Lefties

[Darg]

As with everything people feel strongly about the loudest people are the ones who are heard most and the loudest people are generally the ones who haven't put much serious thought into their position.

I would consider myself as leftist in many ways, for example I strongly support many socialist aspects, the living wage being one of them, a well funded NHS being another. However I don't feel the need to talk about it, I also don't think Corbyn would make a particularly good PM, he's too far to the left to ever be elected for one thing, it was a mistake for Labour to vote him in.

But back to my main point, both sides have the idiots that make that side look bad. Just look at Trump in America giving right wing people a terrible image, couple that with the hillbilly redneck image they already had and all of a sudden the "righties" don't look too good either.

 

[Danthus]

Quite a lot of "lefties" cringe whenever he gets wheeled out.

The man is a walking hypocrite.

Hates tax avoidance, writes for a newspaper that aggressively engages in tax avoidance.

 

[wordy]

I agree nothing is being done and it should absolutely be clamped down on. What do you suggest? This is our world and we all have the power to influence it in some way (whether that's not using the services of a company we don't like or arranging a protest group)..

That's a huge topic for debate, don't know if we've done it on here before.

Couple of thoughts I've put together whilst on my dinner....

The government shoulder pretty much the whole responsibility for this & I think they have spectacularly failed to act upon it, or even show any interest, other than pay the slightest amount of lip service to the issue

With the lack of government will to effect change I'd say the responsibility lies at the media's collective feet in this case(and a lot of others) they have the most ability to shape public opinion & force governments to take note.

I think realistically for this particular issue all that can be done at consumer level is boycotting a product, but with that comes issues that will impact some peoples lives massively so I can't see there being a big appetite for that*.



*At the beginning of the year I went vegetarian & only eat eggs from poultry raised locally on free range farms. So boycotting a product for something I feel strongly about isn't something I'm averse to personally.

 

[gandhi]

A journalist published a tale in a national newspaper. Paraphrasing it, said journalist was living next door to a London council house many years ago. The existing tenant was turfed out (I can't recall the specifics) and the next day, workmen turned up and started on the house, which was fitted out cost no object.

Who was then observed to move into this council house but a certain Mr Corbyn, who just so happened to be working for the labour council at the time.

I don't have links but believe this was published in the Telegraph. Basically Corbyn is as bad a champagne socialist as any other lefty. He just hides it for his own ends.

EDIT here's the link. Not quite as I remember it as it wasn't Corbyn himself moving in, but just as damning on him nevertheless http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...my-Corbyns-rule-it-turned-me-into-a-Tory.html

Yep, well done for completely misquoting an article that is edging just on the right side of libel and is actually a thinly veiled hatchet job.

For those who can't be bothered to read it;

I'm a very wealthy person who used to live in a semi. The local council bought it for social housing and I'm still quite bitter about it 40 years later so I am going to draw together some very tenuous connections, resort to hyperbole and some colourful language to try and besmirch the character of a left wing politician

 

[Avenged7Fold]

I cant help but feel a lot of people on some the threads in GD cant distinguish between left wing and left leaning and that they associate anything outside their view as left.

Usually when everything that doesn't align with you is left, its because you are all the way on the far right

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

I agree nothing is being done and it should absolutely be clamped down on. What do you suggest? This is our world and we all have the power to influence it in some way (whether that's not using the services of a company we don't like or arranging a protest group)..

But something IS being done, was some in budget yesterday for example.
E.g the interest one

The whole area is complicated, most of the schemes are legal. As loopholes are closed new ones are exploited.

Some of the biggest players in the EU have been behind some of them, and we are tied by some of the EU treaties in regards what we can and cannot do.

You have to realise that the main responsibilities of senior people in businesses are by their very nature employed by the shareholders to maximise the shareholders value. So if that means undertaking clever tax planning thats what they are obliged to do. Don't blame the player blame the game.

Luexmbourg, Ireland and The Netherlands are three of the countries within the EU blatantly looking to benefit by taking taxes from another member state by offering systems to do so. Its far from easy for one government to block this without simply playing the same game.

 

[gandhi]

I cant help but feel a lot of people on some the threads in GD cant distinguish between left wing and left leaning and that they associate anything outside their view as left.

Usually when everything that doesn't align with you is left, its because you are all the way on the far right

Overton Window

Seriously though, when most of the posters here are only slightly more centrist than the National Socialist German Workers' Party, then stormfront probably look a bit left wing and risque.

 

[Diddums]

Hmm, having a go at thicko lefties might backfire...

Has anyone linked to the research about how right wing people are thicker than left wing people, on average?

Apart from the sound effects, this clip is great,

I just showed the chap in the OP this video, he instantly got his back up and went straight in to defense mode thinking that I wanted to prove a point. I simple explained that it wasn't the case and it was just a video I got off here. He backed down quite quickly and we had a bit of a chat, which ended up in him telling me that the only reason he supports Labour is because of Corbyn, if Corbyn wasn't heading the party he'd be supporting Green.


