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Who Better Understands What Liberals Think

Read the prompt and answer


  • Total voters
    37
I think we can learn a lot about our own beliefs from how other people view them. Obviously, our views on our own beliefs are going to be biased. Unfortunately, other people's views on our beliefs are usually biased too.
 
A lot of conservatives use the evangelical approach. They avoid discussing their own ideas, as it is much easier to just attack the ideas of others.

Conservatives in general have no desire to listen to the ideas from the other side.....if they make no attempt to listen, they will never understand....

Sounds to me like you think you understand conservatives better than conservatives themselves. This thread is actually pretty stupid.
 
On an individual, person for person level, I imagine a liberal person knows what they think and believe better than a conservative person telling them what those things are.

I believe in regards to an ideology as a whole, general a liberal is more likely to know their ideology and what it thinks better than a conservative but this is not concrete. IE a studied political scientist that happens to be conservative likely knows more about the liberal view point than say joe blow on the couch after a long day of union work who knows he votes democrat pretty much because they keep his union benefits going.

I also think both sides have a tendency to spin their side’s and the other side’s view points in a way that makes them look how they’d want. It’s very hard to have a very neutral definition of what an ideology thinks, why they think it, etc. In part because personal bias plays in, in part because the reasons someone at the top may be pushing it may be different than those at the bottom so while more push it for one reason the most powerful may be pushing it for another.

However the whole notion of this poll and the one sidedness is a bit of an example of how narrow viewed people can get, as these same accusations continually and routinely are thrown out towards conservatives as well as we’re told what we believe, why we believe it, etc. This isn’t a tactic found only on one side in the least.

I am sure they are thrown back at conservatives, but I understand what the Hobo is talking about, and why he posted it as he did. I don't I guess notice the examples against conservatives, since it's not telling me what I think, and inaccurately, and it's getting to be epidemic. I get told almost daily what I and us damn "libbos" think, and it never, not once is accurate. It's hair-pullingly aggravating, which is probably part of the goal of it.

On a further note, "liberalism", as it is today, represents a pretty broad spectrum of people. Hobo and I do not agree on every issue, and yet we are both liberals. I am very law and order, very anti illegal immigrant, anti gun control to a large extent, strong national defense, and am adamant about the troubles with a large deficit, yet I am still, overall, a liberal, and fairly far to the left. Using a blanket argument like "you libbos think..." is just dismissive, and inaccurate, even if it is in general close to what many liberals do think.

Somehow we need to get back to arguing against points, not labels.
 
A lot of the conservatives I know are parrots, sqawking the words of Rush, Beck, etc. I doubt they understand what they think, much less what liberals think...
 
What about Conservatives who used to be pretty left-leaning, down with the struggle, social-liberation types?

You don't thInk "they" KNOW what liberals believe?

I think that is fairly common. I believe a good number of people who are liberal when they are young, become more conservative as they age.
 
but what makes you a liberal is not what makes me a liberal........which is why no one knows how "libbos" think, despite their claims otherwise.
What your thoughts are is unimportant. What is important is that I understand the outcome of your liberal policies when they are made into law. That I know, and that I don't like.
 
I believe in regards to an ideology as a whole, general a liberal is more likely to know their ideology and what it thinks better than a conservative but this is not concrete. IE a studied political scientist that happens to be conservative likely knows more about the liberal view point than say joe blow on the couch after a long day of union work who knows he votes democrat pretty much because they keep his union benefits going.

Funny, that's me.

I'm a pretty Conservative guy though, huh?

I see the effects of liberal policies up close and personal on a daily basis. I see how the philosophy squashes the incentive to be productive & compels the individual to make irrational self-sacrifice of their time & labor for the sake of "the group."

IMO, a lot of Conservatives are like me & have already seen both sides.
 
Conservatives in general have no desire to listen to the ideas from the other side.....if they make no attempt to listen, they will never understand....

This goes both ways.Liberals in general tend to do the same.
 
If you really want to understand how liberals think, go to a bookstore, look for the politics section, look under C, and pick up everything you can see written by Ann Coulter.

But there is no other book that exposes the liberal worldview better than Ann's blockbuster best-seller: Godless: The Church of Liberalism.
 
If you really want to understand how liberals think, go to a bookstore, look for the politics section, look under C, and pick up everything you can see written by Ann Coulter.

But there is no other book that exposes the liberal worldview better than Ann's blockbuster best-seller: Godless: The Church of Liberalism.

One must wonder if you are serious or a mere caricature of the worst of the GOP deliberately out to make Republicans look mindbogglingly unreasonable.
 
I am sure they are thrown back at conservatives, but I understand what the Hobo is talking about, and why he posted it as he did. I don't I guess notice the examples against conservatives, since it's not telling me what I think, and inaccurately, and it's getting to be epidemic. I get told almost daily what I and us damn "libbos" think, and it never, not once is accurate. It's hair-pullingly aggravating, which is probably part of the goal of it.

On a further note, "liberalism", as it is today, represents a pretty broad spectrum of people. Hobo and I do not agree on every issue, and yet we are both liberals. I am very law and order, very anti illegal immigrant, anti gun control to a large extent, strong national defense, and am adamant about the troubles with a large deficit, yet I am still, overall, a liberal, and fairly far to the left. Using a blanket argument like "you libbos think..." is just dismissive, and inaccurate, even if it is in general close to what many liberals do think.

Somehow we need to get back to arguing against points, not labels.

You get it
 
If you really want to understand how liberals think, go to a bookstore, look for the politics section, look under C, and pick up everything you can see written by Ann Coulter.

But there is no other book that exposes the liberal worldview better than Ann's blockbuster best-seller: Godless: The Church of Liberalism.

are you suggesting that the GOP is NOT Godless?
It may be the preferred party of the bible thumpers, but it is too often too far from the teachings of Christ.
 
