Zone1 Every day I have to remind myself that I'm one of the "good guys."

[alang1216]

That’s true. But it‘s pretty extreme when the U.S. President calls the tens of millions who don’t agree with the liberal take on things “threats to democracy.” He is demonizing those with dissenting opinions.

I think he was referring to the MAGA folk who don't believe we still have a democracy and free and fair elections. If I'm right, he was just stating fact.

 

[alang1216]

I think about half of that is driven by the partisan nature of our political system.

Maybe. I walk weekly with someone with the complete opposite political and social positions and values and we don't hate each other. I think we have to be told to hate, unfortunately too many listen.

 

[Foxfyre]

Ever get that feeling? I'm a white Judaeo-Christian straight American male, a Republican, a property-owner, a law-abiding taxpayer, a gun-owner, and have carried a concealed weapon every day for the last 12 years. Yet everywhere I look, I see those like myself being constantly denigrated as being some kind of a "Boogieman".

For sure anybody these days who believes in traditional marriage as the best chance children have to be happy, productive, and successful in life, who believe in small efficient, effective government that works for the people it serves, who believe that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is embodied in law and order, personal responsibility and accountability, and only the truly helpless should not work for what they have. . .

those are now the nation's deplorables held in contempt by those who see a 'woke' government to be God, mom, dad, all powerful, unchallenged, unquestioned and fully participating in the 'new world order'.

That is unless government actually promotes traditional American values, principles, character and thereby becomes deplorable. Then it must be condemned and those in leadership taken down and, if possible, destroyed.

And if, as you say, the American is white and straight and does not support the leftist cult of all powerful government, erasing our history, promoting 'wokeness', dependency, compliance with whatever leftist government dictates. . .

he/she is then also racist, white supremacist, and the largest existential threat to what the Democrats now define as 'our democracy' that is anything but.

 

[Lisa558]

I think he was referring to the MAGA folk who don't believe we still have a democracy and free and fair elections. If I'm right, he was just stating fact.

That would be the people who question the integrity of the last election. That’s about 40 million voters. We are not allowed to express dissent in the New America.

And what you state as FACT is just your leftist opinion.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

I think he was referring to the MAGA folk who don't believe we still have a democracy and free and fair elections. If I'm right, he was just stating fact.

He was referring to any potential political enemy of the people he represents.

 

[dblack]

Maybe. I walk weekly with someone with the complete opposite political and social positions and values and we don't hate each other. I think we have to be told to hate, unfortunately too many listen."

'Walk weekly with' is key. Partisan vitriol falls away when your "enemies" are neighbors and family members. Or, well, usually.

Point is, it's harder to crank up demonizing stereotypes for people you actually know.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

For sure anybody these days who believes in traditional marriage as the best chance children have to be happy, productive, and successful in life, who believe in small efficient, effective government that works for the people it serves, who believe that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is embodied in law and order, personal responsibility and accountability, and only the truly helpless should not work for what they have. . .

those are now the nation's deplorables held in contempt by those who see a 'woke' government to be God, mom, dad, all powerful, unchallenged, unquestioned and fully participating in the 'new world order'.

That is unless government actually promotes traditional American values, principles, character and thereby becomes deplorable. Then it must be condemned and those in leadership taken down and, if possible, destroyed.

And if, as you say, the American is white and straight and does not support the leftist cult of all powerful government, erasing our history, promoting 'wokeness', dependency, compliance with whatever leftist government dictates. . .

he/she is then also racist, white supremacist, and the largest existential threat to what the Democrats now define as 'our democracy' that is anything but.

I see this current woke insanity much like I did The Cultural revolution under Mao.

It is nothing less than a top-down authoritarian stranglehold on every single facet of civilization enforced with relentless detail and targeting the young in order to create a generation of docile, unquestioning proles whose only loyalty is to the all-powerful state.

 

[Lisa558]

He was referring to any potential political enemy of the people he represents.

So that would be every Republican who dissents from his version of the truth.

They hired 87,000 IRS agents for a reason.

 

[dblack]

I see this current woke insanity much like I did The Cultural revolution under Mao.

It is nothing less than a top-down authoritarian stranglehold on every single facet of civilization enforced with relentless detail and targeting the young in order to create a generation of docile, unquestioning proles whose only loyalty is to the all-powerful state.

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, in that I don't think this is their intended endgame. They want a society of love and acceptance, free from bigotry and hatred, etc... Their mistake is thinking that these laudable goals can be forced on society top-down, via government mandate. Indulging that conceit creates a world that is the opposite of what they say they want.

 

[Foxfyre]

I see this current woke insanity much like I did The Cultural revolution under Mao.

