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I don't have time for your trash. Negged.
Ty for negging me for my opinion, those things you say do not exist.
LOL, the guy complains that people can't have an opinion anymore, then he negs you for yours! That's pretty fucking LAME!!!!!
I hear it quite often in this day and age, "freedom of opinion." It is a staple of American freedom. But I've been thinking about that this morning, and well, no there is no freedom of opinion anymore. It's impossible for one to have a personal opinion these days. If a person happens to belong to any political party, in reality they have ceded the essences of their opinions to the ideals and directions of the party they belong to. I know, I was a brash young Republican not long ago, my opinions and responses hinged on every ideal the party represented.
But then I had an epiphany: are my opinions really my own? Am I really thinking for myself? The answer to those questions were clearly obvious. Not at all. The disingenuous political stances my 'party' stood for had been dictating my opinions. I was no longer thinking for myself. I had turned into a parrot; a mouthpiece, repeating anything and everything my party was telling me to. Enough was enough. This is what facilitated my transformation into a libertarian. The pattern isn't hard to recognize, really. Politics has a bad way of robbing a person the ability to think for himself. The freedom to have an opinion suddenly hinges on whether someone agrees with them or not. They feel compelled to change the opinions of others and react hostilely to anyone who refuses. Examples of this exist on both ends of the political spectrum.
Firstly, black men, black women, white women and Hispanics have all been co-opted by the Democrats. Their opinions must match the party's platform, or else they're racist, misogynistic, anti immigrant or an Uncle Tom. Examples include Herman Cain, Mia Love, Sarah Palin and Marco Rubio. On the Republican side it is equally as unnerving. Just a few hours ago, I was reading a thread where conservatives were being urged to 'let the gay shit go.' The author dubbed anyone who didn't see eye to eye as a 'hater.' In some ways this could be worse than what Democrats are doing; asking a person to simply sacrifice his or her own ideals and opinions for a little capitulation to the mainstream way of thought. Our Founding Fathers strove for the freedom of thought, not to ascribe to the 'joiners vs. thinkers' mentality. Its as if either party believes they have a monopoly on free thought. Oh, how wrong they are.
The monotony of the two party system is this: Opinion is fact, fact is opinion. One or the other can be summarily dismissed if it doesn't conform to the established way of thinking and doing things. Many intelligent people are victimized by this mentality, and as a result are using such a gift for deleterious means. There is no freedom of opinion in Politics anymore. People are eager to trumpet the causes of their own side; all the meanwhile completely unaware they are being used as tools, and not for the causes of the nation as a whole. The most prominent people in history chose to think for themselves, to not be dictated to by a fixed set of ideals. Politics has a way of stealing away the most precious gem in dwelling in each of us. Our souls.
Not buying it. If we had a republican president right now you would be all for rubber stamping his every decree, you know it.
So? That wasn't the topic.
2/3rds of Democrats voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Do you want to dispute that?
No.
It is the topic. Although he did not vote for the 1964 version due to his being six feet under, he voted against a similar bill in 1957, which means while thanatos got the year wrong, Kennedy did vote against Civil Rights legislation.
In fact you would be correct in saying that they approved by 2/3rds majority. But then again, you have to wonder why a Democrat plus the Southern Bloc tried to filibuster it/vote against it. Actually, Republicans approved of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by greater margins than the Democrats. Would you care to dispute that?
lol, I think it's pretty funny that you start a thread complaining about party-line hackery, and a few hours later you're engaging in it with as much zeal as ever.
The Southern wing of the Democratic Party in 1964 was the CONSERVATIVE wing. They voted against the civil rights act of 1964 because they were CONSERVATIVES. That's all there is to it.
I don't have time for your trash. Negged.
Ty for negging me for my opinion, those things you say do not exist.
LOL, the guy complains that people can't have an opinion anymore, then he negs you for yours! That's pretty fucking LAME!!!!!
TK, you really do appear arrogant when you presume to present yourself as the ideal for what you're attacking everybody about - without even bothering to find out if they are or are not doing what you've accused them of.
TK, you really do appear arrogant when you presume to present yourself as the ideal for what you're attacking everybody about - without even bothering to find out if they are or are not doing what you've accused them of.
