Perhaps some People Believe the Way they do because of a Bad Experience. If the Bad Experience was with a Business, then they become a Democrat. If the Bad Experience was with the Government, then they become Republican. None of This has Anything to do with Believing in Something because it is the Correct Way to Believe. This is all Based on Emotion and thus, it Clouds Sound Judgment.
Sometimes the Object of One's Anger is One's Parents and therefore in Protest, they Choose the Opposite Political Persuasion of the One's who Raised them. This is Quite the Opposite of what is Often Said that we Believe what we Believe because we were Raised to Believe that way. In Truth, Quite Often, just the Opposite is True, for Out of Protest or Rebellion, we choose to Believe the Opposite, rather than the Same, as those who Raised us.
I Really Truly do Like to Believe that what I Believe is Rational, rather than Emotional, for I Look at it Like This. If Some People are Angry at the Government and therefore Become Republicans and Some People are Angry at Businesses and therefore Become Democrats, then the Right Conclusion to Come to is that BOTH the Government and also Businesses have the Ability to be Irresponsible and Cause Pain. Since this is True, Neither Position is Fully Correct, because it Places Blame on Only One of the Two Parties, when, In Fact, BOTH are at Fault. Therefore, the Conclusion of it all is Balance, not Extremes. This Makes Perfect Sense to me and I do not see how such a Position can in any way be Based on Emotion, rather than Reason.
The Actual Answer to the Political Dilemma is that we Need Ideas from Both Parties and Neither One Should Have Total Control and get Everything that they Want.
12 comments:
I've never quite thought of it like that, but it makes sense. Many define themselves as a contra to what has harmed or offended them...
Good post, Lista!
Why Thankya', Silverfiddle, and Here I Thought that you and I were Going to be in an Argument Soon Over Libertarianism. Here; Let me Help you.
The Line in the Center has Been doing Nothing but Moving to the Left since the Day Our Country was Founded. One Day, we will no Longer be a Capitalists Society, but will Instead Slide into Socialism and then Communism. We are Like Frogs in Boiling Water and do not Know when to Jump Out and We've Done Far too Much Compromising Already.
How's that? Don't be so Agreeable now; Ya' Hear? lol.
Gosh! You Know What? I just Got Finished Reading Something that would be Appropriate to Share here.
The Griper Recently Said on His Post...(Emphasis Mine)
"The only question that remains is which side the people will choose? We already know that the people will not accept the extreme of the right. Their compassion for the weak will prevent this. Whether or not they are strong enough as individuals to reject the extreme of the left is another story, though."
Wow!! Way to Go, Griper!! That is Actually Quotable.
Here's a Link to the Post that the Quote Came from.
The Fire of Liberty; The Security of Enslavement.
You touch on interesting
phenomena-numerous studies
have attempted to define what makes a person conservative or liberal, from genes to brains to
parenting to (as you rightfully note) emotion.
However we reach our views,
we defend them as precious
property...and hence anger.
Further examination, IMO,
might be that politics be understood as how society
gets along with itself and that goes back to the roots
of humankind. Certainly, for much of recorded history, politics was top-down; kings and emperors
stifling any true discussion. The US was the first society to challenge
that assumption by permitting citizens to have some say in their
government. Whatever we think of 'progressives', progression is inevitable and Thomas Jefferson was
prescient in recognizing that. If progression is
too fast or harmful, conservatism slows it.
Unfortunately, both classical conservatism and classical liberalism have taken a back seat to current 'sound bites' and 'live feeds'..people with opposing views, like
Jefferson and Adams, no
longer admit of intimate constructive dialog. Why?
you noted it...anger.
Which is a shame..because
politics is how society
gets along with itself.
Thanks for your Comment, BB. I'll be Back later this Evening to see if there is anything more that I Want to Say.
"However we reach our views, we defend them as precious property."
Perhaps this is Part of the Problem, BB. Truth is Truth and is Actually not Owned By Anyone.
Sometimes we Become Angry because we Want Everything Our Own Way. It is Reasonable to Desire Our Share of the Control, but not to Demand ALL of the Control. This is Why Some Anger is Justified and Some is not. Anger Over Being Controlled Entirely by Others is Justified. Anger because we are not Getting ALL of what we Want is not.
Unfortunately, a lot of People do not Know the Difference between what is Reasonable and what is not and so we Argue, rather than Compromise and thus, the Political Mess.
Do you Actually Believe, though, that the Movement Back Towards a Dictatorship is "Progress"?
Perhaps the reasons as to why we think the way will we do will be discovered when the uniqueness of the human mind is unraveled.
Let's conservatively say a 55 year old has a new stimuli that democratically engages their thinkun center in a liberatarian way that thinks all things should be left to one's own devices.
