• Syringe@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I don’t disagree with you, but at some point, most of these folks are grown ass adults with full cognitive capacity and the same access to information as the rest of us.

      It’s a commitment and dedication to wilfull ignorance that is a conscious decision. They make the choice to ignore new information and ignore their own values and hypocrisy. They are 100% responsible for their own actions and treating them as victims invalidates their responsibilities and denies them personal accountability.

      I don’t know that I’d call them subhuman, but they are hurting, killing, and oppressing people in active worship to the God of ignorance. These are bad people, and they don’t deserve your defense.

        • Syringe@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          There was a time when you would have been right, but at this point, they are a part of the problem, not a symptom of it.

          They are actively voting in and supporting people who are disrupting attempts to mitigate the actual issues. For example, every American should be against gerrymandering, as it is expressly anti-democratic, yet here we are voting in toxic people who are running interference on any effort to combat it.

          This should be a bipartisan issue. I lived in Maryland for a long time and my district looked like an electrocuted spider, in favor of the Dems. Republicans should be against this, but here we are slamming our hand into the car door every time we try to make progress.

          The people pulling the strings should be held accountable, no question. Pretending that these folks aren’t the problem is nice for diplomacy, but it’s no longer the case.

      • TimmyDeanSausage @lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        We can hold them responsible for their actions and still recognize that they are victims of indoctrination. However, this would require the same intellectual honesty you chastise them for not having.

        • Syringe@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Straight to the personal attacks? Not really a great argument, particularly when the rest of it amounts to “NUH UH!!”.

          I’m gonna need more than that. @[email protected] and I were having a pretty civil discussion, and I appreciate his points, though I personally disagree with them.

          Read the room, man.

          • TimmyDeanSausage @lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I’m sorry my comment didn’t meet your standards. I’m tired of reading the same intellectually vapid nonsense every day. “Why can’t these evil/ignorant/despicable fools just see the world the way I see it!?” You treat them the same way they treat us and expect them to have some kind of coming-to-jesus moment as a result. IMO, thinking this way requires the same level of cognitive dissonance as being a Trumpster. You need to read the room and see that your method doesn’t solve the problem you want it to solve. It exacerbates it. Instead of crying out to the world, wishing everyone else would do the hard work of expanding their understanding of political theory, history, and philosophy, maybe do that work yourself first.

            Can you look beyond the harshness in the tone of my paragraph and take the constructive criticism I’m offering? This is what you’re asking them to do.

            • Syringe@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              It’s weird. You’re asking me to accept constructive criticism, but a) you’re not offering any and b) you’re continuing with the ad hominem, and failing to offer an actual position despite it being very constructive feedback to your argument. You’re calling it “intellectually vapid nonsense” but you’re only offering logical fallacies. You’re just noise and hypocrisy.

              My “understanding of political theory, history and philosophy” is backed by a career in the DC and NYC political sphere, including the White House, several campaigns, and extensive work with NPOs/NGOs. I’ve met and worked with 5 US Presidents, and more than 230 congresscritters on both sides of the aisle, and have personal commendations from the CEO, COO, and CTO of the USA so I feel pretty confident that I’ve got a well developed perspective. You’ve seen my work. So please enlighten me.

              If you’ll notice in the previous postings, I was able to disagree with others while accepting their positions and without belittling them. Every assertion you’re making now is disproved before you even typed it, so I’m not sure why you’re rattling your cage. If you want to be a part of the discussion, and wish to bring about new information, I’m amenable to change my position, but your post is really just finger wagging and more of “NUH UH!!”.

              I’m sorry my comment didn’t meet your standards. I’m tired of reading the same intellectually vapid nonsense every day.

              Did you seriously type this passive aggressive nonsense and put it into the world? Do you hear yourself? Do better.

    • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      As long as they keep indoctrinating newer generations, they are part of the oppressors.

    • killa44@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Are they still victims when they become violent? Or when they promote violence? At some point the threshold is crossed.

    • TwoGems@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      So the poor defenseless indoctrinated are ok with racism in their party and nazism? They have no autonomy at all to choose?

      • TimmyDeanSausage @lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I considered myself a libertarian before I saw how the people on the right reacted to same-sex marriage being legalized. Their collective reaction broke the lie that they were the party of freedom/equality. I spent years deprogramming/re-educating myself. Now I’m very progressive and much more sensitive to biased info sources, but… I’m dating a “conservative”. He’s questioning his political beliefs now due to the right’s resurgence of anti-lgbtq and the conversations we’ve had surrounding that.

        Thing is, all humans attach their beliefs/values/principles to the narrative they sell themselves about who they are. We settle into these narratives as we come of age, and constantly reinforce them through our perceptions of our lived experiences. For someone to be able to withstand the process of unraveling and reconstructing who they are on a fundamental level, an extreme event is necessary. Something that shocks them with enough force to break one of the core beliefs of whatever system they’re beholden to.

        YOUR PROBLEM is that you lack understanding in this area of human nature. That lack of understanding leads to frustration, resentment, and ultimately the same tribalism you see in the people you choose to hate. You see them as sub-human, automatically elevating yourself above them because your confirmation bias tells you that your version of truth is the only real truth, but you’re too heavily steeped in your own soup to realize that you’re engaging with politics the exact same way they are.

        Be better. Hate the swindlers, not the swindled. Don’t tolerate intolerance either. Just gently point out when they’re being intolerant and let them (hopefully) stubble into their own epiphanies.

        TL:DR; Confirmation bias is a helluva drug. Your willful ignorance of your own confirmation bias is blinding you and limiting your ability to understand basic human nature. I hope this stimulates a little more thought, with a little more intellectual honesty on your part. Cheers.

    • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Those “victims” will gleefully watch you suffer and die. They will smile as your existence becomes illegal. Those “victims” will proudly facilitate your death and, in many cases, will physically participate in committing that murder.

      Nearly every act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history has been committed by conservatives. Nearly every act of racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia and antisemitism in our country is committed by conservafives. They are not the victims, they are the victimizers.

      Conservatives have the entirety of the world’s knowledge at their fingertips and access to the world’s foremost experts. Yet, they choose to follow hateful ideologies. They choose to be opposed to education. They choose to condemn scientists and doctors as liars and traitors. Conservatives are not the victims. They are not victims of anything at all.