How does one earn a blanket rude ban?

Oh jeez.

This may seem pessimistic, and it is. But I think if people in our culture had a healthier pessimism we'd all be happier for it.

I am sorry but I disagree. The general goodness at the heart of people very often gives a wide berth for people who are able and willing to take advantage of it.

Otherwise we would not have terms like "silver tongued devil."

Instead of trying to decide who is honest or genuine, or relatable (yuck), based on our distant rendering of someone filtered through a screen, we should endeavor to only trust in actions.

People have a tendency to let you down.

assign full moral agency to someone when they are able to be honest because of who they are talking to, but then assign deception to public officials when they are being their most institutionally constrained.

We don't have to do their work for them.

People on the right, when disappointed with their own elected officials, often say very similar things. "At least the Democrats are honest about being liars."

What is happening here is that we all end up providing a huge amount of ammunition to the other side when we --

They are under a terrible misapprehension most of the time.

The other problem here is that this kind of worrisome obsession with who seems most "genuine" be they horrid or simply inoffensive is that it creates a huge blindspot in the way we discuss public figures.

Because it was a requirement for their re-admission into the Union. Not out of the kindness of their own hearts.

80% of UNION Democrats voted against the 13th Amendment.

Because if the 13th amendment had not been passed before the end of the war, you can bet that house and senate members alike would have found more ways to "kick the can down the road" with the imminence of reconstruction and Southern re-admission.

Slavery would have very likely continued.

Allow me to introduce you to the 10% plan.

Fair enough.

It might have if the clock had run out because the Senate was just as difficult to get the bill through. Abolition wasn't universally popular in the Union.

By any means.

They were in a race against time because the war was ending. If the South had re-joined the union, adding their Congressman and Senators to the whole, how likely do you think it would be that the amendment would pass?

I pray that you encounter more caution in others where they make central character judgments of you based on what they've "heard."

Met them, have you?

And yet, passing the amendment through the house was a massive political lift because of the need to appeal to popular votes, which the senate didn't need. Imagine if they had had to fight against not just one but two chambers bent on catering to the mob to keep their seats.

It's dreadful and for anyone who doesn't think it is, or that it isn't a serious error in the age of party politics, look at all of the things that might never have been accomplished in congress if it hadn't been for appointed Senators.

Outlawing slavery comes to mind.

Thank you I try my best.