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Great column, despite my quibble above. Legolas Send a noteboard - 23/08/2017 07:03:31 PM

View original post An interesting analysis of a where a huge segment of the US population probably fits in. I prefer the word Centrist to Moderate though. Centrist like Macron in France. And it makes me wish that instead of our main two parties here in the US we had more than those two. Yes, the Greens and the Libertarians exist but it's hard for a new party to break the lock in the US. The last party that successfully broke the two party lock at the national level was the Republican Party. Back in 1860.

I'd say the jury is out on Macron... it doesn't look too promising so far. It's a situation that I would call almost unprecedented in modern western history, to hand a political neophyte all the levers of power so easily, and which was always going to create unrealistically utopic expectations... so I'm prepared to cut him a good bit of slack, but ultimately he does need to show results.

Anyway, yes, the polarization of US politics only seems to get worse and worse and worse - the political system all but guarantees a two-party system so that isn't going to change unless the US passes the most radical constitutional reform of its entire history (excepting possibly the one about slavery), but it wasn't always this bad in terms of mutual loathing. Every time you think this is as bad as it can get, it gets worse. I find it quite scary.

View original post I think the part that struck me the most in this opinion piece was that "the truth is plural". It's something I have believed in for a very long time - that Truth is based on a set of values that we pick and choose, determined by our current surroundings, where we were brought up, what books we happened to have come across, and what websites we interact with. I am definitely a different person for having interacted with the community at wotmania in addition to friends in NYC. It's helped me see other points of view and helped me value those points of view. Ultimately I find that many Truths are subjective rather than objective because those values that feed into a Truth are not necessarily going to be the values that someone else emphasizes.

Agreed.

