Is being liberal a trend?

byuboundLol wut?
Liberal view: 'Transgenderism is normal, and we should support those who undergo sex changes'
Research: Transgenderism is a 'mental disorder'- Paul McHugh, Johns Hopkins Psychiatrist. 'No robust evidence that gender reassignment surgery is clinically effective'- University of Birmingham ARIF
I don't really have time to write more before I go skiing, but the reason the right wing and left wing still exist is because there is evidence and logic supporting both sides. The things that are constantly in debate are gray areas. To say that there is no evidence based policy in conservative ideas is incredibly closed minded. I know I'm opening a huge can of worms with this post, but whatever, its the internet.

Granite_StateIts not free college. Its free, 2 year associate programs. That is a big difference. People are stupid.

spaceghostpurpThis is also coming from a person who drinks "4 or 5 GALLONS of water a day" so this proves my point that liberals are not too sharp

DeforestationHow can you possibly associate "being liberal" with "not doing research" and/or "having no good arguments"? I don't like to associate myself with political ideals and rather side with whatever I believe in on individual issues, independent of polital party, but I've found lately that people who describe themselves as conservative (especially ultra conservative) are generally whites with a high school education (if that) who automatically side with tradition and don't accept new, more realistic and fair, ideas. I mean Trump kicked a guy out of a rally recently for WEARING A TURBIN, and people cheered. Like how the fuck is that ok???

.lenconWould it be different if Twitter and Facebook didn't have all the crap on it that it does?

.lenconI know it's called the liberal arts for a reason

Peter.2 year associate degrees aka community college degrees, which are already stupid cheap to begin with.

Granite_StateUmmm yeah, something the majority of people on both sides of the political spectrum have a real hard time grasping...

But anyways, so if they're super cheap to begin with what's the big deal with making them free? I'd rather my tax dollars go to that than our ridiculous defense budget...

californiagrownId rather have the biggest and best military and the ability to immediately engage in a world war at an industrial level. I think that is worth more to this country than saving a mediocre student a few hundred dollars per year.

Obviously its not that simple, but consider it an off the cuff response to your very valid off the cuff comment haha

DeforestationLiberal arts: a wide breadth of subjects (in school) that one studies as opposed to very specified learning. Comes from a range of subjects the Ancient Greeks thought a free person should be proficient in.

Liberal: open to new ideas, government's job is to help people.

Not the same "liberal"

S.J.WAmerica spends more money on their military than the next seven nations combined. 580 billion on defence is absurd. China spends 130 billion. There is no reason for America's defence budget to be so high.

.MASSHOLE.https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/30665251/former-islamic-extremist-the-far-left-is-helping-isis/

S.J.Wa one second google search can find the exact opposite as well.

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/syrian-refugee-backlash-isis-2015-11?r=US&IR=T

You can find journalism that backs either POV

S.J.WAmerica spends more money on their military than the next seven nations combined. 580 billion on defence is absurd. China spends 130 billion. There is no reason for America's defence budget to be so high.

californiagrownChina doesnt have remotely an equivalent navy, nor such a worldwide military reach.


What would you like to see cut from the US's military?

S.J.WI don't know, I'm not an expert on military spending. But when you spend as much money as the next seven nations combined you know you're doing something wrong.

californiagrownId rather have the biggest and best military and the ability to immediately engage in a world war at an industrial level. I think that is worth more to this country than saving a mediocre student a few hundred dollars per year.

Obviously its not that simple, but consider it an off the cuff response to your very valid off the cuff comment haha

Ralph_SwaggumWhat I've noticed is that it's really easy to be extremely conservative or liberal when you don't pay taxes, mom and dad cover all of your expenses and you've got no real grounding with how the world actually works as opposed to the base idealistic tendencies of politics, policing, race relations and economics.

Granite_StateTo each their own I guess. Even if we cut our defense budget in half we'd still spend more than any other nation in the world. In fact I remember posting in another thread all the areas that could be cut.

Also, why is a student "mediocre" for trying to attain higher education? Even if its a two year degree?

The simple point im trying to make is that there is so much misinformation about Bernies policies floating around both sides of the political spectrum. Idk where free two year college became free college because there is an obvious, massive difference. And then I hear people bitch about where the money is going to come from even though Bernie made that pretty clear too.

S.J.WI don't know, I'm not an expert on military spending. But when you spend as much money as the next seven nations combined you know you're doing something wrong.

californiagrownAmerica can begin to fight a full scale war on any continent in 30 days and have the strongest military there... by a lot. I kinda like that trump card.

S.J.WAmerica needs to stop putting their dick in places where it doesn't belong. When you topple a dictator you're just creating a power vacuum to give way for IS, or whoever the fuck will rise up. Instead war should be used as the last resource, like with Iran and Obama. INB4 Obama conspiracy theory.

californiagrownI think the biggest kid in the schoolyard has the ethical obligation to protect the small kids from bullies.

californiagrownI think the biggest kid in the schoolyard has the ethical obligation to protect the small kids from bullies.

S.J.WHalf a million civilians died due to the Iraq war, and you still have the audacity to say you're being ethical??? Or what about that time the US invaded the wrong country after 9,11. Or when you went to vietnam, got your ass kicked and then pulled out leaving the south to fight for themselves. Where you being ethical then? Are you being ethical when you kill 50 civilians for one terrorist in a drone strike??? Are you being ethical when you have 50,000 homeless veterans. Is Guantanamo Bay ethical?

If any other country in the world did what the US did, they would be jailed for war crimes, crimes against humanity and an array of international crime.

