How often do you avoid politics?

[Xzi]

I just have to say it is kind of alarming how left-leaning this site is. I am not a conservative, being a Libertarian who still loves Ron Paul, and just wants everyone to have their own personal liberty to do as they will. But, DAMN.

Liberals and leftists get free rein on this site to say whatever they want, and everyone loves it.

I fucking HATE how politicized everything has become. Everyone wants to completely throw anyone out who doesn't 100% perfectly align with whatever social issue or political topic they care about.

If you have an opinion, you are making an enemy. Period.

I hate this bullshit. We are more than our opinions.

It's almost like conservatism has nothing to offer modern society except excuses for why it's okay to be bigoted/prejudiced against certain groups.

Oh, and greedflation, gotta love that. /s

 

[pustal]

I just have to say it is kind of alarming how left-leaning this site is. I am not a conservative, being a Libertarian who still loves Ron Paul, and just wants everyone to have their own personal liberty to do as they will. But, DAMN.

Liberals and leftists get free rein on this site to say whatever they want, and everyone loves it.

I fucking HATE how politicized everything has become. Everyone wants to completely throw anyone out who doesn't 100% perfectly align with whatever social issue or political topic they care about.

If you have an opinion, you are making an enemy. Period.

I hate this bullshit. We are more than our opinions.

It's almost like conservatism has nothing to offer modern society except excuses for why it's okay to be bigoted/prejudiced against certain groups.

Oh, and greedflation, gotta love that. /s

The fact we're debating two sides of issues that don't have two honest sides constantly like civil rights or science VS denialists, etc, show how non leaning this site is at all. If anything, unawarely leans moderate right due to helping pushing the Overton window right.

 

[Xzi]

View attachment 378888

The fact we're debating two sides of issues that don't have two honest sides constantly like civil rights or science VS denialists, etc, show how non leaning this site is at all. If anything, unawarely leans moderate right due to helping pushing the Overton window right.

Yeah don't get me wrong, true Libertarians who want EVERYBODY to have expanded personal freedoms and liberties I can vibe with, but they're practically extinct. In their place all we got was a bunch of whiny, transphobic, corporate bootlickers. They want so badly to pretend they're an oppressed group too. Not a great consolation prize.

 

[pustal]

Yeah don't get me wrong, true Libertarians who want EVERYBODY to have expanded personal freedoms and liberties I can vibe with, but they're practically extinct. In their place all we got was a bunch of whiny, transphobic, corporate bootlickers. They want so badly to pretend they're an oppressed group too. Not a great consolation prize.

Neoliberals.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

I have this bigot blocked and only saw what he said because you quoted it, but, I should have been more accurate.

I am a South Park Libertarian. I hate both the left and the right, but I tend to hate the left more, because they are the most annoying.

https://reason.com/2006/12/05/south-park-libertarians-2/

This article sums up how I feel about politics, to a tee.

 

[Xzi]

Dude's a nihilist, not a Libertarian. Satire is meant to invoke laughter, not hatred. And the political landscape now is very different from 2006.

 

[pustal]

I have this bigot blocked and only saw what he said because you quoted it, but, I should have been more accurate.

Who, me or @Xzi ? How is either of us a bigot?

I am a South Park Libertarian. I hate both the left and the right, but I tend to hate the left more, because they are the most annoying.

LOL, have you been waching South Park for the last decade?

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

Dude's a nihilist, not a Libertarian. Satire is meant to invoke laughter, not hatred. And the political landscape now is very different from 2006.

I am deigning to grace you with a response, simply because you might actually be closer to right than wrong, for the first time that I have ever witnessed.

I AM an existential nihilist. Proud of you for understanding the correct definition of the word. Doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor, though.

I would much rather laugh at life than cry because of it, and all of this is both silly and fucking retarded to me, so I am going to make fun of it. As we all should do, to silly things.

See what I did here? I gave you credit for not being as ignorant as I thought you were. I said something nice about you. You're welcome.

 

[pustal]

Who, me or @Xzi ? How is either of us a bigot?

Guess I have my answer. I'd love to know how am I a biggot.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

Guess I have my answer. I'd love to know how am I a biggot.

I was not referring to you, my friend. A bigot is defined as someone who so strongly holds onto a specific point of view that they would never even consider any idea to the contrary.

I do not know you and have never interacted with or spoken to you before. I was referring to another individual with whom I share a mutual dislike. I pride myself on being dedicated to the truth, and not being personally right. Any time anyone can show me that I am wrong about something, they are giving me a priceless, lifetime gift, because I can NEVER be wrong about that topic ever again, since I would then own the truth.

