Ultra-Conservatves perception of liberals and leftists

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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2003 11:23 pm Post subject:
I have a theory about ultra-conservatives in regard to their perception of the amount of liberal and left-wing thought that exists and influences the country. My theory is that the closer they get to being 100% in control of the various media, the control of what political behavior is acceptable (i.e. protests, dissent), etc., the more frenzied they become. A frenzy based on the belief that the country should not be divided. Not even 90 - 10. A news item about a girl who turned her back on the flag had media conservatives hysterical and apoplectic. It is as though the girl turning her back on the flag was the equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction.

You are either for us or you are against us real Americans. You cannot disagree because that means you are against us.
Germans in the late twenties were propogandized into believing that Jews were responsible for every ill besetting the state and society including communism, capitalism, anarchism, social problems such as lesbianism and homosexuality, pornography, smoking among women, and the incidence of abortion. The Jews constituted only 2% of the German population at that time.

I do not mean to suggest or imply that ultra conservatives are Nazis. It's just too good a comparison in regard to the ultra conservative mind-set regarding the evils caused by liberals and leftists. ( We really don't have a measurable amount of leftism in the US.) There must be some psychological term that describes this frenzied belief of ultra conservatives.

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interesting, most people i would say are conservative are quite moderate in there opposition to "liberals" but i would say that america has a large segment of "extreme" conservatives, far more than "extreme" liberals and they do tend to be more violent in their opinions and actions. there were some far left groups in the 60's probably spawned by the war and civil rights movements. i, until recently, regarded myself as moderate but in the past year or so have come to realize that i am farther to the left than i realized. Like many people i have some opinions that would be considered conservative and some that would be considered far left depending on the issue. early american history had a distinct liberal element mostly aroung labor issues such as the Wobblies/Socialists but i really don't see any of that currently.

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Re: Ultra-Conservatves perception of liberals and leftists

BillyFalcon wrote:

My theory is that the closer they get to being 100% in control of the various media, the control of what political behavior is acceptable (i.e. protests, dissent), etc., the more frenzied they become. A frenzy based on the belief that the country should not be divided.

This is not any more accurate than a theory that the same happens on the other end of the spectrum. It may reflect your perception of the state of affairs but that doesn't make it accurate.

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It's just too good a comparison in regard to the ultra conservative mind-set regarding the evils caused by liberals and leftists. ( We really don't have a measurable amount of leftism in the US.) There must be some psychological term that describes this frenzied belief of ultra conservatives.

How is it a "good" comparison? You also neglect to mention that the liberals and leftists make that exact same type of accusations against conservatives as the conservatives make against them.

The idea that there is no measurable amount of leftists in the US is a misnomer. The hardest part would be qualifying who is a leftist. When asked directly I doubt you'd find many people that would say that they themselves were on the far left but I doubt you'd find many who would identify themselves as "ultra-conservatives" either. Watching their actions however, it seems that those who are members of the various Communist parties in the US as well as a fair portion of the Green Party would be considered "far-left" and participation in discussion forums such as this one makes it pretty clear that there is a sizeable portion of the population that could easily be considered "leftist".

The perceived size of the groups at either end of the political spectrum is directly related to ones own political position. The farther you sit to the left, the larger the group on the right seems and vice-versa.

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dyslexia wrote:

interesting, most people i would say are conservative are quite moderate in there opposition to "liberals" but i would say that america has a large segment of "extreme" conservatives, far more than "extreme" liberals and they do tend to be more violent in their opinions and actions.

???? Can you point to a riot begun and/or carried out by "conservatives" in the last 50 or 60 years? How do the actions of a Rush Limbaugh compare to the members of ALF or those who rioted in Seattle? At best you might be able to classify the actions of those that have or have tried to) killed doctors that have performed abortions but I've yet to see any of those people's political views on any issue other than abortion. What violent actions have been attributed to "conservatives"?

