Political Theory

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

NidStyles — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:12:23 GMT

You do realize that both of those parties are essentially the same, right? Their only differences are Abortion, Welfare, and a few other minor thing's. The both have massive propaganda networks and are top down organizational structures. They are also both bought out by the very corporate insituations that they supposedly object to.

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Eric080 — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:17:32 GMT

I think liberals get a bad rap for being more emotional, but if you include fear in this emotional paradigm, conservatives have liberals beat by a mile and a half. I've never seen a group of more insecure, persecution-complex-suffering, whining, and scared people in my life. They are religious to the point of shutting their minds off to the possibility that they may be wrong about the fundamental nature of reality, see the world in terms of a political map, get wrapped up in mysticism about the Great Nation State along with all of its waving flags and bald eagles and Ronald Reagan, and are scared of foreign people. Right, one terrorist attack that actually worked is supposed to set off a military action that displaces two governments and kills many more civilians and military personnel than died on 9/11 (granted those governments are horrendous no doubt).

Liberals are a lot more annoying though, but only when you take into account their perceived legitimacy that is projected through the media and the Internet. Liberals are in control of most of the flow of information in this country (mainly public schooling, universities, and news and TV media). Joe Schmo Conservative doesn't use the Internet all that often or participate as much as the angsty 21 year old liberal. These things combined makes you feel like liberalism is a bigger force in this nation than it really is, so I always feel like I'm arguing against something more substantial than mish-mash conservatism.

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

NidStyles — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:55:54 GMT

Honestly, rather than the term Neo-Con, and Progressive we should just call them what they are, Fascist's.

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Prateek Sanjay — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:09:10 GMT

In the end, we need to avoid too many distinctions, because economic illiteracy is economic illiteracy, irrespective of the source,

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Ricky James Moore II — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:05:23 GMT

Libertyandlife:

I'm pretty cool with libertarian socialists as odd as that might sound.

Especially when you tend to ignore the idea of economics systems when talk politics. There's a lot of common ground. Foreign policy, media, civil rights, corporatism (for some to a degree).

Illusory. Because the economic paradigm is what makes it all work. The fact of capitalism is the only thing that makes the foreign policy, media and civil rights stuff relevant or coherent. As soon as leftists find out their egalitarian religion doesn't work out they turn straight to force. Look at the New Left. They're all establishment liberals and NeoCons now.

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Libertyandlife — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:54:13 GMT

I'm pretty cool with libertarian socialists as odd as that might sound.

Especially when you tend to ignore the idea of economics systems when talk politics. There's a lot of common ground. Foreign policy, media, civil rights, corporatism (for some to a degree).

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Neodoxy — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 03:57:01 GMT

I did find his talk about the ''common will'' amazingly mystical. I literally laughed out loud when he stated that the purpose of voting was for each individual stating what they thought the common will was

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Ricky James Moore II — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:18:13 GMT

I dislike the mainstream left more than the NeoCon left. NeoCons aren't as crazy.

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

MrSchnapps — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:33:25 GMT

Rousseau is a bit of an odd fellow; his view of the corruptibility of human nature, for instance, is confined to societal relations. His point is this: outside society, men would have immediate and intuitive access to the general will which is in complete accordance with the common good. It is only when men enters society that he forms associations with others for the propagation of the private will, i.e., some will at the expense of others.

This is why he thinks that even the majority would not constitute a proper democracy, since the majority rule would not be what he calls the common good (which as he has already noted cannot be achieved within society) but it would merely be the sum of private wills.

But he goes on later to contradict himself. Within Rousseau you can find innumerable contradictions. But so what if he contradicts himself? He's deep; he's large; he contains multitudes.

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Neodoxy — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:50:03 GMT

Haha pound it!

Yea I've been reading this book with brief selections of political writings and the excerpt from the social contract really surprised me. I really liked this quote (because I was like oh heyy I agree with that statement! :D) and I feel as though this quote in and of itself serves to prove that Rousseau was not quite as pro democracy as my teachers have lead me believe...

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Libertyandlife — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:42:45 GMT

^That's why I made this thread.

Hey! We both have Rousseau quotes *high fives*

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Neodoxy — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:13:58 GMT

Neo-Conservatism is the most abhorent mainstream ideology alive in America today. I hate them, I hope they burn in the ashes of their own wars.

It's one thing to be a statist with the implied contradictions and opression, it's another thing to come along, destroy the half freedom of one of the ideologies (social freedom destroyed and big buisness in bed with government) has and be nationalistic. I hope that the first time I debate with a neocon they sprout wings and breath fire so that I can slay them.

/hate rant. Sorry I'm usually reasonable but god do I hate neocons.

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Libertyandlife — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:04:36 GMT

Now both my neocon professors are in favor of marijuana legalization hmmmm....

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Ricky James Moore II — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:43:26 GMT

So it down plays your overall political argument when you take the smug ass approach that so many political pundits love using.

Their smug-ass approach seems to work a lot better than libertarian pandering.

If you play by their tone(smug ass approach) then you're not much less of an asshole then they are.

So?

Re: Silly arguments you've heard from Neocons (also short rant)

Amadeus — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:36:41 GMT

"Most people, whether they agree with me or not, are idiots."

I figured as much.

"So?"

So it down plays your overall political argument when you take the smug ass approach that so many political pundits love using. If you play by their tone(smug ass approach) then you're not much less of an asshole then they are.