Left v. Right on HT

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Left v. Right on HT

The only area of concern I'm really interested in is laws about drug users, prison time vs. rehab and things that pertain to my soon-to-be major and hopefully career. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but my own little flittering opinion doesn't mean squat to the people who make the decisions.

Well, that makes sense to me - we can't all be concerned about everything, it would drive us mad! You've decided to put your focus on some critical areas, and for good reason. And you seem to know the difference between opinion and fact, and that will serve you well. Thanks.

[surlygirly]

Re: Left v. Right on HT

I am a conservative Republican (I can't help it; I'm from Texas). I don't consider myself to be far-right, though- a Teabagger or whatever. I'll be very honest- I never cared enough to keep up. I don't watch the news (mainly because my husband still travels and it's always about people being killed, raped, or kidnapped). The only area of concern I'm really interested in is laws about drug users, prison time vs. rehab and things that pertain to my soon-to-be major and hopefully career. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but my own little flittering opinion doesn't mean squat to the people who make the decisions. Hey, at least I'm being honest.

[matapule]

Re: Left v. Right on HT

Thank you for starting this thread, Leo, interesting talking points. Let me add one more point, and that is - "the issue involved." Most people will be conservative on some issues and liberal on others. I know I am.

I think that politics and religion have become such devisive issues is unfortunate. The problem seems to me that people of every ideaology
are using perceptions rather than facts to justify their convictions. It would be nice if the world were a bit more tolerant. But there I go again sounding like a "liberal."

[Leo Lakio]

Rather than risk further derailing Matapule’s fine thread regarding specific HT’ers we wish were posting more often, I found the other conversation there thought-provoking enough to start a thread on it with my own observations.

On more than one occasion, I have seen posters complain that they are “driven away” by the “lefties & liberals” that overwhelm their more conservative counterparts on HT. Are there more left-leaning posters than right-leaning on HT? Perhaps; it certainly seems that way to my own perception. But that’s my point here: it’s about perception.

Just as the more left-leaning posters run the gamut from strongly liberal/progressive to just slightly left-of-center, there are many HT’ers who tend to fall more often to the right side of the spectrum to one degree or another. Amongst the ones who come to mind right away (and I know I am missing several others) are Mel, TimKona, Bobinator, Nobunaga, Walkoff Balk, Konaguy, Scrivener, CraigWatanabe, Sansei, NachoDaddy, Escondido100 and BJD392. There’s no dearth of conservative opinion expressed here.

Are there MORE liberals than conservatives? Again, without doing a scientific survey, we can only reflect upon what we perceive to be the case. Individual perception will vary greatly. You can easily interpret a multitude of possible “reasons” for such an imbalance (if it truly exists); here are a few (keep in mind none of these are backed with any factual information – they are just interpretations I toss out for discussion):

> The majority of HT’ers are current or former residents of the State of Hawai`i – a state that has had a long track record of Democratic dominance in politics, so maybe more citizens in the state identify themselves with the left.

> Maybe those who identify themselves as “left” are more likely to be computer-savvy, or more likely to participate in online discussion boards, or are more interested in open discussion of topics in general.

> Maybe there ARE more liberals in America than conservatives, or maybe they are just better at debate, or at backing up their arguments with facts.

I’ve seen conservative posters on HT who, in one breath, complain about the power of “the liberal media,” while with the next breath, proclaim the overwhelming dominance of conservative talk radio and Fox News. Am I the only one who sees the conflict in those two statements? Again – individual perception is the key here.

And lastly – to those who whine about being “driven away” by people who disagree with your viewpoints, I say pull up your big boy pants and deal with it. If you are unable to back your statements with factual information when challenged (rather than linking to screeds from partisan internet websites), then don’t make those statements in the first place. And if you do, expect them to be challenged, and for those with opposing viewpoints to want to engage you in further debate. But if you come onto the playground and punch a kid hard on the arm, you won’t earn any respect for running away in tears when his friends come to ask what you did that for.


"When you take away everyone who professes to be 'right,' you will find me standing with those who are 'left.'"