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shirenomad"...but the strident arguments of my own side pushed me back towards center a bit. Must be an election year." - Chris Jones, GIA Double Agent
Politically, I'm moderate. I lean to the left on some issues, I lean to the right on some issues, and on some issues I remain undecided.
However, put me in a room where everyone leans to the left or right, and I will almost inevitably take the other side of every argument. I think it's important that both sides be represented, not only for the side that isn't there to speak, but also for the side that is there... and under the delusion that everyone with intelligence agrees with them. The debate runs stagnant and a feeling of total superiority sets in. Now your words are dogma, and any disagreement, heresy. That's a bad attitude to take.
A lot of you only see me in "right-wing mode." If that's the case, it's because I've noticed a lot of people making left-wing statements as if they were the most obvious thing in the world, and everyone else chipping in with a "me too!" leaving me to wonder if there's a single member of the GOP left on LiveJournal. But trust me: I do just the opposite when in an environment full of hardline Republicans. Ask![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
westmarked about all the times his hippie brother has annoyed him if you don't believe me.
Politically, I'm moderate. I lean to the left on some issues, I lean to the right on some issues, and on some issues I remain undecided.
However, put me in a room where everyone leans to the left or right, and I will almost inevitably take the other side of every argument. I think it's important that both sides be represented, not only for the side that isn't there to speak, but also for the side that is there... and under the delusion that everyone with intelligence agrees with them. The debate runs stagnant and a feeling of total superiority sets in. Now your words are dogma, and any disagreement, heresy. That's a bad attitude to take.
A lot of you only see me in "right-wing mode." If that's the case, it's because I've noticed a lot of people making left-wing statements as if they were the most obvious thing in the world, and everyone else chipping in with a "me too!" leaving me to wonder if there's a single member of the GOP left on LiveJournal. But trust me: I do just the opposite when in an environment full of hardline Republicans. Ask
westmarked about all the times his hippie brother has annoyed him if you don't believe me.
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-22 05:25 pm (UTC)You know that I'm liberal, but sometimes I play devil's advocate with liberal friends if I find that they're straying too far into the realm of Overreacting or Being Crazy or something like that. I don't do it often, but I do have a tendency to say, "Well, to be fair..." I'm now in an environment where my ideals are more the norm, but I feel bad for my friends who are more on the conservative side, because I feel like liberals can (somewhat ironically) be close-minded. I know of some moderates who tend to feel like the odd man/woman out because of their views, and I can completely see why, given how far apart the "conservative" and "liberal" camps are sometimes.
* And when I say "balance" I mean a reasonable amount. My roommate fall semester last year was annoying in his pride for "being balanced," when really he just liked arguing to the point where it was hard to tell which side he's really on.