Did I ever say I was perfect? That's the problem with people, they suddenly expect perfection, but are not perfect themselves. Why do people call me arrogant? What have I done in this thread to be arrogant? I haven't gotten a clear answer from anyone there. Nobody seems to want to address the topic of my thread, but are on overdrive assessing my character. You know, people preach to me about double standards, but I see them all around.
What is arrogant, BD, is when people like moonie and thanatos jump into a thread they've never read, they spew utter nonsense; they don't even opine on the subject matter of the thread, and they go on to make prejudgements about my character---but when I respond I'm suddenly labeled as arrogant.
I'm not the ideal for anything, I've never presented myself as ideal for anything. In fact, I hope someone superior to me could take the concept I introduced and apply it, build on it and spread it. I won't presume to sit here and think that I am the epitome of such an ideal. That BD, would be arrogant.
Lastly, I wasn't attacking anyone, just making an observation. The firestorm came when people decided to take it personally. I didn't hurl baseless accusations at anyone. In fact, thanatos did a great job in proving the point of my thread.
TK, you really do appear arrogant when you presume to present yourself as the ideal for what you're attacking everybody about - without even bothering to find out if they are or are not doing what you've accused them of.
Did I ever say I was perfect? That's the problem with people, they suddenly expect perfection, but are not perfect themselves. Why do people call me arrogant? What have I done in this thread to be arrogant? I haven't gotten a clear answer from anyone there. Nobody seems to want to address the topic of my thread, but are on overdrive assessing my character. You know, people preach to me about double standards, but I see them all around.
What is arrogant, BD, is when people like moonie and thanatos jump into a thread they've never read, they spew utter nonsense; they don't even opine on the subject matter of the thread, and they go on to make prejudgements about my character---but when I respond I'm suddenly labeled as arrogant.
I'm not the ideal for anything, I've never presented myself as ideal for anything. In fact, I hope someone superior to me could take the concept I introduced and apply it, build on it and spread it. I won't presume to sit here and think that I am the epitome of such an ideal. That BD, would be arrogant.
Lastly, I wasn't attacking anyone, just making an observation. The firestorm came when people decided to take it personally. I didn't hurl baseless accusations at anyone. In fact, thanatos did a great job in proving the point of my thread.
If several people are calling you arrogant, then you best start doing some soul-searching.
Did I ever say I was perfect? That's the problem with people, they suddenly expect perfection, but are not perfect themselves. Why do people call me arrogant? What have I done in this thread to be arrogant? I haven't gotten a clear answer from anyone there. Nobody seems to want to address the topic of my thread, but are on overdrive assessing my character. You know, people preach to me about double standards, but I see them all around.
What is arrogant, BD, is when people like moonie and thanatos jump into a thread they've never read, they spew utter nonsense; they don't even opine on the subject matter of the thread, and they go on to make prejudgements about my character---but when I respond I'm suddenly labeled as arrogant.
I'm not the ideal for anything, I've never presented myself as ideal for anything. In fact, I hope someone superior to me could take the concept I introduced and apply it, build on it and spread it. I won't presume to sit here and think that I am the epitome of such an ideal. That BD, would be arrogant.
Lastly, I wasn't attacking anyone, just making an observation. The firestorm came when people decided to take it personally. I didn't hurl baseless accusations at anyone. In fact, thanatos did a great job in proving the point of my thread.
If several people are calling you arrogant, then you best start doing some soul-searching.
I won't be doing any soul searching until people start backing those claims up, BD. As of now, nobody has.
A free opinion is not granted, it is taken.
That's arrogant.
Also - you're doing the "always have to be right and have the last word" - that thing you say you don't do?
You're doing it.
TK,
Help us out here.
What can we do to abandon our sheepish ways like you have? In a matter of a few years, you have shed yourself of the "party at all costs" mentality and become a truly independent thinker. While you were once a staight up GOP stooge....you are now a man who beats to his own drum. Very admirable.
What steps did you take to bring about that change? Can you articulate them? Can you credit anyone or any thing with encouraging this growth? The rest of us would like to see if we can benefit in a similar manner.
TK,
Help us out here.
