I don’t have much of a problem either way as I don’t think I’ll be engaging in political discussion on this website past this post but it seems like any sort of non-left wing opinions or posts are immediately trashed on here. That’s fine. There’s clearly a more liberal audience here and that’s okay. I just don’t want Lemmy to become a echo chamber for any side and it seems to be that way when it comes to politics already.
Mostly making this post just to drum up discussion as I’m new here.
I sure hope so.
Right wing opinions should be less welcome everywhere.
The problem with these discussions is that we seldomly use common definitions, which creates more heat than light. There was a strain of late 20th Century American conservatism that was rooted in fiscal restraint, loosely regulated free markets, and a privileged place for the nuclear family, civic duty, and the church as the glue holding (small) communities together. I’d vehemently disagree with most of these as policy anchors, but none of them are beyond civil discussion per se.
But here’s the problem: this late 20th-Century old school conservative thinking has been thoroughly hollowed out and co-opted to the point it is now completely meaningless. (The last administration was neither fiscally restrained, family oriented, nor in any way tied to any recognizable New Testament ‘love thy neighbor’ teaching. Yet, modern ‘conservatives’ can’t get enough).
Into these conceptual containers has been smuggled a toxic strain of (white) (Christian) (popular) nationalism … some may use the ‘F’ word … that is fundamentally anti-democratic, anti-science, intolerant, and is now emerging as violent - not just to vulnerable groups, which is a show stopper in itself - but to the whole damn country and democratic process. You don’t debate people like that. You crush them at the ballot box (or at Gettysburg or the beaches of Normandy if it comes to it).
So (pardon the TED talk), I think if someone wants to show up and debate whether we should be running budget deficits in excess of 3% of GDP, or whether we are regulating nuclear power too tightly, or whether industry X should be privatized/nationalized, they are probably good (at least by me - I can’t speak for others). But there is an understandable level of suspicion around the whole ‘conservative’ discourse, and if someone tries to smuggle ethno-nationalism, economic Darwinism, or bigotry toward vulnerable groups into the discussion under the guise of ‘traditional family values’ and ‘fiscal restraint’ … they are going to have a tough time.
Honestly I think the more traditional side of the Democratic party serves the ‘conservative’ angle quite well. They’re the ones questioning spending and how we’ll pay for it, advocating for pro business policies and the like.
The Republican party no longer seems to bring anything of merit to the table, having fallen to Christian nationalism and policies of hate.
We all need less stupid, bigoted, selfish, aggressive, and violence-supporting people in our lives.
I don’t personally align with either political party but the fact that you didn’t see the irony in this before posting it is really something spectacular.
both sides r bad mkay?
No, One side is fucking evil, and would happily exterminate the amorphous “other” if they could get away with it. How does if feel to know that you and the KKK vote for the same things and people btw?
We don’t tolerate intolerance. If that sounds ludicrous to you, you should search for “the paradox of tolerance”.
Coming from a former hardcore conservative who listened to that snake Rush Limbaugh and his ilk every single day for hours for the better part of a decade, then moved to Los Angeles and learned quickly that everything he had been told was a fucking lie… Put away the dog whistles. You aren’t fooling anyone.
Is there a term for this 'both sides’ing? Politely declaring “both sides are equally bad” despite the glaring disparity?
Hi there. I’m trans. It wasn’t up to me. I didn’t choose to be. Life would be way easier if I wasn’t. I’m dealing with it as best I can so I can live my life. An entire political party is currently putting money and energy behind denying me healthcare. I’m an adult. I’m at a point where I can’t make hormones on my own but that doesn’t matter to them. The dysphoria I was experiencing prior to transitioning was straight up not compatible with continuing to live. You don’t even have to take my word for it - several doctors at different agencies agreed enough to write letters for me to start care. It is disingenuous to look at how conservatives are trying to, at best, make me very sick on a daily basis, or are, at worst, trying to put me in the ground and say “yeah, this is just as bad as the left’s typical talking points.”
If I were a cis person who couldn’t synthesize my own hormones for whatever reason, there would be nothing stopping me from getting this exact. Same. Treatment. These things don’t happen by accident. They happen because the hate is there to open the door and a lot of self-proclaimed “good” folks are real happy to watch it go down.
How do you reconcile with such an insanely disjointed false equivalency? Honest question.
I feel like it’s not a matter of which side and more if the position that someone tries to advertise is clearly lacking empathy or consideration towards others.
If that’s all the right-leaning topics are about, I don’t know what to tell you really.
