizontally towards the center.