It is nothing less than a top-down authoritarian stranglehold on every single facet of civilization enforced with relentless detail and targeting the young in order to create a generation of docile, unquestioning proles whose only loyalty is to the all-powerful state.

And that occurs when the 'woke' works to erase history and rewrite it to support their agenda. . .

When they presume to demonize traditional values, concepts, character that have stood the test of time to be beneficial to all. . .

When they rewrite definitions and weaponize speech, dictate what pronouns and genders we must use, make any expressions of religious faith illegal as much as possible in the public sphere, demand that people of color see themselves as victims and white people see themselves as oppressors for no other reason than they are white. . .

When they make government and the courts all powerful to do what they think is they're bidding. . .

Yes we are dangerously close to losing our country in the same way China was lost to Mao and his Marxist doctrines.

The leftists will not be at all happy with the results if and when that happens. But then it will be too late. For them. For everybody.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, in that I don't think this is their intended endgame. They want a society of love and acceptance, free from bigotry and hatred, etc... Their mistake is thinking that these laudable goals can be forced on society top-down, via government mandate. Indulging that conceit creates a world that is the opposite of what they say they want.

I see this as considerably more sinister than that. I see it as deep state manipulation cloaked in what could appear as altruistic motives, but the end game is total power, total domination. The 'woke' left think they are the morally righteous on the high road. In fact I believe they are willing pawns in a dangerous agenda.

 

[mamooth]

Biggest lie of the year so far!

Underdstood.

The liberal way of thought, that morality is based on actions instead of tribal identity, is just too foreign to you. Your mind simply can't grasp the concept.

That's true of conservatives in general. They're so steeped in identity politics, they can't even imagine that normal people don't base their lives on identity politics. Thus, they project their own identify-politics based lifestyle on to normal people.

Look at this thread. Most of the conservatives announced how they're white and Christian and straight, so that makes them moral. Identity politics is the fundamental basis of conservative "morality", and this thread demonstrates it.

Conservatism is identity politics on crack. It's who they are. It's what defines them. It's the only thing they think about. In their tribal minds, you're either one of them, or you're evil.

 

[JGalt]

Unfortunately there is plenty of hate on every side. Too many think that if someone disagrees with them the other person must be evil.

Was that like a "There are good people on both sides" moment you were having there?

Keep trying. I'm not convinced yet.

 

[Unkotare]

...

The liberal way of thought, that morality is based on actions instead of tribal identity, .....

LIE.

 

[Unkotare]

...They're so steeped in identify politics,....

= democrats

 

[dblack]

I see this as considerably more sinister than that. I see it as deep state manipulation cloaked in what could appear as altruistic motives, but the end game is total power, total domination. The 'woke' left think they are the morally righteous on the high road. In fact I believe they are willing pawns in a dangerous agenda.

Maybe. But it does very little good to assign evil intent to political rivals. And while there are certainly nefarious actors in government, I don't think most progressives dream of a totalitarian state. Willing pawns? Not sure exactly what that means, but I think they have an unjustified faith in democracy and state power. It's up to us to convince them otherwise. I don't think demonizing them helps achieve that goal.

 

[Lisa558]

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, in that I don't think this is their intended endgame. They want a society of love and acceptance, free from bigotry and hatred, etc... Their mistake is thinking that these laudable goals can be forced on society top-down, via government mandate. Indulging that conceit creates a world that is the opposite of what they say they want.

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, in that I don't think this is their intended endgame. They want a society of love and acceptance, free from bigotry and hatred, etc... Their mistake is thinking that these laudable goals can be forced on society top-down, via government mandate. Indulging that conceit creates a world that is the opposite of what they say they want.

How can you say they want a society of love and acceptance when they scream racist, moron, and every other name in the book at people who simply have different policy positions, such as ensuring a secure border?

 

[Lisa558]

Maybe. But it does very little good to assign evil intent to political rivals. And while there are certainly nefarious actors in government, I don't think most progressives dream of a totalitarian state. Willing pawns? Not sure exactly what that means, but I think they have an unjustified faith in democracy and state power. It's up to us to convince them otherwise. I don't think demonizing them helps achieve that goal.

How can we convince them otherwise when we are silenced and they aren’t willing to listen to conservative media?

 

[JGalt]

...said somebody at every point in our history.

Whut?

Number of mass shootings in the U.S. 1982-2023 | Statista

 

[dblack]

How can you say they want a society of love and acceptance when they scream racist, moron, and every other name in the book at people who simply have different policy positions, such as ensuring a secure border?

That's a good question, and one you should ask anyone you know who leans left. I'm sure they have similar concerns with the screaming hatred directed their way. But we need to talk about it. And not on TV. Not on the internet. The media is a fear factory. Go outside. Walk around the block. Talk to your friends and neighbors. That's where politics should happen.