What can we do to abandon our sheepish ways like you have? In a matter of a few years, you have shed yourself of the "party at all costs" mentality and become a truly independent thinker. While you were once a staight up GOP stooge....you are now a man who beats to his own drum. Very admirable.
What steps did you take to bring about that change? Can you articulate them? Can you credit anyone or any thing with encouraging this growth? The rest of us would like to see if we can benefit in a similar manner.
Hmmm, lets see how I can put this succinctly, if I can:
I refused to be led by the hand. Instead of succumbing to all the propaganda I heard from the left or right wing pundits, I began living a fact based existence. Reality isn't something that comes from the mouths of men in suits and ties. It can't be dictated. I sought objectivity. I accepted the fact that not all facts conform to the left or right wing paradigm. Reality has no bias.
I dropped the two party system cold turkey. After the 2012 election, I chose not to be a pawn anymore. I wanted my mind back. I wanted to think freely and learn freely, without the constraints of having my world interpreted through red or blue tint. I grew tired of the partisanship in politics. A friend of mine in Wisconsin whom I've known since 2007 can be credited with encouraging me to think for myself, he himself is a libertarian and went through a similar change.
It was so bad at one point, I hung on every word Glenn Beck had to say. I reacted hostilely to differing points of view. Beck is a wise man, but sometimes he is a bit paranoid and eccentric. I learned not to worship at the feet of my favorite guy. I began understanding that it simply doesn't pay to idolize political figures, politicians or presidents.
All it boils down to is determination. Seek out the reality of things, even if it doesn't jive with the party you support. Don't take everything you hear for granted, research, fact check, double check. It never hurts to dig for facts or look behind someone to see if they are genuine. Above everything else, seek absolute truth and settle for no substitute. Research the claims people make, don't be afraid to call them out if they are wrong. Employ logical reasoning, don't run from a challenge.
Honesty and integrity is key. If you want to be taken seriously (yes it's a bit cliche) you have to be honest and consistent. Take this forum for example: I thrive on making factual arguments, I try not to make anecdotal arguments, while trying to employ logic and corroborating evidence. The reason my responses are so long winded is because I take the time to think out my replies, I do research, if the facts don't back my claim, I avoid making it. As you have no doubt witnessed firsthand, admitting when you're wrong helps you to learn. I assimilate superior points of view to my own and adopt them.
Don't be afraid to call other members of your party out for being dishonest or disingenuous. As with with thanatos, Katz, Deltex, bigreb and others, I wasn't afraid to go head to head with them. If you want a good example of that, look for my responses in the Nelson Mandela threads to other conservatives on this board.
TK,
Help us out here.
What can we do to abandon our sheepish ways like you have? In a matter of a few years, you have shed yourself of the "party at all costs" mentality and become a truly independent thinker. While you were once a staight up GOP stooge....you are now a man who beats to his own drum. Very admirable.
What steps did you take to bring about that change? Can you articulate them? Can you credit anyone or any thing with encouraging this growth? The rest of us would like to see if we can benefit in a similar manner.
Hmmm, lets see how I can put this succinctly, if I can:
I refused to be led by the hand. Instead of succumbing to all the propaganda I heard from the left or right wing pundits, I began living a fact based existence. Reality isn't something that comes from the mouths of men in suits and ties. It can't be dictated. I sought objectivity. I accepted the fact that not all facts conform to the left or right wing paradigm. Reality has no bias.
I dropped the two party system cold turkey. After the 2012 election, I chose not to be a pawn anymore. I wanted my mind back. I wanted to think freely and learn freely, without the constraints of having my world interpreted through red or blue tint. I grew tired of the partisanship in politics. A friend of mine in Wisconsin whom I've known since 2007 can be credited with encouraging me to think for myself, he himself is a libertarian and went through a similar change.
It was so bad at one point, I hung on every word Glenn Beck had to say. I reacted hostilely to differing points of view. Beck is a wise man, but sometimes he is a bit paranoid and eccentric. I learned not to worship at the feet of my favorite guy. I began understanding that it simply doesn't pay to idolize political figures, politicians or presidents.