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Frankly, I think listening to the mud slinging between the extreme right and the extreme left is like listening to a bunch of wart hogs talking about what ugly animals water buffalo are.

There is more than enough silliness and pettiness to go around -- although to be honest, I see much more directed from the right toward the left than from the left directed toward the right. In fact, most of the "left directed toward the right" seems to be counter-punching; but the right just never seems to miss an opportunity to point out how miserable the left is.

In any case, if the extreme left is a conglomeration of silly, naive, misguided, knee-jerker reactors -- the last people in the world who should call that to their attention are the people on the extreme right. They are all those things plus. And it should be apparent to everyone that the right harbors some of the most mean-spirited, hooray for me, screw you types on the face of the planet.

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Open opposition is healthy for a democracy. The first amendement guarantees the right to freedon of speech, without the fear of being thrown in jail for opposing government policies. Unforutnately, in this time of unbridled patriotism, anyone opposing the president's rabid drive to go to war is considered unAmerican.

Most of the mudslinging is theater. The politicians who are attached to an issue are the most credible. For example, Pete Domenici, the Republican senator from New Mexico has fought quietly and tirelessly for extensive mental health care because his daughter has schizophrenia.

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All in all, I figure the extremes of both wings pretty well balance one another. A statistical analysis of American Politics discloses an essentially equal division between left and right, with the bulk of both sides concentrated toward the middle. The fringes get the attention, but the masses are the movement. There really hasn't been much movement in about a generation.

timber

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Why not compare the far right to Nazis. After all didn't conservatives compare liberals to Communists who intended to turn us into a Godless totalitarian state like the Soviet Union under Stalin. It seems to work for them. What is so horrible about being a leftist since a leftist means anyone who critisizes Bush or anyone slghtly to the left of the far right. Nowadays liberals are becoming more conservative . We need more than one polititical party so Americans have a choice. Over half of eligible voters don't go to the polls because they see no difference in the two parties. The one problem with moderates is that they never do anything to improve the pickle the present administration has gotten us into

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marvan wrote:

Why not compare the far right to Nazis. After all didn't conservatives compare liberals to Communists who intended to turn us into a Godless totalitarian state like the Soviet Union under Stalin. It seems to work for them.

Do you see that portrayal as being accurate? Or is it that you'd rather just lob insults back and forth?

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What is so horrible about being a leftist since a leftist means anyone who critisizes Bush or anyone slghtly to the left of the far right.

Hardly. I've criticized Bush numerous times but no one refers to me a a leftist.

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Nowadays liberals are becoming more conservative . We need more than one polititical party so Americans have a choice. Over half of eligible voters don't go to the polls because they see no difference in the two parties. The one problem with moderates is that they never do anything to improve the pickle the present administration has gotten us into

I'd disagree. If the political spectrum was portrayed as a line 1 mile long the mass of "moderates" in the middle prevents the politicians from moving more than a foot or two from the center. While you may view that as "never doing anything to improve" I see it as preventing either party from going overboard. Since pretty much every major program put forth by any party is untried and unproven having that mass in the center prevents either end from being to radical in their proposals.

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marvan, although connection with the far-right concern issues of government control and imperialism, I would never go so far as to associate them with the Nazis.

Sure, those Southern conservatives deep-down are weary 9 euphemism) Jews and Blacks, but there is a provision in the Constitution that protects America as a nation from ever becoming a Nazi regime. That provision, though largely unknown to a great portion of the American population, is nonetheless distilled into the American way of life through osmosis. In other words, Americans basically know that freedom is the foundation of this country.

I would not go so far as to put the extreme right in the glorified and repugnant category of Naziism for a number of reasons: 1. Because deep-down Trent Lott and his sidekicks are merely sentimental Southerners who long for the old boy network, but are don't have the power to maintain it. 2. Trent Lott sings in a Barber Shop Quartet, and who, I ask, is going to let a guy who sings in a barber shop Quartet lead the masses into an all-white regime?

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Ultra-Conservatves perception of liberals and leftists

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