From Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas, 2006:
Yet this is what the Olympics ask us to do -- they ask us to support athletes solely because they happen to stand on U.S. floors when they pay their federal income tax. We could toss a bunch of serial killers into the pool in Athens, and we'd still be told to support their run for water polo gold. And isn't that style of thinking the core of every major (and minor) problem we have in this country? The war in Iraq is obviously the most pervasive example, but that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It strikes me that every wrongheaded sentiment in society ultimately derives from a culture of inherent, unconditional rightness.
As I grow older, I find myself less prone to have an opinion about anything, and to distrust just about everyone who does. Whenever I meet someone who openly identifies themselves as a Republican or a Democrat, my immediate thought is always, Well, this person might be interesting, but they'll never say anything about politics that's remotely useful to me. I refuse to discuss abortion with anyone who is pro-life or pro-choice; I refuse to discuss affirmative action with any unemployed white guy or any unemployed black guy. All the world's stupidest people are either zealots or atheists. If you want to truly deduce how intelligent someone is, just ask this person how they feel about any issue that doesn't have an answer; the more certainty they express, the less sense they have. This is because certainty only comes from dogma.
Tags: Chuck Klosterman IV, Olympics
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