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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,060,466 times
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The more one reads the CD forums, and hears people speak in general, it seems that a large segment of society don't really think about various issues themselves but merely agree with whatever the group they identify with's stance is on a topic. For instance, a 'real' progressive is expected to wholeheartedly support gay marriage, gay adopting, in some cases abortion.etc, while conservatives are expected to vehemently oppose these. Many conservatives also tend to believe in capital punishment and gun rights. How many people are 'in the middle' or 'fence sitters'? I'm generally liberal yet I'm against things like abortion and gay adoption, and there are those who will condemn me for it. I don't really think about things like that much, because they don't affect me, but if I had to put it to a vote.
Anyway, do you think this is the case? The socio-political polarization of opinion in America?
The more one reads the CD forums, and hears people speak in general, it seems that a large segment of society don't really think about various issues themselves but merely agree with whatever the group they identify with's stance is on a topic. For instance, a 'real' progressive is expected to wholeheartedly support gay marriage, gay adopting, in some cases abortion.etc, while conservatives are expected to vehemently oppose these. Many conservatives also tend to believe in capital punishment and gun rights. How many people are 'in the middle' or 'fence sitters'? I'm generally liberal yet I'm against things like abortion and gay adoption, and there are those who will condemn me for it. I don't really think about things like that much, because they don't affect me, but if I had to put it to a vote.
Anyway, do you think this is the case? The socio-political polarization of opinion in America?
Well let me clear something up by your post. You are not a "Liberal" to begin with.
You are against "abortion" yet claim to be "liberal" so how is restricting a woman's right to do what she wants with her own body a "liberal" position?
How is restricting the rights of two consenting adults to get married or adopt kids a "liberal" position?
Well let me clear something up by your post. You are not a "Liberal" to begin with.
You are against "abortion" yet claim to be "liberal" so how is restricting a woman's right to do what she wants with her own body a "liberal" position?
How is restricting the rights of two consenting adults to get married or adopt kids a "liberal" position?
Thank you for proving the man's point.
You can be "generally liberal" (his words) on economic issues etc. without being liberal on everything.
I'm generally conservative but if it were up to me we would have free abortions for all.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,060,466 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by MiamiRob
Well let me clear something up by your post. You are not a "Liberal" to begin with.
You are against "abortion" yet claim to be "liberal" so how is restricting a woman's right to do what she wants with her own body a "liberal" position?
How is restricting the rights of two consenting adults to get married or adopt kids a "liberal" position?
What about the right of the child to have a life, or the right of a child to have a mother and a father?
What about the right of the child to have a life, or the right of a child to have a mother and a father?
Since this isn't supposed to be a debate on the actual issues, I'll stick with giving you the most simple answers from a liberal's perspective.
1. A living, breathing woman has been determined to have more rights than a developing fetus. In the case of abortion, there's no way to give equal rights to both the woman and the fetus/baby... so the current legal stance is to grant these rights to the woman first.
2. Children don't have legal rights in this issue, and if they did, divorce and single parenting would be illegal too... being a widow/widower would be illegal as well, and we'd be required to remarry within a certain period of time. That last part is actually stated in the Bible (to your dead spouse's sibling, if possible), but of course the vehement anti-gay marriage crowd tends to ignore that little fact.
To the OP, I personally identify as a liberal-leaning Libertarian, so I generally DO focus on the issues alone. I couldn't care less what the Democrats think, nor the Republicans for that matter - not even what the other Libertarians think, although we tend to agree on most issues (hence the reason I identify with that party). Sometimes I'll initially believe I'm "supposed" to take a certain stance, but will always investigate and ponder the issue before fully stating where I stand. I'm sure there are many issues where I'd disagree with other liberals... taxes, gun control, death penalty, and Israel are a few that come to mind.
Here's where I think people are really smarter than we tend to give them credit for, and they really do think things through. Once you become persuaded of a basic belief, a lot flows out of it logically, and so people tend to end up in the same place. For example I am a non-believer in any religion, so I figure we don't really know where life/self begins. Hence I am pro-choice, even though I'm very a persuaded individualist, and thus conservative on most things.
I think it's the same with most people--you start with a bedrock belief, and the details follow inexorably.
Well let me clear something up by your post. You are not a "Liberal" to begin with.
You are against "abortion" yet claim to be "liberal" so how is restricting a woman's right to do what she wants with her own body a "liberal" position?
How is restricting the rights of two consenting adults to get married or adopt kids a "liberal" position?
You can be against abortion and still be a liberal. Plenty of conservatives here are just fine with abortion and they're still very right wing. I have some conservative positions, but I align myself with the left mostly on economic issues and consider myself a liberal.
The more one reads the CD forums, and hears people speak in general, it seems that a large segment of society don't really think about various issues themselves but merely agree with whatever the group they identify with's stance is on a topic. For instance, a 'real' progressive is expected to wholeheartedly support gay marriage, gay adopting, in some cases abortion.etc, while conservatives are expected to vehemently oppose these. Many conservatives also tend to believe in capital punishment and gun rights. How many people are 'in the middle' or 'fence sitters'? I'm generally liberal yet I'm against things like abortion and gay adoption, and there are those who will condemn me for it. I don't really think about things like that much, because they don't affect me, but if I had to put it to a vote.
Anyway, do you think this is the case? The socio-political polarization of opinion in America?
Most people have both some hard liberal positions and hard right positions. At the times they defend what they liberals believe they will be attacked as being liberal, when they defend their right wing positions they will be attacked as right wing. For each of us we will say we are right our left by identifying the issue with us the we wish to most defend.
For me I have a staunch anti abortion belief which gets me labeled as a right wing nut job.However I am just as a staunch believer in anti death penalty and legalization of drugs and prostitution.
What about the right of the child to have a life, or the right of a child to have a mother and a father?
What does a 3 week old embryo care about having a life? They have a 90% chance of being born into poverty and hunger.
What about a child's right to have 2 parents, instead of one? Or a healthy parent? Do we ban single and sick mothers from kids? Since studies have shown, children raised by gay parents are just as well adjusted, sometimes better adjusted than heterosexual families, why would that be an issue?
Do you think the twins currently being raised by Neil Patrick Harris and his partner are going to be complaining more than the kids living on welfare with a mother and father?
Having a mother and father does not guarantee a stable, healthy upbringing.
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I have some conservative positions, but I align myself with the left mostly on economic issues and consider myself a liberal.
