The Political Thread

[JamesC]

Are they really Nazis though?
Surely to be a Nazi you have to understand the ideology?
I think a lot of these people are just uneducated, disenfranchised and have nothing to aspire to. It's 'putting someone down to big yourself up' writ large.
It's radicalisation. I think the only way to combat radicalisation of any form is with education.

[sheridan]

Are they really Nazis though?
Surely to be a Nazi you have to understand the ideology?
I think a lot of these people are just uneducated, disenfranchised and have nothing to aspire to. It's 'putting someone down to big yourself up' writ large.
It's radicalisation. I think the only way to combat radicalisation of any form is with education.

Yep - it is possible to be an ex-nazi (in the BNP / NF / EDL sense), and it usually is through education.  Let's face it, many of those who are most vehemently anti-foreigners live in areas without much immigration.  If they actually knew more people from different backgrounds they wouldn't be so afraid of them.

[Hawkmumbler]

Are they really Nazis though?
Surely to be a Nazi you have to understand the ideology?
I think a lot of these people are just uneducated, disenfranchised and have nothing to aspire to. It's 'putting someone down to big yourself up' writ large.
It's radicalisation. I think the only way to combat radicalisation of any form is with education.

I think brandishing flaming torches, waving swastikas, and giving nazi salutes to the beat of 'Heil Trump' is a pretty good indication your a nazi.

[JamesC]

Are they really Nazis though?
Surely to be a Nazi you have to understand the ideology?
I think a lot of these people are just uneducated, disenfranchised and have nothing to aspire to. It's 'putting someone down to big yourself up' writ large.
It's radicalisation. I think the only way to combat radicalisation of any form is with education.

I think brandishing flaming torches, waving swastikas, and giving nazi salutes to the beat of 'Heil Trump' is a pretty good indication your a nazi.

You could say that waving a copy of the quran and shouting Allahu Akbar is a good indication that you're a Muslim but a lot of people would argue against it.

Waving flags and torches just means you're a silly fucker who hates stuff.

I'm not by any means condoning or excusing any of this but the fact that these people are forming these opinions in one of the world's richest and most privileged countries isn't just an indictment on the perpetrators themselves.
We (or they) need to get better at showing up this stupid bullshit for what it is and the only way to do that is to talk about it candidly.

[Professor Bear]

Beware the idiot in the middle.

Because anyone who doesn't subscribe to the extremes of any ideology is an idiot?

You are literally using an extreme ideological standpoint, to whit: the left and the right are equally as bad.  I would counter that it is actually centrists who are the worst kind of political sectarian.

[Smith]

Beware the idiot in the middle.

Because anyone who doesn't subscribe to the extremes of any ideology is an idiot?

You are literally using an extreme ideological standpoint, to whit: the left and the right are equally as bad.  I would counter that it is actually centrists who are the worst kind of political sectarian.

What I said was EXTREMES of any ideology.

[Hawkmumbler]

Beware the idiot in the middle.

Because anyone who doesn't subscribe to the extremes of any ideology is an idiot?

You are literally using an extreme ideological standpoint, to whit: the left and the right are equally as bad.  I would counter that it is actually centrists who are the worst kind of political sectarian.

What I said was EXTREMES of any ideology.

The extreme of the left is civil rights for all, the extreme of the right is civil rights for the select few 'pure' people selected by ethnicity, sexuality, and creed. Truly these are atrociously equal.

I swear to fucking god sometimes.

[Smith]

We could go thru some examples of how great communism was,but I hate to interrupt you while your building a strawman.

[Hawkmumbler]

[Smith]

Nice,mature.
Look,Im not your enemy.Im not against you,but I dont have to agree with you 100%.There is no need for a "with me or against me" approach.
Thats all Im going to say on that.

[Professor Bear]

I wouldn't go pinning my colours to a "left wing means communism" standpoint while simultaneously claiming I wasn't dealing in extreme viewpoints and accusing others of straw men arguments, but that's just me.

[Smith]

Which is again something I never said.

[The Legendary Shark]

I find this whole "if you disagree with me you must hate me" reasoning reaction terribly irritating - it's almost as if the Appeal to Emotion fallacy has somehow become a respectable rhetorical device.

[Hawkmumbler]

I wouldn't go pinning my colours to a "left wing means communism" standpoint while simultaneously claiming I wasn't dealing in extreme viewpoints and accusing others of straw men arguments, but that's just me.

^^This.

[Modern Panther]

C'mon guys.  It's not all bad.  Sometimes politics is nice.  Look!  Baby boxes!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-40929355

Lovely little boxes for lovely little babies!  Who could disagree with that?  Lovely.