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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#121976: May 11th 2016 at 12:04:51 PM

Personally, I'd hope for a new Conservatism movement, but I don't think that'll be the mechanic by which it arises. Wealth is not related to leftism-it's possible for the rich to support socialism or the poor to support capitalism. I wouldn't even argue it's against either's interests per say.

As for how Conservatism might make a comeback, personally I think all it'd need is a change in marketing and a clean-up of various idiots driving the American Right into the ground. What caused Conservatism to become unpopular primarily is self-reinforcing stereotypes and PR. Basically, calling the Republicans dumb hicks caused mostly everyone but dumb hicks to leave, who in turn became the ones managing the right's entire public image only further feeding into the problem.

Leviticus 19:34
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#121977: May 11th 2016 at 12:05:57 PM

The new normal!

I do believe that there was a liberal explosion online as so many people made their thoughts known. So many oppressed groups voicing their complaints, while the Republican Party mainly stayed so WASPy.

Most non-white Republicans I've seen are more religious Hispanics, buuuuut...not too many.

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#121978: May 11th 2016 at 12:06:38 PM

Incidentally, Jack O Lantern several pages back: When I was talking about a Democratic Donald Trump, I was not thinking of Sanders at all. Way too little crossparty appeal and too little media attention.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
FieldMarshalFry Field Marshal of Cracked from World Internet War 1 Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Field Marshal of Cracked
#121979: May 11th 2016 at 12:07:54 PM

[up][up][up]the right needs to sort itself out on social issues first, it is seriously backwards, as in religious theocracy backwards

advancing the front into TV Tropes
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#121980: May 11th 2016 at 12:10:27 PM

Unlikely that that will happen. Religious conservatives will exist for a long time more, and someone will take up their causes.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#121981: May 11th 2016 at 12:10:42 PM

I will admit though that my argument does boil down to "if only more Conservatives adopted my specific brand of Conservatism!", but nonetheless I think that statement is actually true.

Leviticus 19:34
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#121982: May 11th 2016 at 12:14:28 PM

"Keep the things I like! Dump everything else."

Conservatism is conservative when you think things are going well how you know them. Me, I like change. Good change. Lots of good change. More money for the poor. Minority groups getting more rights.

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#121983: May 11th 2016 at 12:20:47 PM

the ATF has declared the 2013 West, Texas ammonium nitrate blast was caused by an intentionally set fire and have placed an award for an arrest.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#121984: May 11th 2016 at 12:21:19 PM

I mean, semantically speaking, my ideology is arguably progressive. It just defines progress differently than the left does to the point of resembling conservatism in practice. But I'm less concerned with the past than with the future.

Leviticus 19:34
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#121985: May 11th 2016 at 12:25:29 PM

[up][up]Cue the republicans saying "see? it was not a safety regulations issue, it was sabotage!"

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#121986: May 11th 2016 at 12:28:42 PM

[up] Well it was

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#121987: May 11th 2016 at 12:32:28 PM

@Protagonist Working toward keeping things similar?

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#121988: May 11th 2016 at 12:34:07 PM

On the subject of Social Justice news, Rep. Martin Daniel of Tennessee complained about a reading assignment his 4th-grade daughter was given for indoctrinating her class when it comes to the topic of "social justice". He was so up-in-arms over this bit of Political Correctness Gone Mad that he even wrote a Strongly Worded Letter to the Knox County Board of Education while cc'ing the Governor and the chairpeople of the Senate and House Education Committees to complain, which can be read in full here.

Oddly enough, his complaint isn't so much that it's being taught, but that it's being taught in a non-History/Social Studies class - but when the person linked asked him about inequality in schools, Daniel's response was "That's a vague theory, in my view,"

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#121989: May 11th 2016 at 12:37:17 PM

I am concerned that this subject matter subtly, but unnecessarily, injects a dose of "social justice" into our impressionable youth. It teaches them, incidental to a Reading assignment, that America is a place of oppression, where certain classes of persons are commonly discriminated against, and that they have been a victim.

Man I hate this guy.

Oh really when?
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#121990: May 11th 2016 at 12:38:12 PM

[up][up][up]No, to simplify it, I define "progress" as towards a more meritocratic society with some other factors involved (religious influence, patriotism, individualism, ect). It's a bit more complicated than that, but that sums most of it up.

To use an extreme counter-example: I view communism as technically regressive. Hunter-Gatherer tribes, for example, live in proto-communistic societies.

edited 11th May '16 12:41:00 PM by Protagonist506

Leviticus 19:34
wehrmacht belongs to the hurricane from the garden of everything Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
belongs to the hurricane
#121991: May 11th 2016 at 12:42:08 PM

The guy sounds like a typical case of "ignore the fact that not everyone is on equal footing in life from the getgo" except worded in a much less incendiary and openly bigoted manner than usual.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#121992: May 11th 2016 at 12:44:28 PM

Speaking as a white young man (OK, autistic white man) from a somewhat well off family, youth from better backgrounds needs that dose of "social justice" injected, whether in school or by pertinent Wikipedia articles as in my case (to a point).

It's very very easy to fall for the idea that everybody has it alike and that racism and all forms of discrimination aren't an issue if you don't have at least some understanding of the existence of these issues. And part of the reason why these issues persist is because of people who aren't aware that they are issues, or refuse to acknowledge their existence.

OK, this will be my general social justice post from here forward...

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#121993: May 11th 2016 at 12:44:53 PM

@Protagonist: Noted. You would want somebody to lead the country who was good at doing it, though "good" seems subject to scrutiny.

@Martin Daniel: Certain classes of persons ARE commonly discriminated against, and they HAVE been a victim, but America need not be oppressive.

It just doesn't know how to stop itself.

edited 11th May '16 12:45:36 PM by Keybreak

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#121994: May 11th 2016 at 12:47:43 PM

The political establishment has a vested interest in painting the United States as a great place, even though, at times in past and present, for groups of people, it objectively wasn't.

I don't condone Rep. Martin's actions, because I think teaching children about how awful the world was, and still is, is integral to getting it to change, but this guy has simply drunk too much of the kool-aid of his party and American politics in general. Feel-good rhetoric brings in the votes. You don't get any points for saying that America, even at its best, was "tastefully mediocre."

edited 11th May '16 12:49:09 PM by CrimsonZephyr

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#121995: May 11th 2016 at 12:48:54 PM

What about "selectively great!"

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
FieldMarshalFry Field Marshal of Cracked from World Internet War 1 Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Field Marshal of Cracked
#121996: May 11th 2016 at 12:51:47 PM

The American Dream is just that, a dream and it's damn well it's time to wake up

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ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#121997: May 11th 2016 at 12:54:16 PM

[up]

Of course, the why of the American Dream being just a dream is a point under hot contention, as liberals say it's because we ignore certain issues, while conservatives say that we've forgotten certain values. And rarely do the two viewpoints intersect.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#121998: May 11th 2016 at 12:57:07 PM

Like I say with a lot of things, it's not impossible, but it's not easy.

Making it in America tends to equate with getting a lot of money, or a lot of attention, and naturally that comes with taking it away from someone else, and you're expected to do it "fairly", with hard work and determination.

And not inherited privileges.

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#121999: May 11th 2016 at 12:57:22 PM

The "American Dream" isn't anything unique to America. The American Dream is basically being physically and financially secure to live your life as you please without having to work 16 hours a day and/or live paycheck to paycheck for the rest of your life.

If we give up on that, we're screwed.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#122000: May 11th 2016 at 12:58:22 PM

[up][up][up] I can't give any examples, but maybe they're both right?

edited 11th May '16 12:58:34 PM by Greenmantle

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