Left or right or where are you?

I am here.

Let me elaborate...

I have both a left and a right so my politics are sometimes liberal, sometimes radical and usually somewhere in between them both.

What would you say?

To clarify, my comments were also prompted by the "Currant" poll that was posted here.

Quoted from Whoever

Let me elaborate...

I have both a left and a right so my politics are sometimes liberal, sometimes radical and usually somewhere in between them both.

What would you say?

I'm a bit like that myself. If I had to say, then it'd be just right of centre. I do have some left wing leanings, but I was brought up in a very right wing family, so I'm constantly torn between the two. I'm useless in a political argument as I can always see both sides. Maybe I should have been an industrial arbitrator.

However, I usually tell my friends that I'm left of centre, just to keep the peace. They're mostly left wing. Some of them very, almost to the point of communism.

I think you must question everything. You should never let any political movement tell you what to think. I think you have to judge every issue individually. My opinions are probably 90% of the time between left of the centre and left wing, but not by definition. I'll never take a certain stance just because it's the leftish stance to take. I think I'm a bit conservative on a few issues. Really not a lot of them, but I don't reject conservatism by definition.

But I really try to stay far away from any radicalism. I'm definately not for communism or anything like that. Politics don't work in a straight line but in a circle. Some people think that the far right and the far left are each other's opposites, but they can have a lot in common. The Dutch Socialist Party actually got quite some support from certain right wing organizations during last year's elections.

Right. I was an obligatory long haired leftie until I went to India. Then I saw what people can do if they need to survive. Now I see believe paying people to do nothing, creating a society that tells everyone they're a victim and removes responsibility from the individual has created a social disease that is morally corrupting. Now we reap the whirlwind of two generations being mollycoddled into abject apathy, with no incentive or desire for improvement.

im a combination of kevin and joost's response

On the whole, I think I lean a little to the left, just slightly (imperceptibly). I'm probably really one of those dreadful independents every political ideologue considers a dangerous slacker.

I've always been a strong right-winged, although I can be really liberal in some questions, and very conservative in others.  But being left/right winged has a different meaning in various countries.

Quoted from Taxgirl

I've always been a strong right-winged, although I can be really liberal in some questions, and very conservative in others.  But being left/right winged has a different meaning in various countries.

I believe in personal responsibility, responsibility to those less fortunate, and fact-based decision making.

Where does that put me?

Quoted from alexis

I believe in personal responsibility, responsibility to those less fortunate, and fact-based decision making.

Where does that put me?

Unique?

liberal democratic.
I try paying attention in government class...

Quoted from BlueMeanie

Unique?

Somehow, BM, I suspect that you are not too far away in your outlook from this either, if I may be so bold as to presuppose  

As far as I can tell that worldview was not so uncommon a few decades ago. Maybe "anachronistic" would be a better word?

Quoted from alexis

I believe in personal responsibility, responsibility to those less fortunate, and fact-based decision making.

Where does that put me?

Isn't this what everybody believes in? In theory anyway.

Quoted from Sandra

Isn't this what everybody believes in? In theory anyway.

It's what everybody SAYS they believe in.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

It's what everybody SAYS they believe in.

Maybe in your world, BM, but not in mine. Have you read the "Who should be the next US president" thread (not that there's any good reason for you to). Here in the States there is a VERY large group of people that seem to think that rationalism is not per se better than worldviews. In my experience, they usually vote Republican, with exceptions to be sure. They're the ones who claim that evolution is just one theory of many and should not be given any special consideration over other theories, like maybe Creationism for example. When presented with Carbon 14 dating data, they claim that really it isn't exactly PROVEN that there might not be a mistake in how Carbon 14 is estimated to decay. And so on.

Unbelievably, these folks have enormous power. Would you believe that they caused a recall of all science textbooks IN THE STATE OF KANSAS to revise them to give more credence to the "Creationism" theory of evolution? I swear, it's the truth.

It's enough to make one want to , gotta to keep from   

Here in America there are very large groups of a lot of different types of people. Why do Americans insist on stereotyping themselves?


And I DO believe that most people really do believe in what you posted. Granted, they may not always stay true to it, but I think most people are decent at heart. And I certainly don't believe we Americans are much different from the rest of this world you speak of.  

BTW, and I always feel like I need to clarify this lately, I'm not trying to offend anybody. I'm only just posting my thoughts. I'm not saying I even know what I'm talking about half the time, but I do enjoy the discussion. So I hope it comes off that way.

Quoted from Sandra

BTW, and I always feel like I need to clarify this lately, I'm not trying to offend anybody. I'm only just posting my thoughts. I'm not saying I even know what I'm talking about half the time, but I do enjoy the discussion. So I hope it comes off that way.

No offense taken here   I'm just unhappy that people with my world view are not the ruling power now! Glad I don't live in Kansas too, though I hear that those folks were voted out of office via the stake-through-the-heart method, and now it's cool to talk about evolution in the public arena again.

And likewise, if my posts are offensive to anyone, I will tone them down, and just talk about the Fab 4!!

Quoted from alexis

And likewise, if my posts are offensive to anyone, I will tone them down, and just talk about the Fab 4!!

Myself, I'm only offended by violent physical assaults. Saying what you think and being willing to debate (and doubt) it is one of the marks of a civilized person. Keep going!

