What Has Happened To The Left?

[I1L2T3]

*throws arms in air and gives up talking to brick wall*

 

I'm not saying everybody on the right thinks in a simplistic binary way, and that nobody on the left does

 

But I think its a more prominent trait on the right.

 

Some immigrants bad = all immigrants bad

 

Some benefit claimants fiddle benefits = all benefit claimants fiddle benefits

 

etc... etc... etc...

 

You see it on here umpteen times every day and this forum is restrained. Take a look at the Daily Mail comments sections!

[WiseOwl182]

I'm not saying everybody on the right thinks in a simplistic binary way, and that nobody on the left does

 

But I think its a more prominent trait on the right.

 

Some immigrants bad = all immigrants bad

 

Some benefit claimants fiddle benefits = all benefit claimants fiddle benefits

 

etc... etc... etc...

 

You see it on here umpteen times every day and this forum is restrained. Take a look at the Daily Mail comments sections!

 

 

You see it here every day from the left too, and this forum is restrained. Take a look at the Guadrian comments sections!

 

Most immigrants good = all immigrants good

 

Most benefit claimants genuine = all benefit claimants genuine

 

etc etc etc.

[MLAR]

You see it here every day from the left too, and this forum is restrained. Take a look at the Guadrian comments sections!

 

Most immigrants good = all immigrants good

 

Most benefit claimants genuine = all benefit claimants genuine

 

etc etc etc.

 

At least The Guardian pays UK tax. Unlike the despicable, unpatriotic, tax dodging Daily Mail.

 

I'd say that Guardian readers have more right to express their democratic opinion than readers of the Mail, by dint of their respective paper's attitude to paying into the running of UK PLC.

 

 

For the Mail to moan about benefit scroungers is breathtakingly hypocritical, given their rather dodgy tax position.

[WiseOwl182]

At least The Guardian pays UK tax. Unlike the despicable, unpatriotic, tax dodging Daily Mail.

 

I'd say that Guardian readers have more right to express their democratic opinion than readers of the Mail, by dint of their respective paper's attitude to paying into the running of UK PLC.

 

 

For the Mail to moan about benefit scroungers is breathtakingly hypocritical, given their rather dodgy tax position.

 

 

I think you somewhat missed the thrust of my argument.

[MLAR]

I think you somewhat missed the thrust of my argument.

 

Maybe I did. Perhaps you are too "Wise" for me.

 

However, my point stands. The Guardian > The Mail on moral and patriotic grounds, every time, from the 1930s onwards.

[MikeFrank]

Its not only about threats and abuse. There is also issues, like those going on in universities, where white men were excluded from the building, for example. Its just a more subtle type of intimidation and unfairness. The point here is that they think it is justified.

 

I was looking at the C4 News site earlier and there's another example in the USA. There was a protest by religious groups, I think, about Halloween costumes being offensive. A heated argument when a professor refused to go along with the ban. A news crew are trying to film and one women starts screaming they can't film here and to she appeals for "muscle" to remove them...

[Obelix]

The left is finished now as people have gone to UKIP and the SNP.

 

I personally prefer another party but let's not go there for now.

 

If the left in England started to put English people first, instead of favouring brown eyed people then they could recover and come back.

 

You are aware that over 50% of the population of Poland, over 50% of the Slovene, and Bosniak ethnic groups have blue eyes?

 

OCA2 is the gene that controls it that underwent a mutation about 10,000 years ago in one individual. Everyone with blue eyes is descended from that person.

[Eater Sundae]

To be honest I don't care what you think you did.

 

As for the binary thinking thing, its the cornerstone for right wing media campaigns. It is precisely what they want to tap into.

 

Some food for thought

 

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/10/science/la-sci-politics10sep10

 

I think that some clear definitions of "left - right" and "liberal - conservative" would be needed before trying to assess that link.

 

IMO, the left are very conservative in their attitudes. hence the intolerance (by some of them) of people on the right.

 

---------- Post added 11-11-2015 at 13:27 ----------

 

At least The Guardian pays UK tax. Unlike the despicable, unpatriotic, tax dodging Daily Mail.

 

I'd say that Guardian readers have more right to express their democratic opinion than readers of the Mail, by dint of their respective paper's attitude to paying into the running of UK PLC.

 

 

For the Mail to moan about benefit scroungers is breathtakingly hypocritical, given their rather dodgy tax position.

 

No. Everyone has the same right, regardless of which paper they read. Surely that's the whole point.

[I1L2T3]

I think you somewhat missed the thrust of my argument.

 

I think you missed mine too.

 

The point I was making is that the right is more prone to simplistic binary thought.

 

My point was not that both sides don't have the issue. They clearly both do. One side is worse than the other.

[unbeliever]

I think you missed mine too.

 

The point I was making is that the right is more prone to simplistic binary thought.

 

My point was not that both sides don't have the issue. They clearly both do. One side is worse than the other.

 

Can you back this up at all?

The inability to see shades of grey is remarkably common. The tendency to express things in black and white for emphasis when trying to win a debate is even more common.

 

Have you considered natural observer bias?

I would have said the reverse to you. That the left is puritanical and talks in black and white. Perhaps that's just the impression one builds up by looking at an argument from what is usually the opposite side.

 

Some examples:

I've heard people on the left suggest that the top tax rate should be 105%. i.e. that people should be punished for daring to try and earn so much.

I've also heard the case made that the UK should have no military at all.

I've heard the case that nobody should ever be punished for any crime as they only do it because society is unfair.

I could go on.

 

---------- Post added 11-11-2015 at 19:10 ----------

 

One thing that irks me about the left's debate tactics is the use of misleading language.

The worst is that statements are made about state spending which are only true as a percentage of GDP and not true as stated. The phrase "real terms" has somehow been coopted to mean percentage of GDP when it always used to mean corrected for inflation. Whilst one might hold the (incorrect) opinion that spending as a percentage of GDP is what matters, that doesn't excuse the ue of language designed to deceive.

The next worst I think would be the suggestion that the rich pay less tax that the poor. It's a similar thing. What they means is pay less tax as a percentage of their income. That's not the same thing.

 

Both sides are guilty of using the single word "tax" to refer to total taxation and income tax or corporation tax depending on the situation, which is again highly misleading.