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What Moderates Believe The Shrike - 23/08/2017 01:14:34 PM 1209 Views
You can see Brooks' conservative roots in his analysis of governments damookster - 23/08/2017 02:58:58 PM 588 Views
I call myself a radical moderate random thoughts - 23/08/2017 03:53:18 PM 630 Views
Brooks is the person I usually agree with the most at the NYT. The Shrike - 23/08/2017 04:33:11 PM 514 Views
It isn't a universal truth, though - it may be valid in liberal democracies, but not everywhere. Legolas - 23/08/2017 06:56:29 PM 569 Views
I view governments like referees in sports damookster - 23/08/2017 07:06:47 PM 596 Views
Yeah. That's a better way of putting it. *NM* Legolas - 23/08/2017 08:09:11 PM 305 Views
Truth may be objective but reality isn't random thoughts - 23/08/2017 03:59:18 PM 506 Views
Polarization of both the Left and the Right The Shrike - 23/08/2017 04:35:24 PM 584 Views
If only we had a centrist media source random thoughts - 23/08/2017 05:15:13 PM 493 Views
No incentive in that aerocontrols - 23/08/2017 05:22:49 PM 787 Views
Great column, despite my quibble above. Legolas - 23/08/2017 07:03:31 PM 524 Views
I'm still hopeful about Macron. The Shrike - 25/08/2017 06:25:31 PM 684 Views
The problem with getting a new party to break the two party lock Hieshyn - 23/08/2017 09:18:37 PM 724 Views
And Cash Money Aviendha - 24/08/2017 06:23:34 PM 560 Views
Both parties are more fractured than they have been in a very long time random thoughts - 24/08/2017 07:37:14 PM 560 Views
I was of the opinion that after Rand Paul was out of the primaries, Hieshyn - 24/08/2017 11:17:49 PM 546 Views
Sorry but no one one who wants to end social security has a chance too win random thoughts - 25/08/2017 02:19:12 AM 531 Views
Universal Basic Income may be the issue. The Shrike - 25/08/2017 06:26:08 PM 502 Views
This is an excellent point. nossy - 25/08/2017 08:12:36 PM 602 Views
I think perhaps The Shrike - 25/08/2017 10:22:14 PM 589 Views
Moderates need a better narrative Tom - 24/08/2017 05:19:14 AM 488 Views
Rejecting the extremes aerocontrols - 24/08/2017 02:48:12 PM 532 Views
Does it matter why they're lukewarm? They're still going to get spewed out. Cannoli - 24/08/2017 01:08:30 PM 756 Views
Moderates are from Laodicea? damookster - 24/08/2017 01:37:44 PM 517 Views
Moderates are the Cheese Pizza of politics... Jeordam - 24/08/2017 05:17:55 PM 544 Views
That is a cure analogy but not really accurate random thoughts - 24/08/2017 05:38:54 PM 566 Views
You know what though? Aviendha - 24/08/2017 06:18:48 PM 582 Views
*laughs* Jeordam - 24/08/2017 07:03:58 PM 472 Views
Aviendha - 24/08/2017 07:13:53 PM 514 Views
That's one heck of an oven.... Jeordam - 24/08/2017 08:54:43 PM 503 Views
lets here it for libertarian pizza *NM* random thoughts - 24/08/2017 07:25:18 PM 337 Views
I won't eat cheese pizza. *NM* Tom - 24/08/2017 07:43:03 PM 314 Views
Cheese (Actually extra cheese pizza is my favorite) The Shrike - 25/08/2017 06:29:41 PM 670 Views
I enjoyed this nossy - 24/08/2017 08:19:50 PM 630 Views
Kind of a "here is why we are screwed" *NM* random thoughts - 24/08/2017 08:51:00 PM 410 Views
Because from what you've written and said The Shrike - 25/08/2017 06:28:46 PM 613 Views
I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Ghavrel - 24/08/2017 10:53:44 PM 482 Views
Yes. You would. damookster - 25/08/2017 01:06:47 AM 640 Views
I long ago came to the conclusion that I'm generally conservative in my tastes. Ghavrel - 25/08/2017 01:28:08 AM 503 Views
We'll make a conservative of you yet. Tom - 25/08/2017 02:36:01 PM 548 Views
I'd be an anarchosyndicalist, except that I have a basic working knowledge of history. Ghavrel - 25/08/2017 03:47:35 PM 556 Views
I am unsurprised at your disagreement. The Shrike - 25/08/2017 06:42:32 PM 588 Views
Re: I am unsurprised at your disagreement. Ghavrel - 25/08/2017 11:01:56 PM 612 Views
Well now, this will get into the meaning of truth. The Shrike - 26/08/2017 01:04:14 AM 444 Views
Re: Well now, this will get into the meaning of truth. Ghavrel - 26/08/2017 01:16:56 AM 687 Views
I hope you don't mind me butting in on your conversation damookster - 26/08/2017 01:46:45 AM 523 Views
Guilty as charged. The Shrike - 26/08/2017 08:27:45 PM 574 Views
I'm a moderate/centrist insofar as the fact that I'm neither an overall leftist or rightist. LiterateDog - 25/08/2017 03:24:12 PM 479 Views
You know that communists are technically anti-statists, right? Ghavrel - 25/08/2017 03:57:37 PM 595 Views
Somehow I think Joe knows what purported Marxists say, and also what they do. *NM* aerocontrols - 25/08/2017 04:44:59 PM 373 Views
The academy is probably more anarchic left these days, really. Ghavrel - 25/08/2017 11:09:19 PM 741 Views
Communism is an economic system. The Shrike - 25/08/2017 06:55:26 PM 565 Views
It's more than that if you adopt an orthodox Marxist view. Ghavrel - 25/08/2017 11:07:03 PM 485 Views
Your argument sounded like this: Tom - 27/08/2017 03:20:43 PM 775 Views
Well, yes. Though I think you're conflating "communism" with "Marxism" here. Ghavrel - 27/08/2017 06:14:54 PM 835 Views
You believe in personal rights/freedoms. The Shrike - 25/08/2017 06:49:30 PM 543 Views
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