I love being proven wrong. Love love love it. It's one of the best ways to know that, moving forward, you are correct in what you are talking about. The proof is the caveat.

Most people just want to browbeat you and attack YOU, as a person, instead of combating your ideas.

I am able to separate the person from the opinion. Not everyone is. Personal attacks are the refuge of the weak and cowardly.

 

[VinsCool]

No matter what is being in play, nobody will agree on the outcome.
Only reasonable compromises will actually come out of arguments.

I personally can't bother much with politics, and will certainly not commit to the discussion if it isn't directly concerning myself.
Maybe I am egocentric, or maybe I love to watch the world burn, I have not yet figured the answer to that inner question.

Also, I have never voted, nor do I plan to vote anytime soon.
I mean, what are the odds that my contribution to a system where essentially all the potential candidates are just as bad regardless of whom is elected would do to my existence?

To me, this is all but a waste of my time, and worthless stress I certainly don't need, on top of already having to cope with the knowledge that I cannot change my fate, I can only accept that crying and being angry over things I cannot change won't make me happier.

That being said, my own point of view does not justify anyone to being an asshole, and I certainly do care about the well being of the people living close to me.

 

[Xzi]

I AM an existential nihilist. Proud of you for understanding the correct definition of the word. Doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor, though.

I would much rather laugh at life than cry because of it, and all of this is both silly and fucking retarded to me, so I am going to make fun of it. As we all should do, to silly things.

It's all relative. If nothing means anything, everything means something, ya dig? Laughing at the ups and downs of life we all experience, and the little embarrassing moments we all experience is a good way of handling things. Laughing at people because of traits or characteristics they were born with slowly makes the world more bitter and a shittier place to live. Thus nihilism often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[DragonMals]

I put always, but whenever it comes to political debates, I don't want to interfere with it unless it somehow affects me.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

It's all relative. If nothing means anything, everything means something, ya dig? Laughing at the ups and downs of life we all experience, and the little embarrassing moments we all experience is a good way of handling things. Laughing at people because of traits or characteristics they were born with slowly makes the world more bitter and a shittier place to live. Thus nihilism often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This is the first time you have been able to maintain a reasonable conversation with me without insulting me. I am pleasantly surprised.

I will ALWAYS laugh at people falling. It's always funny unless someone is actually hurt. I will ALWAYS laugh at human foibles. I will also always laugh at ridiculous ideas, seeing them in the same light as I do when someone intentionally faceplants.

I will not, however, just laugh at, say, a gay person for being gay, or a black person for being black. I laugh at people's choices, not what they are that they cannot control.

In the same vein, I think pride is absolutely fucking stupid if it's based on something you had no control over. Just like how the great George Carlin said, national or ethnic pride is stupid. Being proud of your race or nationality, sexual preference or gender, beauty or height, or any of those things, is just as dumb as being proud of having eyebrows or fingernails. Big whoop; you're human and unique.

Pride should be reserved for what you accomplish. Not the accident of birth that made you what you started out as.

Cheers.

 

[Xzi]

In the same vein, I think pride is absolutely fucking stupid if it's based on something you had no control over. Just like how the great George Carlin said, national or ethnic pride is stupid. Being proud of your race or nationality, sexual preference or gender, beauty or height, or any of those things, is just as dumb as being proud of having eyebrows or fingernails. Big whoop; you're human and unique.

This is a common misunderstanding I think, it's not that they're taking pride in being gay, it's that they're taking pride in choosing to be openly gay in a society which would largely prefer to pretend that homosexuality doesn't exist. Transgender people are the most targeted group for physical attacks in America. So "bravery" might be a better term, though I'm sure there would be plenty of people who object to and/or misinterpret that as well, so it's ultimately a lost cause trying to find the perfect branding.

If we're being real, parades were already pretty gay to begin with, so I say let people have their fun.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Not often enough...

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

This is a common misunderstanding I think, it's not that they're taking pride in being gay, it's that they're taking pride in choosing to be openly gay in a society which would largely prefer to pretend that homosexuality doesn't exist. Transgender people are the most targeted group for physical attacks in America. So "bravery" might be a better term, though I'm sure there would be plenty of people who object to and/or misinterpret that as well, so it's ultimately a lost cause trying to find the perfect branding.

If we're being real, parades were already pretty gay to begin with, so I say let people have their fun.

Stunning and brave, eh?

Everything comes back to South Park. Buckle up, buckaroos.

Let's use a gaming example for this. Remember the guy who went into GameStop? The "It is "MA'AM!" guy?

