German guy
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2010
- Messages
- 5,187
- Reaction score
- 4,255
- Location
- Berlin, Germany
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
Of course we all do not always agree with each other, and we often think other people are really silly in their views, or we simply don't understand where they are coming from. There are opinions we just think are morally wrong, but they are coherent and make sense when you consider your opponent has different moral values. That's one thing.
For example, I believe most liberals understand that conservative ideas about cutting spending make sense from a merely economic point of view, but have ethical objections and thus don't agree, or simply set different priorities. Likewise, probably most conservatives understand where liberals are coming from, when they say it's a moral obligation to support poor and needy people, they just think it gives the wrong incentives and/or is way too expensive -- so far, so good.
But then, there are also really extremely outlandish and weird political ideologies or philosophies that don't compute at all.
So I invite you to share your experienced with such really weird "WTF" moments.
I'll name two which have a certain degree of intersection: German neo-Nazis and certain conspiracy theorists.
I once met a German neo-Nazi who believes Germany is still controlled and dominated by the Allies since WW2, Germany has become not much more than a dependent vassal, and he identifies Jews as the dominant force behind the Allies and the German occupation regime (of which the establishment in modern Germany, media, politics and economy, is not much more than a puppet). Leftists who emphasize individual freedom and hedonism are their useful idiots -- "the Jews" who secretly pull the strings manipulated us into hating ourselves, to embrace the "misguided" idea that all humans are equal and even forced "political correctness" and "multiculturalism", which has led to mass immigration, to "breed us out", in order to commit a "biological genocide" on ethnic Germans, to destroy our biological basis.
(Note that you find some of these thought figures among islamophobic far-righters too: Like the idea that "political correctness" and "multiculturalism" are plots to make people blind for an attempt of immigrants to breed us out and destroy our culture.)
Depending on the degree of conspiracy theory, this attempt by "the Jews" to conquer the entire world is planned to some extent. A classic, of course, is the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", according to which "the Jews" allegedly laid out the plan in the 1910s already to reach world domination step by step -- first they created liberal democracy on one side, later communist bolshevism too. All with the plan to destroy the cultural vitality of all Western nations that allows them to survive as nations and peoples. First they got America, England and France, in WW2 they defeated Germany too and the next step is Russia and/or the Middle East.
Not few of the conspiracy theorists I met on my way through the net share some of these ideas. Just that it's not necessarily the Jews behind all that, but even less visible groups: Free Masons, Illuminati, the Rothschild family, the Bilderbergers, you name it.
After some time, I got used to such opinions. But when I first encountered them, it was a real "WTF!"-moment.
What about you? Have you encountered anything like that?
For example, I believe most liberals understand that conservative ideas about cutting spending make sense from a merely economic point of view, but have ethical objections and thus don't agree, or simply set different priorities. Likewise, probably most conservatives understand where liberals are coming from, when they say it's a moral obligation to support poor and needy people, they just think it gives the wrong incentives and/or is way too expensive -- so far, so good.
But then, there are also really extremely outlandish and weird political ideologies or philosophies that don't compute at all.
So I invite you to share your experienced with such really weird "WTF" moments.
I'll name two which have a certain degree of intersection: German neo-Nazis and certain conspiracy theorists.
I once met a German neo-Nazi who believes Germany is still controlled and dominated by the Allies since WW2, Germany has become not much more than a dependent vassal, and he identifies Jews as the dominant force behind the Allies and the German occupation regime (of which the establishment in modern Germany, media, politics and economy, is not much more than a puppet). Leftists who emphasize individual freedom and hedonism are their useful idiots -- "the Jews" who secretly pull the strings manipulated us into hating ourselves, to embrace the "misguided" idea that all humans are equal and even forced "political correctness" and "multiculturalism", which has led to mass immigration, to "breed us out", in order to commit a "biological genocide" on ethnic Germans, to destroy our biological basis.
(Note that you find some of these thought figures among islamophobic far-righters too: Like the idea that "political correctness" and "multiculturalism" are plots to make people blind for an attempt of immigrants to breed us out and destroy our culture.)
Depending on the degree of conspiracy theory, this attempt by "the Jews" to conquer the entire world is planned to some extent. A classic, of course, is the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", according to which "the Jews" allegedly laid out the plan in the 1910s already to reach world domination step by step -- first they created liberal democracy on one side, later communist bolshevism too. All with the plan to destroy the cultural vitality of all Western nations that allows them to survive as nations and peoples. First they got America, England and France, in WW2 they defeated Germany too and the next step is Russia and/or the Middle East.
Not few of the conspiracy theorists I met on my way through the net share some of these ideas. Just that it's not necessarily the Jews behind all that, but even less visible groups: Free Masons, Illuminati, the Rothschild family, the Bilderbergers, you name it.
After some time, I got used to such opinions. But when I first encountered them, it was a real "WTF!"-moment.
What about you? Have you encountered anything like that?