Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am a conservative, but the question applies to both left and right extremists. In my opinion, both are guilty of damaging what I would think are the main goals of the right and of the left. In my opinion -- and this is certainly open for debate! -- the left wants to advance the rights of everyone, even if that might affect the rights of the majority (currently, white heterosexual people who were born in the U.S.); and the right is concerned with holding onto the rights as outlined in the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
However, I believe that most people on the left do not hate white people or support many of the extremist left views, and most people on the right do support equal rights for all and do not hate anyone just because they are non-white, not cisgendered, etc. In short, I think that most people just want to be able to live their lives the way they want as long as doing so does not actually hurt anyone else (meaning that everyone is able to earn a good living and to have the freedom to live their lives however they want without being physically injured or bullied), which is what I personally believe.
But the problem, as I see it, is that some people on both sides of the political spectrum think that everyone should see the world as they themselves see it and to live their lives according to what they themselves think is right -- and that anyone who doesn't agree with them is racist, stupid, etc. And so when such people post comments that show just how bigoted they actually are -- by labeling ALL members of a certain group as "bad" -- it just reinforces in the minds of their opponents that many, if not most, of those who disagree with them are "haters".
(And as a side note, there are many conservative posters who ARE despicable bigots, and when I read some of their posts, it makes me angry that many liberals would lump me in with them because we each label ourselves as "conservatives", even though I do not share the extremists' hatred and bigotry of others; and I would think that many liberals would say the same for some of the extremist bigots on the left.)
So, although this is probably more of a vent than anything else, I just wish that people would not be so hateful toward those with whom they disagree -- and, again, I am talking about the extremists on BOTH sides.
As a left leaning libertarian with a lot of beef against no small number of far right conservatives, this post has my respect and absolutely nails the problem right on its big, fat, ugly head. We live in arguably the most politically divisive time period since the Civil War and people have forgotten how to have basic conversations and debates with those who do not think like they do...it's all become an 'us vs them' mindset for everyone who does not align neatly in the middle and if we don't find a way to bridge this gap quickly then we very well will see the end of America within the next generation. Social media like Facebook and Twitter, alongside mass media outlets like CNN and Fox News, absolutely foster this divisive mentality and something has to be done to reign this in, else we might as well just kiss America goodbye. Americans are also, as a culture, actually quite angry (probably why we glorify violence the way we do), and this feeds into the divide.
Personally I am of the belief that we need to start investing heavily in our education and our communities, all of them, all the way down to the lowest levels, and perhaps try to find a way to get our culture away from glorifying violence in the media to the extent that we do. Many of us have forgotten how to think for ourselves and let a select few personal authority figures do the thinking for us...if we actually teach our children, not just prepare them for arbitrary testing, then maybe we'll have a chance at making America somewhere to be genuinely proud of instead of the international embarrassment that it is today.
OMG! So Communism bastardized Karl Marx's socialistic theory of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" into Lenin's/Stalin's proletariat, and he is somehow responsible for that?
Well then, let's tear down every tribute to the Wright Brother's. Their invention of the airplane allowed 9/11 to happen.
Let's vilify Ernest Rutherford, he first documented nuclear fusion which led to the eventual building of the nuclear bomb.
3/4 of all murders in the US are caused by firearms. Technically the 1st firearm was invented by the Chinese in the 10th century so let's blame them.
You do know that socialism in its theoretical form is the perfect economic model, correct? However, Marx built his basis on philosopher G.W.F. Hegel notion that government strives to be kind and good. We have since learned that basis is fundamentally flawed. We have come to understand that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Karl Marx's theories provide the foundation for Keynesian economics, upon which much of the world's economy is still based. So let's go back to bartering chicken's because Karl Marx's poisonous philosophy killed millions of people.
I had to reread the bold multiple times to make sure you weren't being sarcastic....even in theory, socialism and Keynesian economics are very flawed. See: Economic calculation problem.
Depends on what's meant by extremist. I'm an extremist in a sense, since I'm very much against the status quo, and my views are pretty extreme compared to the typical Democrat or Republican.
If people are using extremist to mean "person who is hyper-partisan, attacks anyone who disagrees, and is unable to look at things objectively", then I'd probably agree.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
OMG! So Communism bastardized Karl Marx's socialistic theory of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" into Lenin's/Stalin's proletariat, and he is somehow responsible for that? 