I don't think anyone's been offensive in the slightest. This is the Current Affairs forum, and by nature, relatively serious, and therefore folks should feel free to speak their own mind.

And actually Alexis, it does matter to me who wins. I think it matters to everybody. Yes I have read the thread, though I haven't often contributed. Though I have to say I'm beginning to understand American politics a bit more due to both that thread, and the media bombardment going on at the moment. It's getting more coverage here than the Danish election did last year! Mind you, that only lasts a couple of weeks. Bliss!!

Quoted from BlueMeanie

I don't think anyone's been offensive in the slightest. This is the Current Affairs forum, and by nature, relatively serious, and therefore folks should feel free to speak their own mind.

And actually Alexis, it does matter to me who wins. I think it matters to everybody. Yes I have read the thread, though I haven't often contributed. Though I have to say I'm beginning to understand American politics a bit more due to both that thread, and the media bombardment going on at the moment. It's getting more coverage here than the Danish election did last year! Mind you, that only lasts a couple of weeks. Bliss!!

But if it only lasts a couple of weeks, you might not learn how well the candidates can bowl    Under those circumstances, how can one make an informed decision about who would be best to lead the country in times of good and bad  

Aaaaah! This thread title is killing me! It should read "Where do your political beliefs lie?".

Now that I've said that...

I would say that I am a very liberal person with a few viewpoints that are right-leaning. For instance, I am in favour of gay marriage but not Sunday shopping. I am in favour of a woman's right to choose but I personally feel that abortion is wrong.

I know everyone says "I was so much more liberal when I was younger..." but honestly I don't think I'll become right-leaning when I'm older. I was raised in a pretty darn liberal household. Honestly, my parents would be more upset if I told them I failed a class than if I told them I was a lesbian.

why not shopping on sunday? counldn't it be not shopping oon saturday? i love to do my shopping on sundays!!!

Well, for several reasons:

-If big grocery stores/department stores are open on Sundays, it will be detrimental to small convenience stores
-People who are willing to work on Sundays get hired over people who aren't
-Isn't the world materialistic enough? Can't we just have ONE DAY where we can't go out and spend like crazy?

Quoted from Mairi

Can't we just have ONE DAY where we can't go out and spend like crazy?

You mean there's actually a place where there isn't shopping on Sunday? I think one of my credit cards just had a stroke.

Well, that's the way it used to be, in Nova Scotia. But in October of 2006 our Premier decided to instate Sunday shopping even though we had held a province-wide consensus and the majority voted against it. Now there's shopping every day, even holidays like Christmas and Mother's Day. The only day when we don't have shopping is Remembrance day.

It's pretty sad, if you ask me.

I'm a liberal Democrat.  I'm very socially progressive (pro-choice, pro-gay marriage).  I do take a more moderate approach to a couple social issues (I mildly support the death penalty, but it should be as rare as humanly possible.  For people with no conscience, like sociopaths, or people that wanted to kill "to feel what killing is like," then I'd support the death penalty, but even then, life in prison may be just as bad or worse).  In economics, I consider myself to the left, though I'm not really sure how far when it all comes down to it.

Hey there Frightwolf! Haven't seen you in a while.

Quoted from Taxgirl

But being left/right winged has a different meaning in various countries.

Right. I have the feeling that some Americans see the Democrats vs. the Republics as left vs. right, but for Dutch political standards that's more like moderate right vs. far right...

It all depends on the context, of course. For instance, in the eyes of the world, Che Guevara and Fidel Castro were as left wing as they got. But if you're a Cuban in 2008 and you're pro-Castro, you're conservative... While if you're anti-Castro, some people will probably think you're unpatriotic...

Quoted from Geoff

You mean there's actually a place where there isn't shopping on Sunday? I think one of my credit cards just had a stroke.

Copenhagen! Coming from England, where everything is open seven days a week, I find it a right royal pain in the ar*se.

Quoted from Joost

I have the feeling that some Americans see the Democrats vs. the Republics as left vs. right, but for Dutch political standards that's more like moderate right vs. far right...

Thanks for that perspective, Joost. I'm obviously much more "left" than most of my countrymen. For example, I have a "Democratic" senator now, with whom I disagree at least 70% of the time. The Republican I used to have I disagreed with 98% of the time. I feel neither of them represents my viewpoints regarding environmental or social responsibility.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

Copenhagen! Coming from England, where everything is open seven days a week, I find it a right royal pain in the ar*se.

I'm used to things being open 24/7. I'm the sort of guy who'll go grocery shopping at about one o'clock in the morning because that's about the time I'll get hungry and discover there's nothing in my fridge except for four strawberries and an ounce or two of orange juice. If I'd had to wait for morning for something to open I'd have been arrested by now for hunting squirrels.

Quoted from Geoff

I'm used to things being open 24/7. I'm the sort of guy who'll go grocery shopping at about one o'clock in the morning because that's about the time I'll get hungry and discover there's nothing in my fridge except for four strawberries and an ounce or two of orange juice. If I'd had to wait for morning for something to open I'd have been arrested by now for hunting squirrels.

The squirrels are lucky you don't live in Germany  
No shopping on sundays and between 10 pm and I think 6 am.


Exception is petrol stations, but they are expensive.

Quoted from yavanna

The squirrels are lucky you don't live in Germany.

Actually, I'm probably lucky: me with a gun is like Wile E Coyote with a stick of dynamite.