It seems (note the stress on the word seems) axiomatic that your average bookstore employee is – how do I put this succinctly – liberal – for lack of a more precise word. Not only are they “liberal” but the required piercings, non-conformist attire and intellectually snobbish demeanour (queens English spelling) abound in that particular sub-culture.

So there I was in Borders today looking for a present for my father when I was assaulted (ok I stood there and listened … I could’ve moved on…) by one employees rendition of how terrible the Bush administration is etc. etc. I was slightly amused until he blamed it all on fundamentalist Christians. As he continued with the usual blather about “forcing their beliefs” on others – AS IF – my anger grew and grew – especially since the mush brained person he was “educating” hadn’t a clue in the world how incredibly inconsistent he was being with every statement.

Finally not being able to take it anymore (should I have just walked away?) I turned to him caught his eye and interjected myself into the middle of his conversation. I proceeded to attempt to educate him in the fine art of logical reasoning starting with the law of non-contradiction and proceeding on to question his presuppositions with regards to his use of the words “good”, “evil”, “right”, “wrong”, etc. I objected to his use of the word “religion” and “fundamentalist” and I tried to help him see his own self-defeating argumentation with regard to “judgementalism”. When he called himself “open-minded” I about blew a gasket.

I regret the heat with which I engaged this individual perhaps perpetuating his stereotype of fundamentalist whackos. However, the post-modern relativistic irrational bile he was spewing enraged my fundy-spirit.

Note to world: Not everyone can be right. It’s much easier to believe everyone is wrong. It is impossible for A to be both A and ~A at the same time and in the same sense. And though everyone is entitled to their opinion if that opinion is irrational or false then have the integrity to jettison it and quit holding on to the “right” to hold it.