That dude annoyed the piss out of me. The reason is not because he thinks he is a woman; that's perfectly fine. He can dress as he pleases, change his name, get surgery, whatever. All of that is perfectly copasetic with me.

But then he decided to go OFF on an innocent store employee who either didn't know or didn't care that this man had "preferred pronouns", and threw a temper tantrum, because other people didn't immediately go along with what he said.

That is no different than a Bible-thumping Christian screaming at people inside a BestBuy for watching porn, just because HE doesn't like sexytime pictures.

Point being, live your life to the fullest and enjoy all of your own personal liberties. BUT, also remember that we are all a part of society, and everyone else has the same exact right to liberty, in all things.

I appreciate Japanese culture, deeply, because while they do have specific societal standards that most are presumed to follow, they are inward, reserved people who don't typically feel the need to stand out or be recognized or worshiped because of what they choose to represent themselves as. I respect that.

I think that people on either side whom are too far into their lean are as intolerable as the other side. Extremism is always a bad thing; the world is not monochromatic, and American politics has made our society exactly that. Left or right. Blue or red. Black or white. High or off. No in-between is allowed, and no compromise can be reached, because if EVERYONE is offended, no one can be happy.

No one said we should all be guaranteed happiness. Just the right to the liberty of pursuing it. I think we could all be more respectful and compassionate to each other, and maybe the first step towards that is perhaps just shutting the fuck up about everything we feel offended about, and just suck it the fuck up and get over what doesn't actually impact us.

I have to keep checking myself to pull back from engaging in topics that literally have no impact on my life. But I like to argue and debate, so I go for hot topics. And usually wind up making more enemies than friends. That's the world we live in. Can't have any opinion or take any side without making one friend and two foes.

 

[Ryab]

In this world of governments making radical legislation, and acts of war when the only acts of expansion were thought to be nuclear or peaceful negotiation, I stand and wonder.

Do you wish to immerse yourself in the sea of opinions, facts, and fabrication? Or do you choose to hide your thoughts from it, to have your opinions, but choose to enjoy life without letting the political world mess with your world that you are immersed in?

No right answers, simply how you choose to live your life y'all.

In recent years, it's turned into less of a debate and more of a "I hate you if you don't agree with me" kind of mindset. What is the point of talking about it if all that is going to happen is an argument with no resolution?

 

[Xzi]

Stunning and brave, eh?

Proves my point that there is no term everybody would approve of. Regardless, the idea is that we eventually reach normalization to the extent that coming out of the closet is no more painful and requires no more bravery than brushing your teeth would. It's still extremely stigmatized in red states, and those are the ones that consume the most trans porn by a wide margin.

Let's use a gaming example for this. Remember the guy who went into GameStop? The "It is "MA'AM!" guy?

That dude annoyed the piss out of me. The reason is not because he thinks he is a woman; that's perfectly fine. He can dress as he pleases, change his name, get surgery, whatever. All of that is perfectly copasetic with me.

But then he decided to go OFF on an innocent store employee who either didn't know or didn't care that this man had "preferred pronouns", and threw a temper tantrum, because other people didn't immediately go along with what he said.

That is no different than a Bible-thumping Christian screaming at people inside a BestBuy for watching porn, just because HE doesn't like sexytime pictures.

You provided an anecdote and then followed it up by providing the reason why anecdotes are meaningless. "Karen" is universal.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

Proves my point that there is no term everybody would approve of. Regardless, the idea is that we eventually reach normalization to the extent that coming out of the closet is no more painful and requires no more bravery than brushing your teeth would. It's still extremely stigmatized in red states, and those are the ones that consume the most trans porn by a wide margin.


You provided an anecdote and then followed it up by providing the reason why anecdotes are meaningless. "Karen" is universal.

I wouldn't call it an anecdote. More of a reference. Anecdotal evidence, of course, is always complete bullshit and almost never relevant. I was relating to a commonly known incident as an example of how some folks try to force their lifestyle and views on others.

Which is no different than any of the dumb fuckbags I see protesting outside of Planned Parenthood. Or the Muslim street preacher selling oils and passing out pamphlets, haranguing the masses from a street corner.

I can tell you that I have, for a fact, confronted both groups of people, face-to-face, and tried to engage in a conversation that swiftly devolved into threats and a screaming match. Not saying who was doing the screaming and threatening, but it was both sides. I am no innocent.

Honey and vinegar. No one is ever going to win anyone over with anger and indignation. Ever. That's not how we make friends in this world. This is a lesson that only trolling on social media could have taught me.

Made a lot of friends by ranting online. Made more enemies than friends, though. I don't know if it's really worth it.