My political stances are easy to show because I don't hide them:
Originally posted by Scribble
The big question here really is: does anybody actually have ethics? Because ethics tend to inform political positions. I feel like most people here have political loyalties, but no actual innate ethics, instead basing their political beliefs upon those of the tribe they serve.
Yes. I'm a virtue ethicist and a utilitarian.
Originally posted by jaden_2.0
I try to do my "good deed" for the day every day. Lately that involves a lot of pretty heavy conversations with my staff, a lot of whom are struggling with mental health through the pandemic. Currently helping someone get help for alcoholism. They've been sober 4 weeks now and we've gotten past a lot of the physical symptoms. I've learned to draw certain lines though as quite often in the past I would help others to the detriment of myself.Environmentally I try my best to make my impact on the planet as positive as possible. When I inherited my father's home after he passed away I spent a considerable amount of money getting it to the point where it was a net producer of electricity and sold that back to the grid. I'm not perfect on this front by any means. I still drink bottled water despite living in a country with some of the best drinkable tap water in the world. I'm working on that.
Like I said, I choose to work for an employer that reflects those 2 facets. They have a pretty comprehensive corporate responsibility statement and ethical policies.
I'm a trade unionist. Old school, worker's rights, workplace conditions etc.
This is one of the deepest posts you've posted, before.
You're a good dude.
Lately I've been thinking of myself as a Conservative Progressive. What does this mean? Eg, marriage. I believe people should be married* before they have kids. OTOH, I have no problem with same-sex marriages. To express my stance without political labeling: I believe in Balance between Rights and Responsibilities. Individual power + social mindedness. Strong healthy parts to yield a strong healthy whole.
*Ideally, I'd also like to see emotional and financial readiness, but hey, this is the real world after all.
Everyone else's posts are like this:
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Whereas DDM's posts are like:
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In terms of economics, I'm pretty much a social liberal when it comes to the western hemisphere. When everybody starts from the ground, open unregulated free markets are the best, but the more economy grows, the greater ability to concentrate wealth and power rise, so the market actually needs more regulations to remain free and offering equal opportunities. Things are obviously way more complicated and convoluted than that, but the simplest example is the existence of monopolies. I'm in favor of the least regulations possible to achieve control over that, and basic redistribution. I support trying to start with UBI in the most automated countries instead of convoluted welfare systems. I'm also in favor of tax-payed education. I think healthcare should be private in the low-end (basic diagnosis of everyday shit, basic medicine) and public in the high-end (sudden life-threatening cases, cancer treatment, cardiology), I think the Netherlands have a good system about this kind of stuff. Switzerland is also pretty great.
Regarding political system: I'm honestly neutral. Some cultures thrive more under autocratic rulers, I think for example democratic China would be a mess. Democracy all the way for Europe and North America, tho. TRUE liberal democracy tho, not democracy as a dictatorship of the majority, like in Poland's case.
Socially: freedom means people can do whatever they want as long as they don't affect others. They are free to be retarded as well. State should have no say in cultural affairs.
Originally posted by Robtard
Why do you think some cultures and Democracy don't gel?I ask, because after America "freed" Iraq, some noted that while the Iraqis were oppressed and tortured under Saddam's dictatorship, the county as a whole was more stable.
For the same reason that the children of conservative, religious, and strict parents often misbehave. Anyone can "be good" when they are following a proscriptive set of rules. But once those people have to make good choices on their own, having little to no experience beforehand, they make a lot of mistakes. Who would have thought that making people live by a set of pronouncements to "do this" and "do not do that" does not provide them with a framework to make moral decisions for problems that are not enumerated on their list?
well I mean lots of the places have had their societies under various forms of autocracy, oligarchy etc. for ages now, and they don't really seem to be interested that much in democracy, even in countries that are very civilized and wealthy, like United Arab Emirates. these people prefer their monarchies and seem content with them, have no real strive for democracy, no real democratic traditions, etc.
then you have to include that democracy isn't something you set up in a year or so, it has to be a gradual process, like look at Europe, besides revolutions (which are another thing, and they come from within of a country) all the pro-democracy changes were generally gradual. society that's not used to democracy and never functioned in it just can't transit too quickly if it's totally normal for them to live under an absolute monarchy or stuff like that. it's totally the case in the Emirati culture for instance
and yes Iraq is a good example, Saddam was bad etc and was a monster, but Iraqi people just don't feel too good about democracy; they obviously don't want another Saddam, but democracy doesn't really seem a good thing for them
I obviously think democracy is generally the best (despite insane problems it has), but it has to come from within and has to be done gradually, democracy imported from the US won't work lol. and in many cases people don't want it and are fine in their systems; autocracy is way, way way way more dangerous, but UAE, or Bahrain, they're doing well with their system. things may change, but for now, it's not for us to decide for these guys
Originally posted by Robtard
Why do you think some cultures and Democracy don't gel?I ask, because after America "freed" Iraq, some noted that while the Iraqis were oppressed and tortured under Saddam's dictatorship, the county as a whole was more stable.
Aint that funny... How the Left will ALWAYS Side with the DICTATORS and MONSTERS because of STABILITY!?
As long as the Trains to the Execution Centers Run On Time.
Go Eat Your OWN SHIT YOU FASCIST PHUNT!
Originally posted by Robtard
Why do you think some cultures and Democracy don't gel?I ask, because after America "freed" Iraq, some noted that while the Iraqis were oppressed and tortured under Saddam's dictatorship, the county as a whole was more stable.
Destroying a lot of the country in order to 'save' it, killing a half million Iraqi civilians in the air bombardments and unintentionally starting a civil war between Sunni and Shiite Muslims - you could substitute 'stable' with 'bludgeoned into submission.'
When Bin Laden was killed in '11, there was an uprising. Chaos ensued and after Obama administered the pulling out of Iraq and set up a shia government, as Iraq was mostly shia anyway, the Syrian civil war, which was already being fled by terrorists to exploit the situation, then turned their aims on Iraq and Al Qaeda in Iraq came to be. This later became ISIS.
To answer Rob's question, religion and oil, mostly. Damn Mussodegh!