Does Austin have less of a "Liberal Echo Chamber" than other Liberal cities? (city hall, home)

[ikoolu]

yes your are pissing in the wind - there are liberals and conservitives just as like there are christians, muslims, and other people with different faiths - you just have a problem dealing with real life - there are and will always be those that certain beliefs and labels are simple way to identify those that believe a certain way i am not ashamed of being labeled a conservative - or far right minded. i find that label is more to my lifestyle and beliefs

why are you so upset ant intolerant of your label? maybe because the truth about the left really exposes your progressive ideals?

calling someone liberal or conservative is not attacking it simply is a way to identify ones that has a certain point of view of life.

i suppose you think that little johnny should get a trophy for just showing up?

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by RoamingTX

I know. Unfortunately, our natural gravitation toward tribalism exists. What’s compounding the issue today is the people, by and large, are not very smart.

That, and I think the anonymity of internet discussions has made political discourse way more toxic. It also gives way more platform to the uninformed. Like if anyone had the gall to talk in real life like ikoolu does on a message board, they'd get punched in the mouth no matter what their political stances are. Instead, everyone gets riled up by these internet arguments that go nowhere and starts thinking of the other side as being uncivil and only capbale of parroting talk show hosts.

[ikoolu]

i am as informed as you - you and like minded thin skinned liberals need to calm down - now you are the one bring violence into the discussion not me

if you read the post you will see i only pointed out the truth about the liberal elected officials in austin spending tax dollars to illegals citizens - i stated i dont agreed with that liberal progressive view -

but i guess you like the others here dont like it when the truth comes out -you dont like the fact that i and others feel the same way.

i dont not call anyone names - i simply labels them into a catagory that is commonly used sad you can deal with it

i am not the one riled up i am simply stating a opinion and you like so many here have to result in insults as you have no other retort to my opinion- it is just a opinion -

i dont see where you are proud and agree with the elected officials using tax dollars to help illegals? I dont see you or others having the guts to agree with that issue- are you? do you in fact agree with using tax dollars to support illegals? do you in fact support the elected official progressive ideals?

Why attack? One can only reason you agree with this waste of your tax dollars - if so be proud of it!

no you will just attack anyone that does not agree with the liberal /progressive view-

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by roamingtx

perhaps if you quit trying to label everything as "liberal" or "conservative" and focused on it as "effective" or "ineffective", you'd do a better job of not creating your own echo chamber. After all, that's all your "attack and label" strategy does... And it's honestly the single most damaging dynamic we have in the country right now

^ ^ ^ ^
This (well said roamingtx)

Ragnarkar,

Unfortunately, people like you are in the minority now. My wife and I are moving into Austin from the Bay Area. I would strongly concur with your 'echo chamber" description (I've usually called it "group think"). And I think it's a big part of the dumbing down of America. Our house was within a few hundred feet of the San Francisco border and I saw first hand how people were ostracized if they didn't march in lockstep with every Liberal talking point that was being parroted by the media (I can't think of an area I've encountered with so many intellectually rigid and close minded people). I've also seen the same from people that were the polar opposite. It no longer seems possible to have a civil conversation and talk about issues. It's pretty much all about insulting others and character assassination. I find it hard to vote for anyone when the biggest attribute I'm hearing from their supporters is "they're not the other guy" (which is pretty much all I heard in this last election). That doesn't do it for me any more.

[Austinite101]

If you're not in a liberal city's echo chamber, you're probably in a conservative suburban/exurban/rural echo chamber, and those echo chambers are at the very least equally as effective ( in terms of being echo chambers) as the liberal ones. The only areas of the country that aren't echo chambers are the areas that regularly swing from D to R or R to D with large numbers of truly moderate voters. And unfortunately, truly moderate voters aren't very politically engaged.

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

If you're not in a liberal city's echo chamber, you're probably in a conservative suburban/exurban/rural echo chamber, and those echo chambers are at the very least equally as effective ( in terms of being echo chambers) as the liberal ones. The only areas of the country that aren't echo chambers are the areas that regularly swing from D to R or R to D with large numbers of truly moderate voters. And unfortunately, truly moderate voters aren't very politically engaged.

You lost me on your final sentence. That's merely your opinion, but there's no basis for that statement. Just because a person may feel differently on a variety of issues without regard to a political party does not mean they are not "politically engaged".

[RoamingTX]

Originally Posted by ikoolu

yes your are pissing in the wind - there are liberals and conservitives just as like there are christians, muslims, and other people with different faiths - you just have a problem dealing with real life - there are and will always be those that certain beliefs and labels are simple way to identify those that believe a certain way i am not ashamed of being labeled a conservative - or far right minded. i find that label is more to my lifestyle and beliefs

why are you so upset ant intolerant of your label? maybe because the truth about the left really exposes your progressive ideals?

calling someone liberal or conservative is not attacking it simply is a way to identify ones that has a certain point of view of life.

i suppose you think that little johnny should get a trophy for just showing up?

See, you ALMOST had a point (albeit, after running your inane babble through autocorrect), but that point is lost when you think their "point of view" is binary based on your label. Again, I'll go to the "effective" v. "ineffective" litmus test. That is ineffective.

You can't see it through your myopic filter, but your last sentence says it all. Any disagreement, and you just sling arrows to try and get a rise out of people in order to continue your tribal view. IMO, it's sad that we let third grade mentalities have the same voting power, but I guess that's the beauty of democracy. Oddly enough for your label, I've probably voted more toward the right than the left over the past 20 years, but I actually vote based on the candidate and not their label.

And, dude, seriously. There's this key on both sides of the keyboard with an arrow pointing up. Pressing that key, and the letter you were about to type will make it a capital letter.

Also, your and you're are different terms.

[RoamingTX]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

And unfortunately, truly moderate voters aren't very politically engaged.

I guarantee that you're wrong.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by RoamingTX

I guarantee that you're wrong.

If you mean that moderates vote in large numbers, then I'd agree with that.

But in most other ways, I'd agree with Austinite101 that moderates aren't very politically engaged. On twitter or facebook, they aren't championing their political ideology like those who are solidly left or right. They aren't out there rallying for reason, critical thinking, and against extremism. Perhaps it's not the nature of someone politically moderate.

20 years ago, political shows were largely hosted by moderates -- "moderators" -- who listened to both sides and demanded they justify their position. Now, political shows are hosted by very left or right-leaning hosts, simply spinning any and all current events to their political ideology. Times have changed.

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by atxcio

If you mean that moderates vote in large numbers, then I'd agree with that.

But in most other ways, I'd agree with Austinite101 that moderates aren't very politically engaged. On twitter or facebook, they aren't championing their political ideology like those who are solidly left or right. They aren't out there rallying for reason, critical thinking, and against extremism. Perhaps it's not the nature of someone politically moderate.

20 years ago, political shows were largely hosted by moderates -- "moderators" -- who listened to both sides and demanded they justify their position. Now, political shows are hosted by very left or right-leaning hosts, simply spinning any and all current events to their political ideology. Times have changed.

None of that really proves anything. Just because a TV producer decides he wants to go with extreme viewpoints doesn't mean their aren't plenty of independent thinking people out there. In addition, I would suspect anyone with an ounce of critical thinking ability is not going to waste their time trying to argue or change the mind of some anonymous poster on the internet. Yes, times have changed and the media is more about sensationalism and propaganda (and it's why I pay little attention to them any more).