Guest American Woman Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 Don't know if this actually falls under the category of political "philosophy," but it seems the best fit: The Difference Between Republicans and Democrats -- Peter Landes A woman in a hot-air balloon is lost, so she shouts to a man below, "Excuse me. I promised a friend I would meet him, but I don't know where I am." "You're at 31 degrees, 14.57 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude," he replies. "You must be a Democrat." "I am. How did you know?" "Because everything you told me is technically correct, but the information is useless, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've been no help." "You must be a Republican." "Yes. How did you know?" "You've risen to where you are due to a lot of hot air, you made a promise you couldn't keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault." It's a joke, of course, but a joke with (some) truth behind it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TrueMetis Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I'll take the democrat, if you know how to use it and have the proper tools it was very useful information. (perhaps I'm over-analyzing, still funny though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitsy Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 The real difference could be in the wiring, Scientists have found that people with conservative views have brains with larger amygdalas, almond shaped areas in the centre of the brain often associated with anxiety and emotions.On the otherhand, they have a smaller anterior cingulate, an area at the front of the brain associated with courage and looking on the bright side of life. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8228192/Political-views-hard-wired-into-your-brain.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest American Woman Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I'll take the democrat, if you know how to use it and have the proper tools it was very useful information. (perhaps I'm over-analyzing, still funny though) I thought it was pretty funny, too, and there's a lot that can be said in a little joke; but I'm with you -- I'll take the Democrat. But then, I am a Democrat, so perhaps that's why I'm seeing the Dem as being presented in the better light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubberMiley Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 The only difference between the two parties is the rhetoric they use to get elected. Once elected, they govern exactly the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I think either description could fit a member of either party depending on who it is. The point is that politicians say one thing and tend to do another after being elected, perhaps partly because before they got elected they didn't have all the information at hand. And partly because they might be amoral power hungry manipulators or keepers of the higher truths that us mere mortals can not be trusted with. At the heart of it, I think that politicians are only mirrors of society, reflections of the people they seek to lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodyminded Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I think either description could fit a member of either party depending on who it is. The point is that politicians say one thing and tend to do another after being elected, perhaps partly because before they got elected they didn't have all the information at hand. And partly because they might be amoral power hungry manipulators or keepers of the higher truths that us mere mortals can not be trusted with. At the heart of it, I think that politicians are only mirrors of society, reflections of the people they seek to lead. I don't think the peice is specifically, only about politicians; it's also about the sectors of the public that identify with and argue for either party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest American Woman Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 I don't think the peice is specifically, only about politicians; it's also about the sectors of the public that identify with and argue for either party. I agree. I didn't even read it as applying specifically to politicians; I took it as applying, generally, of course, to the masses who identify as Democrats or Republicans. I don't see how members of the parties wouldn't share some characteristics with the politicians; seems to me it would be inevitable that they would. I think either description could fit a member of either party depending on who it is. The point is that politicians say one thing and tend to do another after being elected, perhaps partly because before they got elected they didn't have all the information at hand. This is a good point. The intentions may have been sincere, but the reality they have to face after being elected doesn't always allow the intentions to be realized. Once elected, it seems almost inevitable that one would have to play the game of politics; to what degree may be the biggest difference between politicians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TrueMetis Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 The real difference could be in the wiring, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8228192/Political-views-hard-wired-into-your-brain.html Awesome. I thought it was pretty funny, too, and there's a lot that can be said in a little joke; but I'm with you -- I'll take the Democrat. But then, I am a Democrat, so perhaps that's why I'm seeing the Dem as being presented in the better light. I'd rather not have to take either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 You know, it's strange. I've been very political on this forum in years past and it's been a big part of who I am. But in the last year so I think I've become somewhat disenchanted with politics or something. The rise of Obama should have had me quite involved here and following along closely to his policies, actions and such, but although I find him to be out there in the left somewhere, I also see him to be like the rest of them, conniving and horse trading, making promises and then not delivering. He hasn't been able to solve the recession after 2 years, but would Bush have done any better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hardner Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 You know, it's strange. I've been very political on this forum in years past and it's been a big part of who I am. But in the last year so I think I've become somewhat disenchanted with politics or something. The rise of Obama should have had me quite involved here and following along closely to his policies, actions and such, but although I find him to be out there in the left somewhere, I also see him to be like the rest of them, conniving and horse trading, making promises and then not delivering. He hasn't been able to solve the recession after 2 years, but would Bush have done any better? Sharkman, you're participating in futuristic democracy - the cyber town hall, so of course the old warhorses of the past would seem odd to you. Since I've joined forums such as these, I can't identify with the parties, as every one of them holds up policies that aren't based in reality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) .... The rise of Obama should have had me quite involved here and following along closely to his policies, actions and such, but although I find him to be out there in the left somewhere, I