55 yrs X 365 days x 16 awake hrs x 30 (two minutes per stimuli occurance) would calculate out to around 9.6 million thoughts.
We can then cut that in half since someone out there will always consider someone who does not agree with their unique conclusions as a half wit.
Given the magnitude that the mind is called on to absorb, we just haffta sort it out as we go along framing our thoughts with prejudgements or assessments. If not, we wud be blobs of all and with nothing coherent that is able to determine the relevance or reasonableness of any thought or stimuli.
There are somewhere around 7 billion folks out there at this moment in time who are differunt and those who do not understand the simple complexity of it all will always choose to take the easy thought, anger.
So many will now understand me to be but a quarter wit at best. I won't git angry, it's just a formulated judgement on their part. No big deal, it's only one of the 70 trillion x 70 trillion thoughts that have circulated over the existence of our spiece.
But then maybe the true judgement wud be, I had too much coffee this early in the morning and the ole mind iz racin'.
Hi Man of Wonder, Boy Wonder, Wonder Man, Or Perhaps I should Just Call you the Black and White Guy.
Ok, so some Prejudgment is Necessary. Got it. Did you Notice that the Griper Said Something Similar to that Beneath the Next Post Down. The Comment was Submitted at 5:56 PM, January 30, if you Desire to Find it.
I Wrote Quite a Bit More in Response to your Comment, but I'm Too Tired Right Now to Submit it and my Time at the Computer has become more Limited, so I'm Just Going to Sign Off for now and Tell you that there will be More Later.
"Do you Actually Believe, though, that the Movement Back Towards a Dictatorship is "Progress"?
Of course not..that would be pre-judgemental and a conditioned anger response. :)
I became a Socialist because it embodies my political viewpoints. I wasn't pissed off at anybody.. it was simply finding that there was a political group with the same aims and ideals that I had personally.
you left out one possibility, lista. what if it is the person who is wrong rather than the business or government? if the person is wrong aren't they hurting the business or government?
and doesn't this also apply to friendships or other relationships other than the relationship between parent and offspring?
Well, I Guess I'll just Start with Man of Wonder, but it looks like there are now Three More Comments to Respond to. I'm Reading them One at a Time, so if Someone Else Happens to Say Something Similar to what I'm about to say Now, Remember that I haven't Read it Yet.
Though some Prejudgment is Necessary, this doesn't Justify the Hanging on to Prejudgments even After Evidence has been Produced that a Particular Individual does not Fit the Stereo Type. If we do not Allow for Exceptions to the Rule, then we will be Continually Misjudging People in an Unfair Manner.
Also, in Politics, we Need to be Able to Look Beyond Our Own Perspective to a Broader Way of Viewing Things because Politics Effects Everyone, not just those who Fit our Initial Judgments and Stereo Types.
Prejudgments are Useful when Making Quick Decisions, yet when ever there is Additional Time Available to Evaluate a Situation and/or Person, it is Good to Get Past Them.
In Short, there is a Place for Prejudgments and Stereo Types, yet there is also a Place for Setting such a Side. It Depends on the Circumstance.
"No big deal, it's only one of the 70 trillion x 70 trillion thoughts that have circulated over the existence of our species."
Actually, there is such a Thing as a Common Misconception and in this Case, there are Many more than Just One Incorrect Judgment to 70 Trillion, for there are Many People Making the Misjudgment and each of them are Thinking about this Misjudgment Many Times Each. This is what Makes Things such as Racism and other Forms of Prejudice Annoying, for we Encounter the Same Stupid Misjudgments Over and Over again through out the Course of Our Lives. It is Highly Tiring and at Times it can be Hard to Find our Patience.
Oh. Now that I've Posted Them, it Looks Like all Three of the Most Recent Comments are Short.
BB,
I Accept that I may have Pre-Judged, yet Since it Came in the Form of a Question, I was Also Seeking for Correction and an Understanding that is Accurate and I'm not Especially Angry, so there was no Conditioned Anger Response.
Satyavati,
I Believe that the Country should be Run in a Way that Best Reflects what will Benefit Everyone, not the "Aims and Ideals" of any Given Political Group.
Also, I Never Said that what I Posted will Necessarily Apply to Everyone.
Griper,
Individuals do not have the Power to Hurt Businesses or the Government, unless they can do so with the Help of some Sort of a Legal System and this is Probably not Going to be Possible if such a Person is in the Wrong.
You are Right, though, that this can Apply to Friendships and Other Relationships. For Example, if a Republican or Democrat has Hurt Someone, they May Decide to be the Opposite, or if someone from One of these Parties is Admired, then the Person May Decide to Adopt the Same Political Position as the One they Admire.
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