(March 16, 2019 at 10:16 pm)TaraJo Wrote: You know what pisses me off about the American left? This is something I've noticed over the past few years of being involved with some very VERY left wing communities: the left adamantly refuses to compromise their message, even the slightest, even if it helps them better communicate good ideas. There's a kind of frustrating intellectual elitism going on with it.
Meanwhile, I watched a documentary about far right groups, especially white nationalist groups and, you know what? They took the exact opposite route: they're hiring PR people and gladly changing their messages in order to take terrible, hateful ideas and make them more likable, more popular, to the public.
The far right seems to care about PR and public opinion far more than the far left. And, by the way, that plays a role in the country gradually moving to the right and with republicans winning so many elections with candidates that would make Forrest Gump look like a genius.
I wish the left would actually acknowledge that to promote their ideas, their ideology, they're going to have to work with the public instead of just trying to piss off as many people as possible.
Up to about 20 years ago, I proudly identified with "The Left" . Even belonged to our Leftist Labor Party., which was founded as the political arm of the trade unionist ,movement.
I left the Labor party when they made a bloke I considered a thug and a moron our leader. I was right; he helped Labor snatch defeat from the jaws of Victory.
I have watched with horror as the Australian left has moved ever closer to the right. From where I sit, there is no effective left wing in Australian politics today. Instead, we have 'fluid' factions, in both major parties..
Gore Vidal describe the two major US political parties as Tweedledum and Tweedldee" over 30 years ago. It's gotten far worse since; I am still at a loss over how the "poor white trash" of the bible belt could possibly think a a narcissistic billionaire gives a flying fuck about them.
We have the same kind of idiots here. They are the working class tories, who for years seemed to be to be voting against their own best interests. Today I'm not so sure.
Today, I describe myself as nether left nor right, but as a pluralist. I concluded sometime ago that I ought beware of the 'true believer', religious, political and philosophical.
Today it is my opinion that "The true believer is at best naive, at worst dangerous"