He's a lovely guy, but a bit of a fruit loop at times



Just don't mention politics.

 

[elmarko]

Is there likely to be lower intelligence on the left side

This is demonstrably false, a majority of academics reside on the 'left' of the political spectrum.

Notably a higher rate of education tends on average to lead to a great degree of liberalism, even the Daily Mail - the spiritual bible of the right said so .

But more seriously, the arguments the OP made about those of the left are pretty much the exact same ones I can make about anybody on the left or right of the political spectrum when discussion politics.

Hardly anybody is interested in finding out the truth of false value of a given claim, nobody fact-checks or does independent research. Pretty much a vast majority of people on both sides of the political spectrum have laughably simplistic political views.

Ironically, the stupidity the OP seems to have a problem with he's displaying himself with his simplified bias generalisations.

 

[Diddums]

Ironically, the stupidity the OP seems to have a problem with he's displaying himself with his simplified bias generalisations.

You should probably read the OP again, as it was raising questions, not pigeonholing people.

 

[elmarko]

You should probably read the OP again, as it was raising questions, not pigeonholing people.

The title of the thread is "Lefties" & in part of his opening statement the following.

"I know a few of them and they all seem to have very simple minds (not trying to offend anyone here, this is just an observation, which is why I'm trying to understand this mindset)."

If his question was, "Why do I have stupid friends?" - I wouldn't be implying the generalisation. The use of the term "mindset" is clearly meant to be aimed at anybody who isn't a proponent of right wing ideology.

Anyway, in reply to the OP.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...conservative-politics-lead-people-racist.html

 

[Diddums]

Again, you're reading it wrong.

 

[elmarko]

Again, you're reading it wrong.

You are failing to read the blatantly obvious suggestion within the text. As I've already stated - the thread isn't called "My stupid friends".

If this isn't the case then it displays a notable deficit it understanding implied meaning within text - either way it's ironic.

Right wingers

I know a number of right wingers and they all seem to have very flawed & illogical minds (not trying to offend anyone here, this is just an observation, which is why I'm trying to understand this mindset).

- make sense now?.

 

[Diddums]

I know. You know how I know? Because I am the OP.

As for this comment:

Ironically, the stupidity the OP seems to have a problem with he's displaying himself with his simplified bias generalisations.

If your reading skills are as good as your writing skills then it's excusable. Glass houses in aisle 4 sir.

 

[elmarko]

I know. You know how I know? Because I am the OP.

As for this comment:

If your reading skills are as good as your writing skills then it's excusable. Glass houses in aisle 4 sir.

It's hard to keep track of the trash written on this forum sometimes.

 

[Diddums]

Fantastic, well thought out reply. Bravo.

 

[elmarko]

Fantastic, well thought out reply. Bravo.

It wasn't meant to be, I'm simply pointing out that the amount of hyperbolic right wing trash written on this forum makes it hardly worth seeing who the OP is most of time.

The original post was frankly bias trash.

 

[Diddums]

I see it doesn't meet your standards. I apologize. I'll break out the crayons next time.

 

[Zethor]

You should probably read the OP again, as it was raising questions, not pigeonholing people.

What questions? You're mixing your uniformed opinions with anecdotes which leads to wrong conclusions.

Modern leftwing politics are associated with humanism, equality, progressivism, social liberalism and environmentalism. These tend to be favoured by highly educated and/or intelligent people. That being said, you will find dim people all over the political spectrum and it's pointless to try to understand them all.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

This is demonstrably false, a majority of academics reside on the 'left' of the political spectrum.

Notably a higher rate of education tends on average to lead to a great degree of liberalism, even the Daily Mail - the spiritual bible of the right said so .

But more seriously, the arguments the OP made about those of the left are pretty much the exact same ones I can make about anybody on the left or right of the political spectrum when discussion politics.

Hardly anybody is interested in finding out the truth of false value of a given claim, nobody fact-checks or does independent research. Pretty much a vast majority of people on both sides of the political spectrum have laughably simplistic political views.

Ironically, the stupidity the OP seems to have a problem with he's displaying himself with his simplified bias generalisations.

Nice selective bit of snipping there to infer something different to what was actually written. Did you even read the rest before you clipped and posted?
Or decided it looked better to only quote the start of a statement that was then challenged immediately afterwards...?

However a few intellectuals means nothing compared to the majority of the population.
My workplace has a vast disparity in education as its a manufacturing and also a research site. Guess what the level of education and intelligence showed by one group, who happen to be far more right aligned than left is vastly different to the other with poor education and no visible signs of high intelligence. Want to make a bet which group seem to be able to hold a reasoned debate far better than the other?

And this wasn't about liberalism, I find the left far from liberal in most of their views (not that the right are any different)