Categories- Their Friend and Our Enemy

I just heard a radio host make several claims I found intriguing. It's not because they are special or by any means the exception. On the contrary, I find them to be the most abused method of keeping unqualified people employed in the American political scene today.

"Anytime you see the word "progressive" you should think: unfair. Socialist."

In speaking of a Cornell professor named Robert Frank, this host said:
"He's not factually wrong, he's ideologically wrong because he's a lib."

In speaking of the Cornell students who may attend this professor’s class, the host said:
"Their skulls are full of mush."

Whose words of wisdom are these? None other than Limbaugh. Now, in the world of intellectual disputes; Limbaugh isn't on the radar. Books have been written about the fallacies this man commits (whether knowingly or the more likely unknowingly). However, he is opinionated and many people listen to him. He should be taken seriously despite his lack of cognitive abilities because he influences people who aren't able either by 1) the constraints of time or 2) because they lack desire to deconstruct his claims. Interestingly, he attacks democrats / liberals for giving a pass to the Dems on whatever they do (which I applaud) but then expects his audience not to do the same with his views. And they don't.

So, I will. Cornell is an Ivy League University and I fail to believe those students' skulls are "full of mush." They lack life experience to be sure, but I don't believe Limbaugh could hack it with them in any intellectual capacity. How is it that taking kids to church or to a private school which teaches according to the parents wishes is good, but if they're taught something contrary to that then we're brainwashing them?

More importantly, for all of us who are average, working people we must recognize the problem with placing ideas and people into categories. It's so easy to categorize. It makes us feel organized and rational, but it’s bad policy. Limbaugh and his ilk hope that you and I will not think about a matter once it has been deemed "Progressive", "Liberal", "Socialist", etc. Where Limbaugh is right, however, is that people on the left hope the same when they use terms like "Conservative", "Religious-Right", "Racist", "Hatemonger", etc. I mean, honestly, should anyone take Al Sharpton seriously anymore?

How much longer must we allow the right to (even if betimes accurately) ONLY attack the left?
How much longer must we allow the left to (even if betimes accurately) ONLY attack the right?
Am I the only person in America who sees them all as being intellectually deficient, if not devoid? What about their moral obligation to gut-check? It's called honesty. I don't like it when I'm wrong either, but I still doubt myself and my beliefs. Categories like the tired, trite, cliché, political categories cooked up to keep politicians and pundits employed are working against honesty and morality.