also see him to be like the rest of them, conniving and horse trading, making promises and then not delivering. He hasn't been able to solve the recession after 2 years, but would Bush have done any better? Why would you have any expectations either way? Did President Obama promise you something? Edited January 3, 2011 by bush_cheney2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I don't think the peice is specifically, only about politicians; it's also about the sectors of the public that identify with and argue for either party. It seemed more like a stereotypical anecdote about a woman getting lost and asking a man for directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 The real difference could be in the wiring, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8228192/Political-views-hard-wired-into-your-brain.html Interesting study. It reminds me of a story I saw a few years ago on the rapid 'evolution' of a population of foxes into dogs. An attempt to breed tamer foxes by selecting and breeding the tamest ones resulted in foxes with droopy ears and wagging tails, dogs in other words, within ten generations. Apparently the loss or suppression of fear in the foxes caused molecular changes in their DNA resulting in the emergence of their seemingly friendlier traits. Of course people aren't canines but that said, I suppose the discovery of a "Liberal Gene" might offer fearful parents the means to test for and abort any fetuses that might be afflicted with it. However as they were all adults it was hard to say whether their brains had been born that way or had developed through experience. As the old adage has it we apparently get more conservative as we age. Maybe that's what makes getting old such a drag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Of course people aren't canines but that said, I suppose the discovery of a "Liberal Gene" might offer fearful parents the means to test for and abort any fetuses that might be afflicted with it. Perhaps we should go one step further and encourage mothers to let their babies hear Domenic Troiano guitar playing while still in the womb. That might help inoculate them against hiphop. If it affects them genetically so that the inoculation is passed on then so much the better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonJowett Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Worst Guess Who era ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Why would you have any expectations either way? Did President Obama promise you something? What expectations was I expressing of Obama? I don't see any, but I expect you'll have them for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 What expectations was I expressing of Obama? I don't see any, but I expect you'll have them for me! Not at all, as clearly you expressed some expectations from President Obama that have not been realized. Are some people so devoid of personal bearings that they look to an elected but inherently compromised leader to inspire them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Well, come election cycle hundreds of thousands supporting both parties would fit into that description I suppose. And I guess I was expecting him to suck, so I am guilty of expectations too. But like I was saying, I just don't cranked up about politics like I used too. Am I doing something wrong, is something wrong with me or am I suffering from Bush withdrawal syndrome. If I remember, you've been around the block a time or two, what do you think is happening to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hardner Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 If I remember, you've been around the block a time or two, what do you think is happening to me? It's the forums, I tells ya ! You can't go back to experiencing television-era political stupidity after being on here for a few years. I feel that I never knew a real conservative before I came on here. Most of my crowd are liberals. After coming on here, I came to understand the viewpoint of conservatives, and I have even come to be aware of the closet conservatives in my midst too. I would say that I now empathize on some basic conservative values: - Rewarding good work in society - Promoting efficiency - Rejecting purely emotional arguments Of course, I would argue that many liberals hold these values too, but liberal programs are less likely to contain these values IMO. Over the years, I have come to be aware of the closet conservatives in my midst too. As a result of my experiences on here, I feel that I can't discuss politics with my liberal friends, because they don't view conservative viewpoints to be reasonable, or even real. They have caricatures of what conservatives are, and seem to want conservative thinking to be just swept away. I, on the other hand, am more aware than ever of how positive dissonance between conservative and liberals needs to be used to move us into the next era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) ....As a result of my experiences on here, I feel that I can't discuss politics with my liberal friends, because they don't view conservative viewpoints to be reasonable, or even real. They have caricatures of what conservatives are, and seem to want conservative thinking to be just swept away. I, on the other hand, am more aware than ever of how positive dissonance between conservative and liberals needs to be used to move us into the next era. Bravo! Your observation is most telling and evident in many threads. That's the engaging element for me as well, as I came to Canadian forums back in 2002 during the run up to the Iraq War for an "international" perspective. The conservative view is real and every bit deserving of attention as anything from the left. I was rewarded with an international brand of liberalism one could only imagine from the domestic likes of America's Democratic Underground. Positive (and negative) dissonance is far more interesting than being playing a sheep. Plus it's just great fun! Edited January 4, 2011 by bush_cheney2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hardner Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Bravo! Your observation is most telling and evident in many threads. That's the engaging element for me as well, as I came to Canadian forums back in 2002 during the run up to the Iraq War for an "international" perspective. The conservative view is real and every bit deserving of attention and anything from the left. I was rewarded with an international brand of liberalism one could only imagine from the domestic likes of America's Democratic Underground. Positive (and negative) dissonance is far more interesting than being playing a sheep. Plus it's just great fun! Let's all keep fighting then.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodyminded Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 It seemed more like a stereotypical anecdote about a woman getting lost and asking a man for directions. You know, you're right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Bandelot Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 We need a new name for our politicians. In the US, they could use the name "Repugnicrats". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) We need a new name for our politicians. In the US, they could use the name "Repugnicrats". Or they could use the name...."NotYourPoliticians". Edited January 9, 2011 by bush_cheney2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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