Something Completely Different

Community section => The Lounge => Topic started by: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 02:32 PM

Title: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 02:32 PM
I caught this post from Janszoon in another thread,

Quote from: Janszoon on Mar 03, 2023, 07:28 AM
Quote from: Janszoon on Feb 06, 2023, 05:05 PMSo is this going to turn into a right wing reactionary forum or what?
Welp, it's been less than a month since I posted this and it certainly looks like it's headed that way. It's sad to see.


It's a valid question both ways really. It could be we're also headed for a left-wing bent. My guess is it's going to turn into a hotbed of political arguments in general with nobody's minds being changed.

Could administration do something about it? Yeah, probably, but what would be the cost? I guess my hope is that we can have political discourse without getting personal and with the knowledge that Nimbly isn't suddenly going to turn into Obama or I (as a moderate lefty) will suddenly turn into DeSantis.

But I'm also hoping we can concentrate more on the things that do unite us such as our love of music and pop culture in general. Even if we do have our different preferences.

Anyhow, I guess I'm asking is in what direction should this forum be taking?
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: fire on Mar 03, 2023, 02:51 PM
If something is bothering you, or you don't agree with, or you think that someone is wrong, or something else.
Just ignore it.
Don't reply. Don't comment. Don't post emojis.
We can all get along.
I have noticed discussing here and on music banter have become very hostile, calling names and such other words, and it feels like a fight between children (who is right and who is better), and not adults who are having a good time discussing topics from the news or other important things.

Have a great weekend everyone, love you all ❤
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Toy Revolver on Mar 03, 2023, 03:19 PM
i'm not sure but in general i think there's way too much leniency shown to capitalism here same as basically everywhere in western europe and america

again i don't really know for sure but i think the typical poster here supports reforming capitalism and not completely decimating everything about it

to be slightly left of center in the capitalist west and especially america is to be extremely far radical right in an objective sense

being a moderate or a liberal capitalist is a radical statement of acquiescence to the entire planet becoming uninhabitable in deference to cult of capitalism
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 03:32 PM
No, there is only one right wing poster and that's Anteater and he would say so himself.

Not everything you disagree or don't like is right wing.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Nimbly9 on Mar 03, 2023, 03:35 PM
There was never any guarantee that our planet could sustain any longstanding species forever. If anything, I'm surprised we've lasted this long. The world should be focused on the technologies that would eliminate negative environmental outcomes from mankind's activities, cause you aren't going to get the leopard to change its spots no matter what kind of society you build. Communists like their coffee and fancy cars just as much as their capitalist neighbors.

Unfortunately, you could drop every "1st world" country into the depths of the ocean tomorrow Atlantis-style and the hundreds of millions of impoverished people in places that are not these countries are still going to demand a much higher standard of living, which means industrialization and a ton of environmental harm over the coming decades that would make the U.S.'s own pollution output look like a drop in the bucket.

Technology, most likely enabled by capitalism, is the only answer at this point.  Nothing else is even remotely feasible because people will not go back to a time and place where they can't have the things they want in the way that they want it.  Like it or not, humans are creatures of convenience, and if you need even more evidence of this look at what people are doing with AI.

Quote from: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 03:32 PMNo, there is only one right wing poster and that's Anteater and he would say so himself.

Not everything you disagree or don't like is right wing.

Just cause I roll my eyes at most left-wing solutions to problems doesn't mean I'm right-wing.  There's only so many choices out there after all.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Guybrush on Mar 03, 2023, 03:37 PM
As a left leaning person from the social democracy that is Norway, I assume I'd be considered more or less a communist by most of you fine folks.

Unless completely warped by religion or conspiracy theory, I mostly think right and left basically want to achieve the same things which is a better quality of life for most people in the long run. We have different ideas of how to get there and I think it's important that people are able to communicate in a way that they're actually able to exchange ideas, especially when they disagree. This battlefield of ideas is where good ideas ultimately should defeat the bad ones.

An echo chamber isn't interesting. If you have a unique take on something, that's interesting to me, even if it's just as a challenge to my own beliefs or values.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Lexi Darling on Mar 03, 2023, 03:40 PM
Quote from: fire on Mar 03, 2023, 02:51 PMIf something is bothering you, or you don't agree with, or you think that someone is wrong, or something else.
Just ignore it.

With all due respect, if someone's post on here makes me uncomfortable I'm going to speak up about it.

I do not see this as a political issue, for the record. It's a universal thing to want to feel welcome and at home in this community. My aim is not to start arguments or change minds, it's to voice my own discomfort with what has been posted, and I don't think it's right to discourage that.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Toy Revolver on Mar 03, 2023, 03:52 PM
QuoteTechnology, most likely enabled by capitalism, is the only answer at this point. 

do you still support ubi because letting ai do the work and figure it out while we pay ourselves for watching the show might be something i could roll with
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Nimbly9 on Mar 03, 2023, 03:53 PM
Quote from: Guybrush on Mar 03, 2023, 03:37 PMUnless completely warped by religion or conspiracy theory, I mostly think right and left basically want to achieve the same things which is a better quality of life for most people in the long run. We have different ideas of how to get there and I think it's important that people are able to communicate in a way that they're actually able to exchange ideas, especially when they disagree. This battlefield of ideas is where good ideas ultimately should defeat the bad ones.

An echo chamber isn't interesting. If you have a unique take on something, that's interesting to me, even if it's just as a challenge to my own beliefs or values.

I agree with this, which is why people should try to debate without calling each other names and stuff.  I'm guilty of the latter just as much as anyone, but I've always made it a point never to start that way cause it isn't helpful.

