I stumbled upon a long thread tonight in the LibraryThing discussion forums. It’s a topic in the “Political Conservatives” group. It kind of blew my mind–and not in the way you might think.

The posts there are considerate, informed, well-executed and, in several cases, remarkably well-written. Perhaps it’s because it’s thread on a site about books. But the authors, in almost all cases, are not flinging buzzwords and insults. They’re slinging thoughts. I may not agree with the politics (nor the logic), but a) I appreciate the tone and care of the arguments; and b) I’m willing to entertain and evaluate the ideas therein because of this tone and care–I’m not just thrown into a state of frustration and reaction. It’s refreshing.

That’s all. See what you think. Maybe my impression is whacko.

Disclaimer: Some of the posts in the thread are slightly inflammatory. I’m just saying most are not.