Schedule

Updates: Currently slacking off

Thursday 23 June 2016

The Brexit.

Just a short post of my thoughts right now.
 
Referendum over and both sides are still EQUALLY insufferable.
I'm a political guy. I like policy, I like debate, I like *argument*
What I don't like is the vicious vitriol and bigotry of both damn sides.

We were choosing which kind of turd to have in our sandwich, not between superman and superhitler.

The fact that one of the evils was picked over the other doesn't make half of the country racists.

The fact one side got 52% of the vote does not magically invalidate the opinion of the 48% (this is literally within a statistical margin of error, it's not a landslide, it's not a mandate)
Nor the spoiled ballots or fence sitters. (turnout was very good, but still only 70%+)

We've taken a leap as a nation.
It could go badly.
It might not.

Staying in the EU is more safe, absolutely.
Safety may not always be an appropriate motive.

Lets just have some more humanity people.
The world hasn't ended, we've not magically shifted away from Europe geographically.
Even if you think another person was wrong, quit assuming malice!

/rant

Thursday 2 June 2016

Free speech is a left wing, liberal AND conservative ideal. Anything else is a betrayal of those values.

How can this be so? How can a position fought over so constantly be something that politics across the spectrum agrees on?
I would suggest, rather easily.

Too often there are hypocrites that wish freedom for their own thoughts, belief and expression that do not extend those rights to others.
Too often people are willing to compromise rights they make no use of for comforts that do not need.
This is not a partisan behaviour, because awful (or ignorant) people will justify these positions with whatever rhetoric is preferred within their ideological bubble.
The Right will talk of patriotism, security, traditional values, protection of children and appeals to authority or tradition.
The Left will talk of safety, of compassion and progress. Lately they will talk about the protection of women and minorities (even above that of children)
You can not justify abandoning principle by invoking a motive. If you abandon your principles, you no longer hold those principles. Your motive does not matter.

We often hear of how the regressive left is stifling free expression and suppressing conservative thought so I won't detail that. It is easily found just about anywhere rationality is promoted.
I will however suggest that the right has not suddenly abandoned its history of similar behaviour. Fox News was FOUNDED on this kind of propagandist thinking and still prospers.

In discussions about how bad SJWs are you will find people unironically calling to limit, censor or ban left wing ideas as a whole or in part.
Most telling here is the notion that money equals speech. A brand new "conservative principle" that likely has historical Republicans (and other conservatives) spinning in their graves.
We have free speech campaigners that themselves engage in the rhetoric and practice of suppressing opposition when it comes to criticism of the modern system.

In short, it is my belief that repression of speech and rampant income inequality are simply two branches from the tree of despair our culture seems to have found shade beneath. Each branch, sprout twig and leaf declares itself the lesser evil, even as they all feed the same trunk.
We see speech restricted gleefully on behalf of "progressives" by private and government interests that broadly oppose left wing values.
Why would this be?
Because they are trading nothing of value to achieve an end they prefer. They make no concessions, the blame is placed with their "political opponents" and they prosper as any genuine political opposition is usurped by identity politics fauxgressivism.

I do not think their prosperity will last, just as I think regressives will keep haemorrhaging support. Both sides seem intent on attacking the public with various justification.
I would call to mind this quote;

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable" - JFK

This goes for both sides.
The left continues to attack everyone for not being pure enough. Pure enough what? Well, with identity politics there is no metric. You must be what you are needed to be at this moment, or you fail. Once you fail, you can never be redeemed.
The right continues to suggest any deviation from their economic dogma is treason. That economic dogma is pretty much; do what donors want, lower taxes on the rich and cut public spending, except on military contracts. (that's always what is meant with military spending, the soldiers and veterans are never the focus)
Eventually something will give. I can only hope both sides get BTFO.

I surely hope that my brothers and sisters across party lines and political affiliation can come to recognise the problems as universal, rather than playing the game of "who is worse"
In that game I just point to the fact no right wingers are in prison for their beliefs and remind everyone that McCarthyism is alive and well in some (many) political circles. When "socialism" and "liberalism" can be discussed without vitriol in America, then the damage will have been undone. Until then, regressives are amateurs by comparison.

Do not let your disagreements cloud your judgement on issues.
When you agree on an issue, then agree to unite in that cause.
Only then can we accomplish anything.
Partisan posturing and dogmatic rhetoric serve no purpose but to undermine a cause. Just look at the Occupy movement.

I just wanted to end with another left wing message, another quote, this one from Teddy Roosevelt (you know, the Republican. Because they used to be the left wing in America, for the MANY Americans that are politically illiterate and wilfully ignorant)

"We heartily approve of the prosperity, no matter how great, of any man if it comes from his rendering service to the community." - Teddy Roosevelt

The political wings often differ in design and policy. Not intent.
Socialists and other left wingers want to ensure individual liberty, freedom and achievement by merit.
The same or similar values as those on the right and in the centre.
We just think those things can only be ensured by different methods than you prefer.
When it comes to free speech and expression, I would hope that is one method we can all agree upon.