GayPatriot

The Internet home for American gay conservatives.

Of Telemarketers & Political Discourse

by

Earlier today, as I was reading for class, I answered a phone call from a telemarketer. Normally, I check my caller ID before picking up the phone, but, this time, failed to consider the 866-area code. As soon as I realized she was a telemarketer, I tried to end the conversation politely, telling her that I did not have an account at her bank.

Despite my statement and my expressed intent to end the conversation, she continued to read from the script. She mentioned something about needing my approval to send me something. At this point, I told her I needed to go, but she kept reading about this amazing offer. I realized it was impossible to be polite, so finally just hung up.

She didn’t even listen to me, just kept reading from the script.

We see the same thing frequently in our political discourse. Someone will raise an objection to the argument of an ideological adversary, but he won’t address the objection, merely continue on as if the person had said nothing — or assume the objector had said what he (the adversary) had wanted him to say in order to make the point of his script talking points.

I mean, just look how Democrats reacted to the president’s new strategy for Iraq. He appoints a new commanding officer (against whose confirmation not a single Democrat voted) and outlines a new plan for dealing with the violence in Baghdad. And they respond with the same criticism they had been offering for some time — it’s nothing new.

Some of our critics too reply to our points, not as we expressed them, but as they wish we had expressed them. As, from time to time, so do some of our defenders.

Instead of responding like a telemarketer with a set script, let’s respond to each other by listening to our adversaries’ points. But, I’ve said this before. I guess we’ll just have to accept that some people are just like telemarketers, not interested in the person with whom they are communicating, but content to try to push their product to a generic human being.

Comments

  1. The instant I realize it’s a telemarketer, I say something like the following:

    “Excuse me [repeat as needed, talking over them, until they take my interruption]… I never respond to telephone solicitations from anyone. Could you please put me on your permanent ‘Do Not Call’ list?”

    Wait just a second for them to say ‘yes’, then hang up. Seems to work! I rarely hear from the same one twice.

    My larger point would be that with some people, being firm – even impatient – is both strategically correct, and morally just.

  2. Dan, I can’t believe you posted this! Come on, Bush is STILL lying and people are DYING. BushCo should be impeached –the whole stinkin’ lot of ’em. It’s a criminal organization that’s taken our freedoms and rights away, spied on innocent Americans just going about their daily business, is now set to invade Iran with nukUlar weapons, set to reestablish the draft just to kill poor inner city kids so America can be more “whitey” after the ramp-up to war and Rumsfeld has killed over 360 billion Iraqi citizens since he came to office as SecDefDept. It doesn’t matter he’s resigned in disgrace –bring him to the docket at the Hague and let’s hang ’em without a trial!

    Why can’t you see that? And you post something about telemarketers not listening to your need to hang up the phone?

    The world is crumbling! Our President has told us all to go to the mall and shop. He’s not asking us to plant Victory Gardens, ride bikes to school, put on a sweater and turn down the heat or stop global warming by hugging a polar bear. All he wants is to cut taxes for BigOil, BigDonors and pardon Scooter Libby –who is so guilty you can see it dripping off his collar.

    Impeach him. Bring back the Death Penalty for presidents. End the Wall Street cabal that’s running the failed Iraq War for their own financial gain.

    If Congress doesn’t end this war, I’m leaving for Canada with Jane Fonda, Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn. We’ll start our own Hollywood-North and in 5 years it’ll be the biggest purchaser of carbon credits in North America, no in the Western Hemisphere, no in the Herstory of the World!

  3. I put my # on the Federal “Do Not Call” list and haven’t received a call since.

    And I agree with you, Dan, about the formulaic nature of most public discourse. There’s little attempt to (1) understand the other side’s position, and even less attempt to (2) come to some sort of consensus.

    –Chet

  5. I’ve done the Do Not Call thing, but some calls still sneak through. If it’s a toll free number, or many times a number I don’t recognize, I usually don’t answer. If it’s important, the caller can leave a voicemail. The times I do answer the phone, and they start the script, I simply say something like, “Sorry, I’m busy, good-bye” and hang up.

