I think your question here actually addresses the biggest problem we face as a people. Why join anything? Why do you need to identify as left or as right?
Personally, some of my beliefs fall into the category of 'conservative' while some are much more liberal.
Other countries have a number of political parties to choose from...us Americans only have two.
Which makes it that much more silly to see people jumping aboard one party or the other, and sillier still that most, if not all of their beliefs will align perfectly with the prevailing beliefs of that particular party.
It reduces people, who are fully capable of being dynamic, free-thinking individuals, into binary ditto-heads who fit neatly into either slot A or slot B. How weird is that?
But this inherent need for identity that we all have...much more than anything else, I believe THAT'S what has us at each other's throats. At least more than any belief system based on values and objective reasoning. We kid ourselves that we believe what we believe on behalf of the greater good...on what we believe is best for humanity. But its just as likely that, as much as we tell ourselves differently, we believe what we do because its convenient for us, its easiest.
Its just as much for our own peace of mind as anything else, to be able to feel comfortable in our own shoes. To feel like we've got stuff figured out, like we stand for something.
And IMO, the more polarizing our views, the more partisan we are, the more likely that any form of sincerity has long went by the wayside.
Why would anyone "join" either A or B when there's so much grey...so many more details, so much more nuance to the world and its issues than can be viewed clearly whilst looking through a colored lens, you know? How can you stay true to the truth when you have so much riding on YOUR truth? When so much of yourself is wrapped up in needing that truth to be true? No, real truth is put by the wayside, IMO and we'll even knowingly use skewed data to back up what we KNOW is BS, but its become so habitual that we don't even see the cycle anymore.
We're better than this, IMO. This tribal nonsense...and I imagine there's a shit-ton of people that feel just as I do...watching these two groups battle each other with whatever underhanded tactic is required to score a point for their team. Its human nature exposed, IMO, and as shitty as it might sound to say, I'm almost embarrassed for people who are so quick to jump in with both feet and start slinging rocks at the other side. It seems like its far too easy to play people like fiddles, and I can't help but wonder sometimes if that's what's going on.
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Neckk (342)
6 years ago
Jehosaphet, you were able to put into words how Ive felt and what Ive attempted to communicate in past, but was never suave enough to do so as thoroughly as you have here. Thank you very much for this well thought out and powerful post.
I came here wanting to genuinely know what the left stood for, but instead got something better. Definitely going to copy your post as I think you summed up this issue perfectly (if thats ok with you). Thanks for your time, Jehosaphet. Sincerely..
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