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Is this forum ... - 3/20/2010 10:05:26 PM   
KITTYLECTRO


Posts: 261
Joined: 10/26/2009
Status: offline 		Is this forum (at least somewhat) an accurate representation of America's political mindset right now?

If so, it seems pretty clear that both Team Elephant and Team Donkey have totally gone off the deep end.


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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/20/2010 10:07:27 PM   
ThatDamnedPanda


Posts: 6060
Joined: 1/26/2009
Status: offline 		In some ways, yeah it is.

And yeah. The country as a whole is so far around the bend it can't even see the bend from where it is.


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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/20/2010 10:13:48 PM   
Aylee


Posts: 24103
Joined: 10/14/2007
Status: offline 		Here is part of a really good essay on this: 

Geography aside, however, we have never been so evenly divided with such hateful rhetoric since the years leading up to the Civil War of the 1860s. Because the national media elite are so uniformly progressive, we keep hearing (in the elite media) about the rhetorical excesses of the "extreme right." To hear the same media, there is no "extreme left," just the occasional progressive who says things he or she shouldn't.

But any rational observer has to see that the Left and Right in America are screaming the most vile accusations at each other all the time. We are fully polarized -- if you accept one idea that sounds like it belongs to either the blue or the red, you are assumed -- nay, required -- to espouse the entire rest of the package, even though there is no reason why supporting the war against terrorism should imply you're in favor of banning all abortions and against restricting the availability of firearms; no reason why being in favor of keeping government-imposed limits on the free market should imply you also are in favor of giving legal status to homosexual couples and against building nuclear reactors. These issues are not remotely related, and yet if you hold any of one group's views, you are hated by the other group as if you believed them all; and if you hold most of one group's views, but not all, you are treated as if you were a traitor for deviating even slightly from the party line.

It goes deeper than this, however. A good working definition of fanaticism is that you are so convinced of your views and policies that you are sure anyone who opposes them must either be stupid and deceived or have some ulterior motive. We are today a nation where almost everyone in the public eye displays fanaticism with every utterance.

Here is the link:  http://www.hatrack.com/osc/articles/empire_afterword.shtml 

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/20/2010 10:34:02 PM   
KITTYLECTRO


Posts: 261
Joined: 10/26/2009
Status: offline 		Thank you Panda and Aylee for your replies, and thank you Aylee for the interesting article. 

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/20/2010 10:43:32 PM   
InvisibleBlack


Posts: 865
Joined: 7/24/2009
Status: offline 		I think one major difference is that the P&R forums leave out the huge segment of people who either really don't care at all or don't wantto express an opinion publically. I mean, walking around in the real world, it's not like the streets are full of people yelling at each other and that at work people are painting their cubes blue and red.

However, finding people who can calmly articulate a rational political position and discuss their differences with you in a reasonable fashion is pretty damn rare.

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/20/2010 10:55:34 PM   
DomKen


Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee
But any rational observer has to see that the Left and Right in America are screaming the most vile accusations at each other all the time. We are fully polarized -- if you accept one idea that sounds like it belongs to either the blue or the red, you are assumed -- nay, required -- to espouse the entire rest of the package, even though there is no reason why supporting the war against terrorism should imply you're in favor of banning all abortions and against restricting the availability of firearms; no reason why being in favor of keeping government-imposed limits on the free market should imply you also are in favor of giving legal status to homosexual couples and against building nuclear reactors. These issues are not remotely related, and yet if you hold any of one group's views, you are hated by the other group as if you believed them all; and if you hold most of one group's views, but not all, you are treated as if you were a traitor for deviating even slightly from the party line.

No. I'd probably be called an extreme leftist by the cons around here but in reality I hold positions not considered typical of leftists. Unsurprisingly, to those on the left at least, I'm accepted by other liberals and progressives.

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/20/2010 11:10:10 PM   
ThatDamnedPanda


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quote:

ORIGINAL: InvisibleBlack

I think one major difference is that the P&R forums leave out the huge segment of people who either really don't care at all or don't wantto express an opinion publically.


But in my view, that's one of the reasons the forums are representative of the American political climate. The national dialogue is almost completely dominated by a relatively small number of lunatics, somewhat attenuated by a similarly small group of relatively temperate and rational people; while the vast majority of the electorate either have an opinion but don't want to roll around in the mud with the loons, or just plain don't even give a damn anymore. In that sense, I feel that the forum here is an apt microcosm of the larger political discussion.


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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 12:47:46 AM   
KITTYLECTRO


Posts: 261
Joined: 10/26/2009
Status: offline 		I find it frighteningly amusing.

A few years ago if you opposed Team Elephant's President and their agenda, Team Elephant called you an an extremist.

Today if you oppose Team Donkey's President and their agenda, Team Donkey calls you an extremist.


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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 12:59:14 AM   
KITTYLECTRO


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Joined: 10/26/2009
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: InvisibleBlack
...and that at work people are painting their cubes blue and red.

