Moderates rock! :) Sadly, Moderates are far too few these days. People who think for themselves, actually weigh the issues and then decide what they feel is best are rare, indeed.
Instead we are left with people who fall in line and march to the beating drum of whatever nastiness is spewing from their respective groups mouth.
Eight, nine years ago I would have been classified as a Conservative, then I became more liberal in my thinking and my actions. And somewhere along the lines I saw that Liberals where simply the opposite side of the coin.
Is it so hard for people to step outside the box and look at things, see the good and bad in each issue?
Here's an example for me: Guns.
I love firearms. I own firearms. I've been shooting guns since, literally, I was able to walk. But I do think there should be damn strict regulations on guns.
Does that make me conservative or liberal?
Most people will see me as liberal though for a couple reasons:
A) They are Conservatives and anything liberal I say or do will not be tolerated and I'll be tossed in the "girlie-men" group.
B) They are Liberals who might see a liberal move on my part and grasp to it in hopes that I will join the cause.
Ugh. The lefty vs. righty mess will only get worse in the next couple months over here. Must stock up on aspirin.
Although I do see myself more as a liberal than a conservative, I like to believe that I think through the issues myself and reach my own conclusions. None of the people in either of those communities seem able to do that -- it is all cookie-cutter politics, and that depresses me.
However, I guess some of my views would be more conservative than liberal. Like you, I have no problem with guns. My dad owns two handguns, and I eventually want to get a gun license myself. I think having guns in the hands of responsible, law-abiding citizens can only be a good thing, because criminals will have weapons irrespective of their legality. Even so, I support the need for firmer controls, because too many irresponsible and downright stupid people have weapons.
Similarly, I'm not particularly in favour of abortion. I think it should be available as an option to women, but I think they should be counselled about other choices they might make, like adoption. It just horrifies me that women in some communities see abortion as a form of birth control, and terminate pregnancy after pregancy. For heaven's sake, take the Pill or wear a condom already.
There are loads of other examples I could give like that, so I'm not sure whether I am a liberal or conservative. I guess I'm somewhere between the two. [Mimbari] "I am grey; I stand between the darkness and the light."[/Mimbari]
Instead we are left with people who fall in line and march to the beating drum of whatever nastiness is spewing from their respective groups mouth.
Eight, nine years ago I would have been classified as a Conservative, then I became more liberal in my thinking and my actions. And somewhere along the lines I saw that Liberals where simply the opposite side of the coin.
Is it so hard for people to step outside the box and look at things, see the good and bad in each issue?
Here's an example for me: Guns.
I love firearms. I own firearms. I've been shooting guns since, literally, I was able to walk. But I do think there should be damn strict regulations on guns.
Does that make me conservative or liberal?
Most people will see me as liberal though for a couple reasons:
A) They are Conservatives and anything liberal I say or do will not be tolerated and I'll be tossed in the "girlie-men" group.
B) They are Liberals who might see a liberal move on my part and grasp to it in hopes that I will join the cause.
Ugh. The lefty vs. righty mess will only get worse in the next couple months over here. Must stock up on aspirin.
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Although I do see myself more as a liberal than a conservative, I like to believe that I think through the issues myself and reach my own conclusions. None of the people in either of those communities seem able to do that -- it is all cookie-cutter politics, and that depresses me.
However, I guess some of my views would be more conservative than liberal. Like you, I have no problem with guns. My dad owns two handguns, and I eventually want to get a gun license myself. I think having guns in the hands of responsible, law-abiding citizens can only be a good thing, because criminals will have weapons irrespective of their legality. Even so, I support the need for firmer controls, because too many irresponsible and downright stupid people have weapons.
Similarly, I'm not particularly in favour of abortion. I think it should be available as an option to women, but I think they should be counselled about other choices they might make, like adoption. It just horrifies me that women in some communities see abortion as a form of birth control, and terminate pregnancy after pregancy. For heaven's sake, take the Pill or wear a condom already.
There are loads of other examples I could give like that, so
I'm not sure whether I am a liberal or conservative. I guess I'm somewhere between the two. [Mimbari] "I am grey; I stand between the darkness and the light."[/Mimbari]
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