S.J.WHalf a million civilians died due to the Iraq war

If any other country in the world did what the US did, they would be jailed for war crimes, crimes against humanity and an array of international crime.

.lenconI'm not associating being liberal with not researching anything. There's plenty of conservative people who need to do there fair share as well. I just find it odd that literally my whole English class, including the teacher, are super liberal. I know some of them know what they're talking about but most don't at all. So that's why I was wondering if it was a trend.

Sorry for all of you who think I'm anti liberal and super conservative, I'm actually a mix of both liberal and conservative. And I know it's called the liberal arts for a reason I just don't get why everyone my age seems so liberal. Would it be different if Twitter and Facebook didn't have all the crap on it that it does?

onenerdykidSince the 1960s (and possibly earlier), the liberal/left side of the political spectrum has been dominated by a younger demographic. It's definitely not a trend. It's also a byproduct of a 2 party system that more or less forces people to identify with one party or the other. A natural, mechanical consequence of doing that is that most young people are going to side with left, since many of their own opinions are represented by that side.

Like you, I am a mix of both. I think most rational, educated people are as well simply because of the fact that you can't cleanly split the totality of ideas/thoughts/opinions into two camps. Do the Republicans/conservatives have some good ideas? Of course. Do the Democrats/liberals? Of course. However, when I look to the front runners who represent the current Republican party, there is no way I could ever vote for them. Their world views and beliefs are beyond regressive, in my opinion. The right is either going to be figureheaded by a completely bigoted billionaire or a blindly religious nut job who thinks God has a vested interest in America only. For me, the question of why I side with the liberals is a non-starter.

.lenconThank you for making a good post and explaining why people my age are so liberal.

And yeah it's crazy how split the parties are. Like republicans won't even address climate change because the democrats do. But something needs to be done. And it happens with both sides and it honestly baffles me why a true independent doesn't run. I guess they probably would have no chance of winning but still.

ttelrabhonestly most high school/college kids base their political views off of social issues, like gay rights, racial issues, etc. Therefore, a lot of them identify as liberal. As people mature they come to see how for instance free college and free healthcare get paid for with taxes. It's easy to be liberal when it's not your own money being taken by the government.

ttelrabIt's easy to be liberal when it's not your own money being taken by the government.

BogsJust like it's easy to be conservative when you've never had to worry about things like paying for health care, education, food, etc.

TingaThe original thought behind conservatism is that they don't tax the people and provide services like welfare because the people are supposed to give charitably on their own. Now I'm not going to make blanket statements because I genuinely believe a lot of conservatives give privately but I do believe a lot of conservatives would be surprised to hear that this is the case.

There are people that work hard and don't mind paying taxes when it means things like roads and less homeless people.

onenerdykidThe 2000 election that saw Ralph Nader run against George Bush and Al Gore is a good example of why a 3rd party causes problems. The emergence of a 3rd party is typically an off-shoot of an existing main party and as such it splits that party into 2 smaller parties which renders both weaker than the remaining "unified" main party. Nader's Green Party essentially caused the liberal left to become divided and therefore weaker than the unified GOP. Nader took almost 3% of the vote (almost 3 million popular votes) and therefore arguably weakened the Democratic opposition to the Republicans. Bernie Sanders (who remember has been an Independent for over 30 years) is basically running on the Democratic platform for this very reason.

If the 2-party system is to end, it almost needs to be replaced by a 5-party system that can balance things out a bit better and not easily get lopsided with political party alliances.

ttelrabwell yeah, you could make a case for that. but being raised in a family that works hard to be able to pay for those things plus more has obviously shaped my views. not trying to bash the liberal side but thats just my opinion

ttelrabhonestly most high school/college kids base their political views off of social issues, like gay rights, racial issues, etc. Therefore, a lot of them identify as liberal. As people mature they come to see how for instance free college and free healthcare get paid for with taxes. It's easy to be liberal when it's not your own money being taken by the government.

BogsHopefully, as you mature, you'll realize that many, many people aren't born with the advantages you have had, and that hard work isn't some magic solution to being born without those advantages. Someday you'll learn that lots and lots of people work plenty hard without the money to show for it.

PringlePolitics are lame. I have no affect on the outcome of things so I'm not going to devote a second of my life to worrying about who wins.

.lenconI'm not associating being liberal with not researching anything. There's plenty of conservative people who need to do there fair share as well.

californiagrownId rather have the biggest and best military and the ability to immediately engage in a world war at an industrial level. I think that is worth more to this country than saving a mediocre student a few hundred dollars per year.

Obviously its not that simple, but consider it an off the cuff response to your very valid off the cuff comment haha

S.J.WHalf a million civilians died due to the Iraq war, and you still have the audacity to say you're being ethical??? Or what about that time the US invaded the wrong country after 9,11. Or when you went to vietnam, got your ass kicked and then pulled out leaving the south to fight for themselves. Where you being ethical then? Are you being ethical when you kill 50 civilians for one terrorist in a drone strike??? Are you being ethical when you have 50,000 homeless veterans. Is Guantanamo Bay ethical?

If any other country in the world did what the US did, they would be jailed for war crimes, crimes against humanity and an array of international crime.

.lenconThank you for making a good post and explaining why people my age are so liberal.

And yeah it's crazy how split the parties are. Like republicans won't even address climate change because the democrats do. But something needs to be done. And it happens with both sides and it honestly baffles me why a true independent doesn't run. I guess they probably would have no chance of winning but still.