Quote from: Dreams on Mar 03, 2023, 03:52 PM
QuoteTechnology, most likely enabled by capitalism, is the only answer at this point. 

do you still support ubi because letting ai do the work and figure it out while we pay ourselves for watching the show might be something i could roll with

I still support UBI and I think Yang was onto something.  Just look at what happened during the pandemic.  The money that was actually sent to individuals and families ended up going back into the economy and making a difference.  This is in stark contrast to all that Covid relief money that businesses applied for....so much of it was stolen and that was literally your tax dollars and mine.

Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 03:54 PM
Quote from: Nimbly9 on Mar 03, 2023, 03:35 PMJust cause I roll my eyes at most left-wing solutions to problems doesn't mean I'm right-wing.  There's only so many choices out there after all.

Honestly thought you openly admitted being right wing.

You're the only one who votes for the right anyway?
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 04:02 PM
I don't think Nimbly is the only conservative here though he probably is one of the few. I think calling someone a right-winger (or left-winger for that matter) may be a little counterproductive. Yes, Nimbly is a conservative, but probably more in the Reagan sense than anything resembling Mussolini or Hitler. I may not agree with Reaganesque philosophies but it's a long way from some "final solution."
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Nimbly9 on Mar 03, 2023, 04:12 PM
Quote from: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 04:02 PMI don't think Nimbly is the only conservative here though he probably is one of the few. I think calling someone a right-winger (or left-winger for that matter) may be a little counterproductive. Yes, Nimbly is a conservative, but probably more in the Reagan sense than anything resembling Mussolini or Hitler. I may not agree with Reaganesque philosophies but it's a long way from some "final solution."

The right/left binary is blurry at times. Most people have a "constrained" or "unconstrained" vision of politics / government and drift between these respective territories throughout their life on specific issues. There are people who voted for Reagan who might also vote against the interests of big business.  There are people who voted for Clinton but possibly disagreed with aspects of his globalism vision.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 04:21 PM
Quote from: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 04:02 PMI don't think Nimbly is the only conservative here though he probably is one of the few. I think calling someone a right-winger (or left-winger for that matter) may be a little counterproductive. Yes, Nimbly is a conservative, but probably more in the Reagan sense than anything resembling Mussolini or Hitler. I may not agree with Reaganesque philosophies but it's a long way from some "final solution."

I don't think he's a bad guy or anything, he doesn't get abusive or hostile whatever his opinion is. Just assumed he was open about his position and that it was right wing. Maybe I should have siad conservative but the thread title says right wing so I just went with that.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 04:23 PM
I think it ultimately boils down to the economy. It was a winning issue for Reagan certainly and it was a winning issue for Clinton as well. It proved to be the issue that got Obama over the finish line with McCain. When things were going well, such as in 2000, you saw more of a political divide, albeit a more civil one than we have today. Like you said, the political spectrum can be blurry. It's hard to blame anyone for today's economic woes today between Covid and Putin's misadventures causing much of the problems, maybe a pox on both (or all) houses this time around.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 04:26 PM
Quote from: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 04:21 PMI don't think he's a bad guy or anything, he doesn't get abusive or hostile whatever his opinion is. Just assumed he was open about his position and that it was right wing. Maybe I should have siad conservative but the thread title says right wing so I just went with that.

I used right wing because I was quoting another member who happens to have that fear. I don't worry about that so much as it possibly becoming a Wild West style of forum where things get out of control rather easily.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Nimbly9 on Mar 03, 2023, 04:48 PM
I did vote for Obama in 2008...first POTUS I was old enough to vote for.  Good times.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Rubber Soul on Mar 03, 2023, 05:01 PM
I first voted in 1980- for John Anderson. :laughing:

I was angry with Carter for reinstituting draft registration and I thought I was going to end up in Afghanistan or Iran (this was during the Iranian hostage crisis). As I mentioned before, I'm pretty much a liberal so Reagan was out. And I liked Anderson with his more centrist approach to things, so I went with him.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 05:57 PM
My voting record is as follows:

Labour
Remain
Labour
Labour

Lost every single vote. I even lost when I voted in the local elections and for the mayor.

I've been called right wing numerous times 😂

I'd eat my own cock before voting Tory tbf.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Toy Revolver on Mar 03, 2023, 06:14 PM
Tony Blair destroyed Labour's legitimacy with his stupid foreign policy.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 06:48 PM
Blair has been gone for about 18 years now. And I never said Labour were perfect anyway cos they're not.
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Toy Revolver on Mar 03, 2023, 07:23 PM
Quote from: jimmy jazz on Mar 03, 2023, 06:48 PMBlair has been gone for about 18 years now. And I never said Labour were perfect anyway cos they're not.

i know buddy - i hear ya

i just think that's a bit of significant history to learn from

or not - it's your conutry
Title: Re: Are we becoming a right-wing forum
Post by: Trollheart on Mar 04, 2023, 04:43 AM
Hey at least you're not in Ireland, where when an unpopular party (unpopular, that is, with the other parties) is voted into power the others stop them being elected by the simple expedient of sulking "not working with them." And it was a policy that fucking worked! None of the three main parties would work with Sinn Fein, despite their getting the most seats in the Dail (parliament/house of commons/senate I guess) and as a result two of the major parties - neither of whom were wanted and both of whom have more or less shared the government of Ireland since we became an independent republic - formed an uneasy alliance and they now run the country. It's so fucking stupid that - and this is not a joke - the two parties are actually taking turns being taoiseach (Prime Minister) - guy from Fianna Fail was in charge up to a month or so ago and now he's handed it over to his buddy/rival in Fine Gael. Meanwhile nobody knows what Sinn Fein would have done, in their first ever government, as the other parties deliberately kept them out, overruling the will of the Irish people! Democracy at work, ladies and gentlemen!