Some thoughts on the "left vs right" paradigm.
So... This has been on my mind a bit and I just wanted to mention it...
Also, before I do I'd like to preface it by saying that I'm not trying to shame or belittle anyone or act superior.
What I wanted to mention is that I find the whole left vs right political situation very interesting and a bit concerning.
I feel like I'm fortunate to have a good balance of both sides on my social media friends list and when certain news comes out I get to see both sides from a more "in the middle" sort of perspective.
For example, the recent climate change stuff that's been in the news, a good portion of my friends think it's basically propaganda by those in power to try to control and enslave people more.
And... Another good portion of my friends believe the science is basically settled and that it is one of the most serious issues we face as a people which could lead to our demise if we don't act soon.
And then I'm here somewhere in the middle just admitting I don't know what the truth is. I did look into climate change years ago pretty deep and spent a good amount of time exploring the subject, but in the end, I came to the conclusion that I just don't know for sure.
I'm okay admitting I don't know things, however, I don't think it's possible for both sides to be correct in this case...?
And both sides for the most part from what I've seen essentially claim they are absolutely 100% correct... So at least one side must be incorrect, right?
What kind of bothers me about it is that there is so much vitriol, intolerance, name-calling and disrespect on both sides and that it seems rare to find civil genuine discussion as opposed to each side trying to force their beliefs on the other.
I think political parties or other kinds of groups often tend to create an "us vs them" tribal sort of mindset and it's sorta like a sports game where the people just want their team to win, regardless of what the truth actually is... They just wanna win and be right and I think a lot of important things can be lost when that kind of mindset prevails.
To me, it seems like it would be more ideal to just talk about subjects genuinely, rather than attaching a political label or group to it and just focus on the issues and ideas themselves rather than insulting and attacking the other side or toeing the line of what your particular group is claiming.
And I mean I've been aware of some of this kind of stuff for a long time which is why I've never fully associated with either political side, I started my journey into learning more about the broader world with more right-leaning individuals as friends and then after becoming vegan I became friends with a lot more left-leaning individuals and now I see the polarization more than ever and I wish people could get along better instead of fighting so much...
To be totally straight forward the conspiracy theorist part of me thinks that those in power intentionally want so many people fighting each other more instead of them working together to get to the truth.
I could be wrong and am openminded to the possibilities, though it really does seem to me sometimes like a sort of "divide and conquer" scenario where people who would otherwise be potential friends or allies working together are instead at each other's throats and hating each other because of political string-pullers guiding so many people into conflict with each other.
Anyways... I think I'm going to touch on this subject in more detail in the future in a podcast series I'm working on, but I just felt like saying a lil something right now cause it's been on my mind a lot...
What do you any of you who may happen to read this think if you don't mind sharing?
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Hi @apolymask, I enjoyed reading your post but no comment.
Hey rodrook, glad to hear you enjoyed reading the post and I think I understand in regards to not having or wanting to comment.
It's been a while since I've seen you on here and it's nice to hear from you! I hope you are doing well.
I think it's as you say, a divide and rule scenario. We're divided along every possible line; black/white, male/female, Moslem/Christian and with this Greta kid, it's child-v-adult/parent.
Now we see the disciples of anthropogenic climate change demanding the deniers be legislated into silence. Dangerous times!
Yeah, it really does seem like a divide and conquer/rule scenario. I can't prove it but it definitely gives me that feeling! And yes, I agree... It seems like we are more divided than ever and people fight over almost everything! I'm still not sure what to think about man caused climate change, though as an anararchist I don't believe in government force so I don't want to see people trying to use government to solve this. Dangerous times indeed. Thank you for your comment.
Hi there @apolymask.
I am with you a 100% on this. Nowadays, it is difficult to discern what is real or who is trying to pull a fast one.
Personally, I think it would be a lot more beneficial to all if people sit down and discuss, and talk to each other, instead of talking at each other, about each other, and creating a divide.
That leaves the cynical me to think both groups are not 100% right. (Who can be a 100% right anyway.) There is some truth and basis for their believes, but in there somewhere, someone is benefiting from all these quarrels. I wouldn't be at all surprised that at the end of the day, it is all about politics and money.
I guess we just have to take what we hear with a pitch of salt, make that a large dose of salt, and use our own judgments. We have to observe and see for ourselves - and then, come to a decision ourselves.
Agreed! It is difficult to discern what is real and who is being deceptive a lot of the time.
I also highly agree with the next part where you said this "talk to each other, instead of talking at each other".
