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I agree... politics seperate this country. We shouldn't pick a side and hate the other sections of people in other types of politics.
I dont think most of us do. The politicians themselves want us too as do the media & lobbyists. I sure dont hate anybody because they dissagree with me. I'd just like to understand how continuing to spend more than we have is a good thing. I'd like to understand how undermining the constitution & whittling away the rights & freedoms that made us great is a good thing.
I'd like to understand how people could consider todays Republican party conservative.
What I'd like is to simply live my life the way I choose with the money I make & the rights I was guarenteed. Nothing more. Thats America, no guarentees except the chance to live your life as you see fit.
For the most part, people are liberal as youngsters.
As they mature and gain experience, they tend to become more conservative. Except for the die-hards.
That is why liberalism is indeed a mental illness.
Until the 60's, the word "conservative" wasn't even relevant, as most people WERE "conservative" and it was considered the norm.
People realized that you acquire a skill, an education, or simply get a job and live within your means. They didn't ask for nor did they expect a handout.
The left was a very small, but vocal portion of society.
As the youth were drawn into the anti-war movement, they were also corrupted by socialist/progressive professors.
So, in short, people are not born liberal or conservative.
For the most part, people are liberal as youngsters. As they mature and gain experience, they tend to become more conservative. Except for the die-hards.
Old wives' tale. Maturity and experience would be expected to breed increasing familiarity with and immunity to the sorts of underhanded chicanery that partisan touts and hucksters use to lure in the unwary. Bad news for latter-day conservatives, there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alphamale
That is why liberalism is indeed a mental illness.
Right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alphamale
Until the 60's, the word "conservative" wasn't even relevant, as most people WERE "conservative" and it was considered the norm. People realized that you acquire a skill, an education, or simply get a job and live within your means. They didn't ask for nor did they expect a handout. The left was a very small, but vocal portion of society. As the youth were drawn into the anti-war movement, they were also corrupted by socialist/progressive professors.
The 1930's and 1940's were survived in this counry thanks in no small part to massive social efforts set into action by a liberal government. The dull, gray, faltering, and conservative 1950's were seen as a sign that we were headed back in the wrong direction again. That was the powder of discontent that JFK's spark ignited.
Well, both of my parents are pretty liberal especially on gay marriage, premarital relations and having babies out of wedlock, etc, etc.
But I'm actually very conservative about those things. I'm against gay marriages, think premarital relations and having babies outside of marriage are all wrong. I didn't used to, but if they were still alive, I would relate more with my mom's parents who were very conservative.
For the most part, people are liberal as youngsters.
As they mature and gain experience, they tend to become more conservative. Except for the die-hards.
That is why liberalism is indeed a mental illness.
Until the 60's, the word "conservative" wasn't even relevant, as most people WERE "conservative" and it was considered the norm.
People realized that you acquire a skill, an education, or simply get a job and live within your means. They didn't ask for nor did they expect a handout.
The left was a very small, but vocal portion of society.
As the youth were drawn into the anti-war movement, they were also corrupted by socialist/progressive professors.
So, in short, people are not born liberal or conservative.
The past, especially the era from the mid 1940s to the early 1960s was very conformed. I think the high sense of conformity and sameness of the era made people not want to "stand out" or you wouldn't be accepted by society. People thought the same about many things, regardless of age, gender, religion, income class and ethnicity.
Now, our country has become very divided. People in the NE and California tend to be more liberal, especially on gay marriage, religiosity, and abortion. But people in the South, the Midwest, and the NW are more conservative.
And it's not just location, but it also varies sharply by political groups especially. Conservatives and Liberals can the be extreme opposite on the same issue.
I do not agree with this whole liberal versus conservative thing.
It's possible for a person to be "conservative" on some issues and "liberal" on others.
The others that have noted that many in the news media who like to distill everything into 'black or white' are interested in fostering controversy, and combative politics is more profitable.
I don't know about the whole notion of genetic political inclinations. Seems silly, really.
My inclination toward conservatism is based less on practical policy considerations (which, truth be told, pretty much come down to whose pockets are being picked) than on the sheer meanness of liberals.
Don't get me wrong, I was young and snotty in my liberal days. It was fun, for a while, to overawe folks with our impressive vocabularies and sheer volume. We mocked and ridiculed everyone not as hip as us. I remember distinctly doubling up with laughter at the thought of Barry Goldwater as President. Why, that neanderthal would have us embroiled in an Asian land war first chance he got....!
Now, Most conservatives I know are hand-wringing nostalgia freaks who just want people to be decent and wonder why you have to have a stud in your tongue to be cool. Most liberals I know are still snarling, snotty know-it-alls who characterize those who disagree with them as fools or criminals.
I'm afraid I'll always be a right-wing nut. Forgive me for feeling that the rubes from flyover land are less harmful to our society than the coastal ubermenschen. There's just something wrong with folks who actually ENJOY politics, and whose lust for power is so sweaty and naked.
Don't get me wrong, I was young and snotty in my liberal days. It was fun, for a while, to overawe folks with our impressive vocabularies and sheer volume. We mocked and ridiculed everyone not as hip as us.
Most liberals I know are still snarling, snotty know-it-alls who characterize those who disagree with them as fools or criminals.
You described my friend's personality down to the T. He's a proud liberal, to the extent he jumps on the Palin hating bandwagon with all the other rightwing haters.
I've always wondered why libs go off like they're better than everyone else, that they're superior, etc. Even now that Obama is really messing up its hard for him to admit his savior has serious flaws.
We got into a huge argument when I revealed that I didn't believe in Global Warming. His rebuttle was that his brother goes to Yale and is taking global environmental studies and knows what he's talking about. He was moments away from calling me a stupid uneducated wanker before I explain myself on why I didn't believe it (money).
Of course since that day he's been a bit aloof with me but I think his foundation of his beliefs are being challenged, he's finding it hard to cope by the sheer thought that he could be wrong.
I don't swing left or right, I'm focused on learning the truth and the bigger picture. Those political parties I think are just a distraction, a side show if you will.
I have some beliefs that seem to "ring true" for me right now but I also feel that I have other "sides" left to see ...And I know I still have a lot more to learn as I evolve and move through life...I don't want to become so "set" in my existing beliefs that I "block out" new information that comes my way...Everyone has a "side" and a "stake" in the issues we face today. I don't want to act like a little kid and insist on having things "my way" without looking at other "sides" too...The world doesn't just revolve around me and what I want and what I believe etc...I know that I'm going to have to compromise at times whether I feel like it or not...This is what my parents taught me when I was growing up. They taught me that I had to learn to "share" and consider the wants and needs of others too. They taught me that I'm not the only one who counts or matters! Life is full of compromises and taking time to look at other people's "side" too.
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