[Onto]

Yes, that part of it represents impartiality. Impartial to wealth, power, race, etc

[Sawyer]

(02-01-2014 04:18 PM)Onto Wrote:  

The symbol of justice are the scales. It means "true" justice is realized when the letter of the law (Masculine) is tempered with mercy for individual circumstances (Feminine).

Everything in the wold is made up this metaphysical dichotomy. Politics as well. It's great your evolving into a more Conservative (Masculine) point of view, but remember there also needs to be a place for Mercy.

How do you show mercy when you're surrounded?

[draguer]

In recent years I haven't been able to enjoy the Daily Show as much. While still funny at times, its snarky progressiveness can overrun it.

[travolta]

I don't identify with any party, though lately I've become more libertarian than anything. I used to not give a shit about politics whatsoever. I only started caring as I started making more money (owning a few companies, moving money, doing business, etc). I don't enjoy getting ass-raped by uncle sam, and I have little sympathy for lazy/stupid people, so as time goes on I'm becoming hostile towards liberal ideology. In a way I've also become more of a snob as I've gotten more money. One example is how I travel. I used to be a poor backpacker, but now I do my best to avoid that entire scene and not associate with that type of person. Why are people walking around big cities wearing flip flops, cargo shorts, and carrying a massive camping backpack? Are you going to pitch a tent on the beach and eat bugs for the next month? This can be avoided by working hard, making money, and getting some class. That's my $0.02 anyway.

[Checkmat]

(02-01-2014 09:24 PM)draguer Wrote:  

In recent years I haven't been able to enjoy the Daily Show as much. While still funny at times, its snarky progressiveness can overrun it.

Agreed. It's the most SWPL comedy show on television and though I used to enjoy it a lot, and Jon Stewart and many of the other people on there are funny as fuck I think the writing is so liberally-skewed it makes me groan.

[Genghis Khan]

My own story corroborates with what many people have said: I used to believe a lot of progressive issues, but as I went through college I started realizing something about people: most of them are lazy, stupid or both. I always believe that poor people were poor due to no fault of their own, and a decent amount are. But I do think a lot more are there by their own doing. A friend of mine kept buying the new iPhone despite the fact he was broke...like seriously, wtf? It made me realize I was paying taxes to support dumbasses like him.

So yes, in a nutshell: realizing what human beings genuinely are (and not what progressives would have you believe) was quite an eye-opener.

[SpecialEd]

(02-01-2014 03:12 AM)Sp5 Wrote:  

In the USA "conservative" is misused, unless you are talking about Ron Paul or possibly Pat Buchanan.

Most American self-described "conservatives" are warmongers and shills for the police state and the unbridled corporate power which is trammeling the family, religion, small business and traditional culture.

My own politics are highly individual, part Ron Paul, part Bernie Sanders. In the USA, I usually get to vote for the lesser of two evils, or not at all.

You worded my political perspective better than I could. I was very conservative in my teens, a loyal Republican, until I realized what a sham the party is and what morons most conservatives are. They blindly supported wars without justification. They talked about cutting the size of the government but they wouldn't cut the military spending.

I'm in my mid-20s now and my folks think I've become a radical left-winger lol. I wish Ron Paul had won, he wasn't perfect by any means but he could have given the nation a genuine taste of freedom.

[Seanchaí]

(02-02-2014 10:28 AM)Checkmat Wrote:  

(02-01-2014 09:24 PM)draguer Wrote:  

In recent years I haven't been able to enjoy the Daily Show as much. While still funny at times, its snarky progressiveness can overrun it.

Agreed. It's the most SWPL comedy show on television and though I used to enjoy it a lot, and Jon Stewart and many of the other people on there are funny as fuck I think the writing is so liberally-skewed it makes me groan.

I had a similar experience with the Bill Maher show. On the surface it seems like a measured and intelligent talk show that gives a level headed analysis of the biggest news stories of the past week. For a long I blindly agreed with any and all points made by Bill Maher, who I still think is an intelligent and funny individual.

A shift came for me when I realised that the audience of his show was no different than that of a laugh track playing in the background of an episode of friends and I was no better than them.

There is a real problem people with blindly adhering to any ideology and I think we're all guilty of it at times

[The Beast1]

(02-02-2014 04:42 AM)travolta Wrote:  

I don't identify with any party, though lately I've become more libertarian than anything. I used to not give a shit about politics whatsoever. I only started caring as I started making more money (owning a few companies, moving money, doing business, etc). I don't enjoy getting ass-raped by uncle sam, and I have little sympathy for lazy/stupid people, so as time goes on I'm becoming hostile towards liberal ideology. In a way I've also become more of a snob as I've gotten more money. One example is how I travel. I used to be a poor backpacker, but now I do my best to avoid that entire scene and not associate with that type of person. Why are people walking around big cities wearing flip flops, cargo shorts, and carrying a massive camping backpack? Are you going to pitch a tent on the beach and eat bugs for the next month? This can be avoided by working hard, making money, and getting some class. That's my $0.02 anyway.

Agreed. Once I started making money, I became pretty red.

Liberalism tends to think that we live in a "Star Trek" society where replicators can make something from nothing.

Conservatives understand that there will always be scarcity and with scarcity comes winners and losers. We can however, do our best to be efficient with what we have and ensure that has a chance at getting some of that scarcity pie.

Also, side rant: intellectual property has no value. When something can be copied and sent to a foreign state (like China) what value did your "imaginary property" have? There's only value in tangible end products. I don't understand why some of these tech companies are valued as highly as they are.