A lot of the conservatives I know are parrots, sqawking the words of Rush, Beck, etc. I doubt they understand what they think, much less what liberals think...

Exactly.

This should not be "who better understand what liberals think", but "who better understand what conservatives think".

What it really comes down to is definitions. What is a "liberal" for the right wing? As far as I can see from comments from right wing politicians in the US and these boards, a liberal is anyone that disagrees with them, regardless of where on the political spectrum that person is. Even today, Bush is being more and more lined up for the "liberal" tag. Even McCain cant feel himself safe from the "liberal" tag often.. then again he is so old that he cant remember his own opinions for the most part.

We have seen time and time again, Republicans being "too moderate" and being forced out of the party and the far right applauding this. Like it or not, most of these Republicans dont have a leftist policy in their body for the most part, but they are not "conservative" enough (what ever that means) for the far right and hence they are "liberal" or a RINO.

Plus what is a conservative? Is a libertarian a conservative or not? Or is a libertarian just a new term for conservatives that cant acknowledge the last decade of conservative miss-management? And who is "conservative enough" to be a conservative? I know fully what a "liberal" aka a left wing person is.

It is ironic how on these boards we discuss so much about "the failings of liberalism" and similar topics of liberalism, when in fact it is conservative politics that is in deep deep trouble, and liberalism (both the left leaning kind and the true meaning of the word) are the ones flourishing. We had a few decades of "conservative" thinking and what did it get for the US. 15+ real unemployment, a credit crisis, a few wars and massive debt.

So how can Conservatives understand what liberals think, when Conservatives cant understand what they think themselves?
 
Exactly.

This should not be "who better understand what liberals think", but "who better understand what conservatives think".


So how can Conservatives understand what liberals think, when Conservatives cant understand what they think themselves?

IMO, the GOP's approach is attacking their opponents ideas without having any ideas of their own.
And here we are almost a year after the GOP got its smackdown, and they haven't come up with a single idea, or potential candidate, for the next election.
Romney was on the news last night....at one time I liked him, now he makes me sick. He is using the very old and very lame GOP playbook of putting down the opposition without presenting alternate plans....
How are we to know what a person thinks if all he does is put down what the other guy thinks or does...?
 
And here we are almost a year after the GOP got its smackdown, and they haven't come up with a single idea, or potential candidate, for the next election.
Its three years out -- so what?
 
Its three years out -- so what?

so wait til the last minute and get an unvetted, or poorly vetted, candidate that will flail and flounder...and Obama wins again...
 
so wait til the last minute and get an unvetted, or poorly vetted, candidate that will flail and flounder...and Obama wins again...
Talk to me in Feb 2011.
 
According to this poll, I guess Disneydude is a master at what both think considering posts like this about conservatives:

The GOP doesn't even know what it means to be fiscally conservative these days. To the GOP "Conservative" means only two things, Anti-Reproductive Choice and Anti-gay rights.

Yep, it sure stinks when the poor persecuted liberals on this forum get told what they "really" think. I'm so glad we have a thread discussing that, cause like, its never like it happens to BOTH sides of the ideological isle.
 
I got a power point presentation via email describing some differences between cons and libs and their thinking.
a few are telling....
as in guns, a con who doesn't like guns doesn't buy guns, a lib who doesn't like guns wants to ban all guns.
or gays, a conservative gay is quiet about it, a lib gay is on the streets demanding "respect".
Talk shows, a con who doesn't like Rush and Beck changes stations, a lib wants to shutdown talk radio.
Religion, a con who isn't into it just won't go to church, libs want to ban all mention of god in public spaces.

and so on....
Seems like libs are more into social engineering, and cons are more into personal responsibility...
 
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I got a power point presentation via email describing some differences between cons and libs and their thinking.
a few are telling....
as in guns, a con who doesn't like guns doesn't buy guns, a lib who doesn't like guns wants to ban all guns.
or gays, a conservative gay is quiet about it, a lib gay is on the streets demanding "respect".
Talk shows, a con who doesn't like Rush and Beck changes stations, a lib wants to shutdown talk radio.
Religion, a con who isn't into it just won't go to church, libs want to ban all mention of god in public spaces.

and so on....
Seems like libs are more into social engineering, and cons are more into personal responsibility...

And did a lib tell you this is how they think, or are you assuming?
 
And did a lib tell you this is how they think, or are you assuming?

You cannot trust people to tell you what they think accurately because pretty much nobody can look at themselves objectively.
 
I got a power point presentation via email describing some differences between cons and libs and their thinking.
a few are telling....
as in guns, a con who doesn't like guns doesn't buy guns, a lib who doesn't like guns wants to ban all guns.
or gays, a conservative gay is quiet about it, a lib gay is on the streets demanding "respect".
Talk shows, a con who doesn't like Rush and Beck changes stations, a lib wants to shutdown talk radio.
Religion, a con who isn't into it just won't go to church, libs want to ban all mention of god in public spaces.

and so on....
Seems like libs are more into social engineering, and cons are more into personal responsibility...

This is a list made by a conservative to put liberals in a poor light. Don't give it much credence. The primary difference between a liberal and a democrat today is that a liberal feels that government can be a part of the solution for the country, while a conservative believes that government is part of the problem. That is a huge oversimplification, but I think fairly close to the truth. It's not that liberals are into social engineering, we just feel that hte government can be a force in making the country better.

Where we go wrong so often, as in the list you mentioned, is that instead of disagreeing and being civil, we have to demonize and insult.
 
Some people take up titles without truly knowing what they mean, so...I guess some liberals know themselves better, some conservatives may know a thing or two about a few of them, and then there are those who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground... :D Politics, Oh, the Humanity.
 
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