THE TRUTH LIES IN THE MIDDLE13 Jan 09
Posted by M. Wright | Filed in: Kent Williams, Tennessee Politics
When I told some people about the TN Speaker vote this afternoon, in which a RINO was backed by 49 minority Democrats and himself to snatch victory from the majority Republicans, a coworker of mine invoked an increasingly popular cliche, “the truth lies in the middle.” Since Kent Williams is nominally in the “middle,” he must represent “truth.”
So if Johnny says the sky is blue and Sally says the sky is yellow, the sky must be green.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Remember the wise words of Mr. Myagi:
“Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get squished just like grape.”
January 14th, 2009 at 10:49 am
While the truth may not lie at the “middle,” that is where democracy puts us.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:34 am
This is one of the things that troubles me about where we find ourselves in the world today.
While it is true that democracy puts us in the middle as a practical matter, and while I can appreciate that there are many gray areas in life (particularly as it pertains to opinions about the wisdom of various policy choices, etc.) there is “middle” when it comes to truth.
Indeed, everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion. But you are not entitled to your own set of facts. Facts are facts, and truth is truth. It makes no difference how strongly, how sincerely, or how long you believe a lie. It is still a lie.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:35 am
typo correction — meant to write that there is NO “middle” when it comes to truth.
January 15th, 2009 at 9:18 am
After living in tornado alley for 13 years, I must say a green sky augurs a tornado. The middle is not conservative nor liberal. Like religion, being lukewarm, is not necessarily palatable.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Aaah, the Goldilocks fallacy. This policy is too liberal. This policy is too conservative. But THIS policy is JUUUUST right.
Remember what happens to Goldilocks at the end of the story. That’s what happens to silly, selfish little girls who think they have right to things that don’t belong to them.
I don’t think that Democracy necessarily leads to the middle. Whether self-government works depends on the character of the people and their ability to discern the truth, wherever it’s found. It’s usually better than the alternative though.