    A couple of times, I said that it was dinner time, and if they would like, they can leave me their number, and I’ll call back when I’m not busy. Maybe one time, they left a number (and of course didn’t call back), but usually they say they can’t. Then I say that I’m not interested, and then say bye and hang up.

    Dan, as for your point in public discourse like this. I really do attempt to listen to the other person’s point of view. In some instances, I have changed my mind, or at least it gave me a new way of looking at things, and understanding for the opposing point of view.

  7. I usually don’t have a problem with actual telemarketers. They are often very polite and won’t call again. I do have a problem with receiving pre-recorded calls, most of which do not provide an option to be removed from the list containing my number. In this case, I press *69 (gotta love that option), get the number, call them and request they not call again. If I get attitude, I tell them I’m on the national Do Not Call Registry (which I am) and threaten to report them.

    Re. this blog and other public Web fora, I think it’s unreasonable to expect or even desire that participants be “…interested in the person with whom they are communicating…”

  8. #5: There’s a loophole in the do not call list for those outfits that can claim an “existing relationship” with those they call. That’s probably why the bank was able to call you.

    I just use caller-ID and if I don’t recognize the caller’s number or it’s not provided, I just let the answering machine take it. Of course they never leave a message.

  10. Vince P

    I know what some Republican values are and they are frightening. Republicans are the absolute enemy on Freedoms and Freedoms of Speech.

    We need someone to protect America and Americans from the Republicans. God knows what they will do next. They are a much bigger to us threat than some far off ‘jihad’.

  11. Does anyone find it amusing that the majority of recent posts by Bruce and Dan are simply harsh yet moot and unsubstantial criticism of Democrats and/or “liberals?”

    You know, I thought they’d hold out a little longer in fronting Republican and/or “conservative” values a little longer but, as I consider GayPatriot.org a weathervane of sorts, Democrats and/or “liberals” must be doing something right for such… OUTRAGE! 🙂

    Post away Bruce and Dan! Keep rocking the establishment like a 1.0 earthquake from the other side of the world!

  13. Actually, NDT, in a wearing-a-helmet-while-riding-the-short-bus kind of way, #12 has a point. But it’s not really Bruce and Dan’s fault. The reason Bruce and Dan can’t comment on GOP ideas is because, at this point, there really aren’t any. The party has no ideas, no principles, and no vision. They just keep throwing out the frightening visage of Hillary “The Iron Dingbat” Clinton and Nancy “No sensation in my face for over twenty years” Pelosi and saying, “Boogah! Boogah! Democrats! Scary! Scary!” And, granted, either of those faces could send children running away screaming, “Please don’t put me in the oven of your gingerbread house,” but the lack of leadership on the Republican side is a troubling phenomenon.

  14. #14 – In 2004, the Democrats showed that you can’t be something (GWB leadership in GWOT) with nothing. Not even if the media is on your side.

    In 2006, the Democrats showed that you CAN beat nothing (aimless, philosophically empty Republicans) with nothing. Especially if the media is on your side.

  16. And #11 is a beautiful example of what a lack of education can do for you. I believe the operative term here is “useful idiot.”

    Getting back to the subject at hand – I am on the Do Not Call list as well, but some idiots manage to breach the security net as well. I usually deal with telemarketers in a couple various ways:

    1. I pretend I don’t speak English (I start speaking Russian or Greek – throws those callers off tremendously, especially if they’re calling from Bangalore).

    2. I start faking an orgasm on line. Especially if the caller is male.

    3. I pretend I’m Elais and tell them “they are frightening. Telemarketers are the absolute enemy on Freedoms and Freedoms of Speech. We need someone to protect America and Americans from the Telemarketers. God knows what they will do next. They are a much bigger to us threat than some far off ‘jihad’.”

    Hope this helps.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  17. If you sign up for things like “free sweepstakes” or some other junk like that it can take you off the Do Not Call List. Its very easy to fall off without knowing it.
    I suggest you check the registry periodically so you are certain you are still on it