Off topic, but I'd love to see Christo do this.


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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 1:03:11 AM   
Real0ne


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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 6:01:43 AM   
Moonhead


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quote:

ORIGINAL: KITTYLECTRO

quote:

ORIGINAL: InvisibleBlack
...and that at work people are painting their cubes blue and red.

Off topic, but I'd love to see Christo do this.


I wonder if you could do that with church pews as well?

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 6:07:22 AM   
Arpig


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From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline 		I never thought the day would come....but RO has made a valid point.

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 6:35:35 AM   
Termyn8or


Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline 		KITTY, I read this thing but I don't think anyone has cogently responded.

I think given the venue we can expect certain differences. First of all you'll not find many religious types here. People are into all kinds of alternative lifestyles so as such, the Bible thumpers are quite absent.

That's just one example. I have found that people here are extremely tolerant of differing lifestyles. They also seem to be of higher than usual intelligence (yes even the ones who pick on me). Then with the cloak of anonymimity people will express themself more openly at times in this venue.

Maybe one of the moderators can help out here, I don't know exactly how many members CM has, but remember it is worldwide. So you are looking at one slice of the pie so to speak. Consider just who would be here. Either among those priveledged to post, or among the many who simply read these fora. They did not get here by Googling for "Micheal J Fox". How did they find this place ? What were they looking for ?

So no, in the political/social discourse, recourse and intercourse going on here you do not have a random sample of the world population. You do have a sample yes, but that sample is filtered. There are some people who would throw their computer out the window after just seeing CM's front page. I assert that they fear something within themselves, but that is not the point right now. The fact is that our whole premise is revolting to some, and they will of course not be included. Not like we need them anyway.........

There is quite a bit of diversity among the members here, but the common thread is tolerance. In case you hadn't noticed that is not the norm at large. Many among the population are closed minded and in a fuddie duddy sense, strait laced (sp on purpose). You will not generally find that type here.

I am a natural born statistics buster, in that I mean you have to look at the sample. For example 8 out of 10 reported ameliorization of their symptoms taking our new drug. But what they don't say is that the control group recieving plecebos reported similar numbers. So many people died doing _________ last year, but everybody forgets to mention that they were stoooopid.

So the answer is no, we are not an accurate sample of the population at large, if that was the question.

T

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 6:53:46 AM   
domroomiesneeded


Posts: 55
Joined: 3/12/2010
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: KITTYLECTRO

Is this forum (at least somewhat) an accurate representation of America's political mindset right now?

If so, it seems pretty clear that both Team Elephant and Team Donkey have totally gone off the deep end.


Although I'm center-right, and am called a nazi and fascist by left (the right accepts me), yes, Obama is the most polarizing President ever. It's just shocking that he has declared war on half of America.

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 7:04:58 AM   
Arpig


Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline
quote:

Although I'm center-right


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Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 7:05:05 AM   
domroomiesneeded


Posts: 55
Joined: 3/12/2010
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: KITTYLECTRO

Is this forum (at least somewhat) an accurate representation of America's political mindset right now?

If so, it seems pretty clear that both Team Elephant and Team Donkey have totally gone off the deep end.


The Republicans seem to be okay, but the Donkeys are completely out of control. In a naked grab for power, Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are trying to take over 1/6 of the economy without even allowing the representatives of the people a vote. They want to take away healthcare from the 85% who are happy with their care, raise taxes, impose fines and throw people in jail if they dont want Uhbamuhcare.

They want to take away their liberty and freedom, and implement a 2nd rate healthcare system like Canada's--replete with govt death panels, and forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions.

Where will Canadians go for healthcare if this happens? Where will Canadian politicians go for healthcare? What about that lady in Alberta who had to fly to Montana when she had quadruplets (because there werent 5 neonatal beds available in the entire country)--where will the next person who has quadruplets go?

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 7:13:02 AM   
juliaoceania


Posts: 21383
Joined: 4/19/2006
From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Status: offline 		I'm admittedly politically off the deep end, yet I am not on a "team"

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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 7:13:36 AM   
Sanity


Posts: 22039
Joined: 6/14/2006
From: Nampa, Idaho USA
Status: offline
No, he is correct. You far left trolls are way over represented here, so you just think you're mainstream.

But why would I care - believe in your pathetic delusions if you must. 


quote:

ORIGINAL: Arpig

quote:

Although I'm center-right



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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 7:15:00 AM   
Sanity


Posts: 22039
Joined: 6/14/2006
From: Nampa, Idaho USA
Status: offline
You're special alright.


quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

I'm admittedly politically off the deep end, yet I am not on a "team"


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RE: Is this forum ... - 3/21/2010 7:15:29 AM   
Arpig


Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline 		Whatever you are smokin roomie, send some my way

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Big man! Pig Man!
Ha Ha...Charade you are!

Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

CM's #1 All-Time Also-Ran


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