All it boils down to is determination. Seek out the reality of things, even if it doesn't jive with the party you support. Don't take everything you hear for granted, research, fact check, double check. It never hurts to dig for facts or look behind someone to see if they are genuine. Above everything else, seek absolute truth and settle for no substitute. Research the claims people make, don't be afraid to call them out if they are wrong. Employ logical reasoning, don't run from a challenge.
Honesty and integrity is key. If you want to be taken seriously (yes it's a bit cliche) you have to be honest and consistent. Take this forum for example: I thrive on making factual arguments, I try not to make anecdotal arguments, while trying to employ logic and corroborating evidence. The reason my responses are so long winded is because I take the time to think out my replies, I do research, if the facts don't back my claim, I avoid making it. As you have no doubt witnessed firsthand, admitting when you're wrong helps you to learn. I assimilate superior points of view to my own and adopt them.
Don't be afraid to call other members of your party out for being dishonest or disingenuous. As with with thanatos, Katz, Deltex, bigreb and others, I wasn't afraid to go head to head with them. If you want a good example of that, look for my responses in the Nelson Mandela threads to other conservatives on this board.
Agreed, but it is more than that. It is learning and understanding history. History tells us centralized government, whether by monarch, dictator, or democrat is always bad for the people.
Many think man is inherently good, he is not. And a man with enormous power, always leads to pain and suffering for the people. The great quote of, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely...is so true. Yet, amazingly many Americans fail to see this. They want to believe in their leaders and willingly accept the lies they are told.
History also tells us that many will believe the lies to the bitter end and the power elite KNOW they can always dupe a large segment of the populace. This quote is equally true...You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time...
I
Firstly, black men, black women, white women and Hispanics have all been co-opted by the Democrats. Their opinions must match the party's platform, or else they're racist, misogynistic, anti immigrant or an Uncle Tom. Examples include Herman Cain, Mia Love, Sarah Palin and Marco Rubio.
I
On the Republican side it is equally as unnerving. Just a few hours ago, I was reading a thread where conservatives were being urged to 'let the gay shit go.' The author dubbed anyone who didn't see eye to eye as a 'hater.' In some ways this could be worse than what Democrats are doing; asking a person to simply sacrifice his or her own ideals and opinions for a little capitulation to the mainstream way of thought. Our Founding Fathers strove for the freedom of thought, not to ascribe to the 'joiners vs. thinkers' mentality. Its as if either party believes they have a monopoly on free thought. Oh, how wrong they are.
Guy, frankly, not as impressed with your "epiphany" as you are.
Turning into a Libertarian because you are tired of the two parties that USUALLY have to govern in the real world is the idealogical equivlent of taking your toys and going home. And the other kids are "Meh, fine."
The Libertarians are never going to amount to anything. Not one country has ever imposed a Libertarian government, and there's a reason for that.
I
Firstly, black men, black women, white women and Hispanics have all been co-opted by the Democrats. Their opinions must match the party's platform, or else they're racist, misogynistic, anti immigrant or an Uncle Tom. Examples include Herman Cain, Mia Love, Sarah Palin and Marco Rubio.
Or has it occured to you that these people are called names because they are sort of contemptable. Let's take Mia Love. She marries a white guy, joins a whackadoodle cult that says in its bible that Dark Skin is a curse from God, and you REALLY wonder why other blacks have contempt for her? Really?
I
On the Republican side it is equally as unnerving. Just a few hours ago, I was reading a thread where conservatives were being urged to 'let the gay shit go.' The author dubbed anyone who didn't see eye to eye as a 'hater.' In some ways this could be worse than what Democrats are doing; asking a person to simply sacrifice his or her own ideals and opinions for a little capitulation to the mainstream way of thought. Our Founding Fathers strove for the freedom of thought, not to ascribe to the 'joiners vs. thinkers' mentality. Its as if either party believes they have a monopoly on free thought. Oh, how wrong they are.
Having followed that thread as much as I could stomach it... frankly, what I saw in that thread was a guy saying, "Hey, let's stop fighting a cause we have effectively lost and concentrate on important stuff" and immediately got piled upon by a bunch of people who just simply couldn't let go of their hatred for other people whose sexuality they don't like. (In fact, they dislike it so much they just can't stop describing it in graphic detail.)
