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Unfortunately modern activists and politicians want to make it seem like no reasonable person could disagree with them. This makes it impossible to engage in a
by deathgrips 6y ago
Unfortunately modern activists and politicians want to make it seem like no reasonable person could disagree with them. This makes it impossible to engage in a dialogue and bridge a gap.
- usefulcat 6y agoThe problem is that those activists and politicians you refer to are a reflection of what way too many voters genuinely want.
- SpicyLemonZest 6y agoIn general, though, it's been seen as a core responsibility for activists and politicians to channel their constituents' passions towards productive ends. There've always been a lot of toxic people in the world - that doesn't have to lead to toxic politics.
- malandrew 6y agoIs it though? Most people are more politically center and the extremes of the political spectrum keep trying to pull politicians towards the extremes. When that failed to work, they started pulling out the "you're either with us or against us" card forcing people to pick sides or be ostracized if they risked being nuanced.
- chiefalchemist 6y agoPolitics and media have become extreme because they are dying "industries." The internet has (pardon me) disrupted both of them. Severely. They crank up the hyperbole in order to try to justify the need for their existence. That cycle can't go on forever. In fact we see the results weekly. For example, politicians aren't moving the needle so more and more people resort to protesting (and yes, rioting). I'm not an advocate of violence. But it's easy to see the level of frustration and disgust wasn't being addressed.
- RickJWagner 6y agoI started agreeing with you when you said politicians were failing people. I disagree sharply about the riots, though. I think bad actors use things like social media (and even traditional media) to whip people into a frenzy. That's where the violence comes from, and it is rooted in politics more than a reaction to it.
- chiefalchemist 6y agoBut those bad actors are the result of what? Satisfaction with the system? They recruit who? Otherswho are satisfied? I agree. Those violent events are complicated. But bad actors are the sole cause is an over-simplication.
- ikiris 6y agoWe should come to some agreement and maybe give some people 3/5ths of their rights, as has been done prior. That should solve these "extreme" positions with some much needed compromise.
- chiefalchemist 6y agoBut perhaps it's the other way around? That the voters are led to believe there are extremes? And only extremes? Most reasonable people understand few things in the world are truly binary. But when everything is framed as red v blue, what choice is there? That paradigm is topped with confirmation bias, media hyperbole and social media misinformation. I have a diverse group of friends and colleagues. No one I know wants this.
- treeman79 6y agoSome things have no gap. Your either want the right to your own body, or a crusade to stop the murder of millions of babies. This drives most other politics.
- giantg2 6y agoThat's a very western philosophical way of viewing it. Many eastern philosophies believe the best answer lies between the opposing positions.
- convolvatron 6y agoeven western philosophies try to steer clear of excluding the middle without justification
- treeman79 6y agoSo half dead babies? Right to your own body every other week? Last name starts A-H get abortions, rest don’t? Or maybe by race, undesirable races get genocide? Or maybe the rich ones? It’s not a topic with much “in between”
- giantg2 6y agoSo if you have it so figured out, answer me these two questions from an objective, philosophical standpoint. 1. What defines a human life? 2. When is it acceptable to take a human life?
- treeman79 6y agoYou’re missing the point, and will argue against anything I toss up. Advocating for a middle ground is often good. But sometimes it’s fruitless. Someone decides the want your stuff. Halfway is giving them half your stuff. Tomorrow they want the other half. So your left with, give up everything or nothing. Take a stand or don’t.
- 6y ago
- dang 6y agoWe detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24523014 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24523014.