[Peregrine]

Quote:

Also, side rant: intellectual property has no value. When something can be copied and sent to a foreign state (like China) what value did your "imaginary property" have? There's only value in tangible end products. I don't understand why some of these tech companies are valued as highly as they are.

For serious? Intellectual property is protected by law and backed by government might. Most of the world respects these rights on a reciprocal basis. Saying that intellectual property has no value just because it is occasionally stolen doesn't make sense.

[amity]

I do some part time journalism for a travel website and it's painful at times having to wade through so much female centred liberal pc bullsh1t.
There's no doubt there's a higher proportion of these types in the arts and media than in society in general and so they try to push their viewpoint on the masses through their journalism.
It's like walking a tightrope at times! Sometimes I try to point out the fallacies and short-sightedness of their views, with mixed results.
I have suceeded in getting a few people to reconsider their default liberal view of matters though.
For instance on Sochi, I've put it to a few people that just cos the West has a liberal view of gay culture, that doesn't mean they can force or shame Russia into having these same views, I've pointed out to them just how arrogant this is, how Russia is a largely rural conservative society, you can't just come in all guns blazing like that arrogant queen Gaga, and insist that Russia adopts the exact same liberal attitudes towards gay people that the US has, the arrogance is astonishing.
They can see I'm not coming from an 'anti-gay' perspective, rather am pointing out how manipulative Western mass media is in their attempts to influence the masses to take on the same liberal views that middle class left leaning media types tend to have.
It's waking up to sh1t like this that has gradually moved my opinions on issues away from the default leftist opinion I was exposed to by the Western media (and used to accept unquestioningly).

[RockHard]

(02-02-2014 04:42 AM)travolta Wrote:  

I don't identify with any party, though lately I've become more libertarian than anything. I used to not give a shit about politics whatsoever. I only started caring as I started making more money (owning a few companies, moving money, doing business, etc). I don't enjoy getting ass-raped by uncle sam, and I have little sympathy for lazy/stupid people, so as time goes on I'm becoming hostile towards liberal ideology. In a way I've also become more of a snob as I've gotten more money. One example is how I travel. I used to be a poor backpacker, but now I do my best to avoid that entire scene and not associate with that type of person. Why are people walking around big cities wearing flip flops, cargo shorts, and carrying a massive camping backpack? Are you going to pitch a tent on the beach and eat bugs for the next month? This can be avoided by working hard, making money, and getting some class. That's my $0.02 anyway.

When you're young and not really invested in the process, it's easy to reject it. When you have something to lose, you become more interested in retaining it.

Other threads have commented on the extended adolescence present in US culture. I remember reading something the other day about how some psychologists are saying that in the US, people aren't really adults until age 25 (yet they can vote and drink, but I digress...). I think this is a huge unrecognized problem. In the past, young men often would go thru their teen years as an apprentice, learning a useful skill, and more importantly, being accepted as a provisional member of society. By the time you were 21, you had 7 years of real work experience and were ready to become a Journeyman, on your way to becoming a Master.

Now we do everything to avoid becoming a part of society and delay taking responsibility. It's this holdover from the '60s ethic: rebel against everything that's already established, burn it down and start over.

[Seanchaí]

(02-07-2014 12:41 AM)RockHard Wrote:  

(02-02-2014 04:42 AM)travolta Wrote:  

I don't identify with any party, though lately I've become more libertarian than anything. I used to not give a shit about politics whatsoever. I only started caring as I started making more money (owning a few companies, moving money, doing business, etc). I don't enjoy getting ass-raped by uncle sam, and I have little sympathy for lazy/stupid people, so as time goes on I'm becoming hostile towards liberal ideology. In a way I've also become more of a snob as I've gotten more money. One example is how I travel. I used to be a poor backpacker, but now I do my best to avoid that entire scene and not associate with that type of person. Why are people walking around big cities wearing flip flops, cargo shorts, and carrying a massive camping backpack? Are you going to pitch a tent on the beach and eat bugs for the next month? This can be avoided by working hard, making money, and getting some class. That's my $0.02 anyway.

When you're young and not really invested in the process, it's easy to reject it. When you have something to lose, you become more interested in retaining it.

Other threads have commented on the extended adolescence present in US culture. I remember reading something the other day about how some psychologists are saying that in the US, people aren't really adults until age 25 (yet they can vote and drink, but I digress...). I think this is a huge unrecognized problem. In the past, young men often would go thru their teen years as an apprentice, learning a useful skill, and more importantly, being accepted as a provisional member of society. By the time you were 21, you had 7 years of real work experience and were ready to become a Journeyman, on your way to becoming a Master.

Now we do everything to avoid becoming a part of society and delay taking responsibility. It's this holdover from the '60s ethic: rebel against everything that's already established, burn it down and start over.

I agree with you that this relatively new phenomenon of extended childhood is a serious problem.
While on one hand a person shouldn't just mindlessly fall into the trap of a job they potentially hate because they happen to be at an age where it is expected of them, young men also shouldn't wallow away their 20's on the dole (Irish and British unemployment) telling society their "finding their path".
This is becoming an ever more common thread among my generation, most of my childhood friends are still living with their parents all of them around the age of 21 - 25.
On the other hand there is the fact that each generation is living longer (unless your American apparently http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHea...rticle.jsp) and with this there is the logical argument that if a persons overall life is extended then maybe childhood should be as well.
But either way if your in your mid twenties own a nice car, have the newest iphone and a large wardrobe of this seasons must have fashion accessories but your still living at home you need to get your priorities in order.