Well said! I may have to quote you on that someday as I feel those are some powerful words.
And yes, good point... The truth probably is somewhere in the middle! That's one thing I've learned in life that the two main arguments are usually extremes of a truth that is often found in the middle.
If so, that would likely mean that we are effecting the climate to some degree, but not so much that we're all going to die in 10 years if we don't do anything, heh. However I admit I don't know what the truth is so I can't say. And yes... I bet there is a huge element there of politics and money!
Good advice at the end there my friend, thank you for sharing your thoughts!
You are welcome. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.😊
I agree with you man. The polarizing nature of these debates gets out of hand in many ways. The issues arent actually discussed to create discourse and understanding or to expand knowledge. They are about winning an us vs them battle, as you pointed out. Pick any political topic that has relevance of the day and you can basically watch it turn into a mindless "battle of the memes." The documentary called "manufacturing consent" is really interesting in its relation to this topic. It demonstrates how lobbyists for special interest groups convince the public to think about a topic the way they want them to, often by mimicking or impersonating scientists. Smoking cigarettes is an example from the past of how they convinced the public to smoke, and now many of the same techniques that were used then are being used on the issues of today, like climate change and such. But anyway, yeah social media like FB right now is basically just memes and click bait articles on the same topic over and over again but from a left or right perspective. Its Madness
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Yeah... It really seems like that sometimes and that's a bummer, I wish we had more people pointing these kinds of things out and attempting to have civil discussion, though it seems like they are drowned out by the hordes of group thinkers who want to protect their egoic groupminds they attach to.
The documentary you mentioned sounds familiar, I'm not sure if I've seen it or not but it sounds interesting and like something I'd like to see, I'm going to see if I can find it on YouTube.
The example of the cigarette lobby and how all that went down is a good example I think for this issue and many others. Quite fascinating indeed and at the same time a bit disturbing as well.
Totally agree with what you said about social media like FB at the end there, it is madness and I see it almost every day. I wish I could help add some kind of perspective to it all but my one small voice is pretty drowned out, heh. Maybe if I had hundreds of thousands of millions of followers but I'm just a small fry.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts leaky!
I believe that you are entirely correct in your contention that the powers that shouldn’t be like nothing better than to see the masses fighting amongst themselves.
When one really takes an objective look at the supposed two sides. I think it’s clear that the division is a lot more evident in the populace. The parasites themselves, after running campaigns which denigrate and malign their opponents, seem to actually do pretty much what their predecessors did. Funny how that works.
In my opinion the entire climate change fiasco is one of the most successful and effective distractions that has ever been imposed on people.
The predictions have failed to come to pass.
The proposed solutions would, by their own admission be insufficient to achieve the results they claim must be achieved in order to reverse the trend.
The conventional scientific community refuses to consider the theories of the electric universe scientists.
Even a silly old man like me can figure out that the big yellow thing in the sky has a big impact on terrestrial climate. And if the sun has gone through cycles and those cycles have been recorded in history. Why the heck would anyone think that it’s not going through another one now?
Makes a lot more sense to me than to believe that human beings are somehow separate from and superior to the nature which every other living being on this planet is simply a part of.
I just can’t summon that kind of arrogance.
Yeah... It really seems like that is the case, or at least that it is ONE of their favorite things to see. I wish the general population could realize that, but it seems like they are caught in the illusion and those of us who try to help them see such are often seen as crazy and to be avoided.
That's a good point! The people in power tend to put on a show of acting like they hate each other but then are taking pictures smiling together and partying behind the scenes... Seems to obvious to me, I wonder why the majority of people don't seem to get it? I have some theories, but... Still... Seems like they should get it by now?
I'm certainly openminded to that, though as I mentioned in my OP I don't know what the truth is about man caused climate change, I tend to think there is some truth to it but not to the apocalyptic we're all going to die extreme that many paint it as. And... I think I'm decently smart and to me it seems like the evidence is just not there to conclusively prove such. It's not my main subject, but I would think if it was so overwhelmingly true you would think there wouldn't be such a huge debate about it. My red flag warnings tend to go off when people say a debate is settled and there's no validity to the other side and that we shouldn't even talk about it anymore and just act. I'm definitely super skeptical about the whole thing.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts stevesmithagain!
I think it's about power and the movement of money from one place to another.
I think you're probably right! Seems like power and money are some of the main motivators when it comes to issues like this. That's too bad in my opinion, but I guess that's the world we live in and it's good to be aware of such.
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