WHY ???

Posted by upston 6 years, 9 months ago to Philosophy
57 comments | Share | Best of... | Flag

What makes smart and outwardly normal people progressives , statists , sociologists, or worse Democrats ????

I understand the leadership who crave power and the low information voters but what about the others. I have family that are accomplished , educated, wealthy and total lefties. I have been struggling with this for 40 years. I have given away many copies of A S but to little affect, I argue, present facts, joke bitch but nothing gets through. Help me please.


All Comments

  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 6 years, 9 months ago
    Hello upston,
    George Carlin — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.'
    Respectfully,
    OA
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The Fight for Conscious Human Life, published by http://authorhouse.com. It can be found on most download sites. (only in digital form).
    The next one?...Conscience, those that have and those that have not. The only true division in society...will take another year.
    NYT's here I come...laughing
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    You are welcome.
    It happens to be my work and permeates my writings. My first book didn't go that deep but the next one, (in progress) will.

    My journey started out to understand what we have missed during our life times and how history and knowledge in general has been confounded.
    My only objective was to get it right...although many of my points can be observed, they can't be proven to be causation. Psychologist and some quantum physicist would agree but pure science would be hesitant. Much of that would be ideological un-intergrated programing. (they refuse to look at the observation).
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Carl, That is some deep thinking. My brother in law is a nice guy but wrong on all maters political. I was with him alone for a few days so my wife was not there to protect him from my poking. After I pinned him down on multiple subjects and got to some fundamental questions he readily agreed with me. He tried not to get cornered by dreaded logic and used all the tricks to change the subject but without the ladies to provide cover it was over. We became much better friends as a result and he no longer makes dumb talking point shots when I am around. My point is they stay at the surface but if you drag them under they stop squirming pretty quick, to use a metaphor. Tanks for your post
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Nice one DR, Larry Elder a radio host likes to say " Facts to a liberal are like kryptonite to Superman" The ability to ignore certain infomation that would conflict with a theory or belief seems to be common and almost universal. CO2 increases a few points per million is the end of the planet so the stats can regulate all human activity. A guy rose from the dead and was the son of god and if you dispute that we burn you alive. The government has trouble issuing drivers licences in a orderly way but is the only entity that can run the health care system.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by DrZarkov99 6 years, 9 months ago
    Intellectual shallowness seems to be the common thread. Many so called intelligent people are only given the descriptive because they can repeat back what has been shoved into their little pea brains. Actual perception and understanding is the missing element.

    My brother in law has a PhD in a highly technical area, and is a dyed-in-the-wool progressive. My discovery of his actual limited intellectual capacity came not from a political discussion, but from a technical one. He asked me about a space activity that he didn't understand, and I proceeded to make the link between what puzzled him and the general physics principles involved that connected to his area of expertise. To my shock, he said he never paid much attention to principles, so long as the numbers in his equations gave the right answer.

    My conclusion from this exchange was that he, like many leftists, eagerly clings to what "sounds right" rather than what makes sense. He stopped having political discussions with me because he said my use of facts and logic was "unfair."
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by Owlsrayne 6 years, 9 months ago
    I think the blame rests squarely on our educational system. Just seeing the influence it had on my son when he was in high school in the 1990's (here in Az.). He very much on the left politically, while I'm far right and his mother is middle of the road. We don't even try to change his mind anymore. Any intellectual discussion with him ends up in a verbal brawl. Schools are no longer teaching what my wife and I learned. It seems that American History and Civics have been replaced with rote memorization for high testing scores so the school districts can get more funding. Textbooks and info from online are probably tilted towards the left.
    Recently on Fox News, they had a journalist questioning college students and then people on the street they seem completely oblivious to current events or spew socialist ideology.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 6 years, 9 months ago
    Could be that all their accumulated information is compartmentalized only in their brain, (the brain/neurons are compartmentalized and cannot integrate) and being accomplished a sense of narcissism sets in coupled with a bit of guilt which manifest into what you have observed.

    Consciousness soars on the wings of metaphors is my summation of the works of Julian Jaynes. He points out that the left brain alone is amazing, the right brain is a phenomenal addition but...in the folks you describe they are disconnected...they may be Bicameral as opposed to unicameral which produces consciousness, a real conscience, identity and the ability to self introspect, not to mention integrate information into the form of wisdom.

    You might try using metaphors they might be familiar with to describe reality as we know it in a non-(leftest)-offensive way.
    Make it personal but not obvious so they can use their emotions to re-awaken a connection to their minds.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by LibertyBelle 6 years, 9 months ago
    Because intelligence is no guarantee of rationality.
    And also, not everyone wants to know the truth. Have you read Leonard Peikoff"s The Ominous Parallels? It is a sort of history of philosophy. It explains how bad philosophy fosters (if not originates) irrationality, causing the wrong epistemology, the wrong metaphysics (view of the earth), which causes evil politics.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by CaptainKirk 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Stormi, which is why I said it is truly a Generalization.

    Good for you. I taught my daughter similar things. It's parents job to prepare their children.
    Lazy parents let the schools take over... And we see what happened.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    AR was a female I think :) And Marks and the others ware boys so as Jacky Mason said," bigotry is stupid, get to know some one and hate em for a perfectly good reason" Jacky is a great man who supports the US Constitution.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by jimjamesjames 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I have four friends on FB. Not interested in any others except to find out who, in my generation (I'm 75) have died. I think you are right about the heavy users of social media, looking for external validation.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    As an Ozzy I have been trampled by the mob headed to the open BAR. Free is I think the best explanation of the mob mentality. Free medical coverage swept a Labor " democrat" victory in Australia in the early 70. Every election since has swung on tweaking the FREE stuff. Medical standards have gone to crap but the co pay is $4 mate !!
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    When a large % of the work force grew food the long term was implicit and rewarded with a surplus one could tradel. Now it off to Searbucks for a muffin on the Visa.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Great point, the crazy success of face book et al proves the power of social acceptance. I wonder if Gulchers are heavy users or shun it like me ??
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ jlc 6 years, 9 months ago
    According to Pinker, one of the inherited tendencies seems to be "Conformance to Social Expectations". These people would probably be Conservatives if it were 'in style' to be conservatives and Libertarians if it were 'fashionable' to be that.

    If you want to change your relatives, then change social expectations. Not only will they probably switch, but they will also probably claim that 'this is what they thought all along'. Because the did: what they thought is what Society expected.

    Jan
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by Herb7734 6 years, 9 months ago
    Sorry, but it's exactly the same with my family. A couple of cousins have cut me off altogether. Libralism is a disease. If you come from what was originally a working class family, the idea that the Democrats are "for the working people" is ingrained to the point of being a cult.It doesn't matter that everyone is now successful or a professional. I could say more, but it's lunchtime.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by jimjamesjames 6 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Good. Guilt and remorse are the individual's emotional response to violating their own values. Their problem is lack of a sense of individual worth -- which may be justified -- and they have the cognitive dissonance as a result.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ prof611 6 years, 9 months ago
    I've read all the responses, but didn't see one that applied to my daughter. She is old enough that her schooling was not as liberal as it is today. She never finished college, but took a job as a programmer. Taught herself Java, which is not an easy language.

    I think that she persisits in being a liberal because her job is now threatened by the reforms being made by President Trump. Her employer had mostly government contracts, which are now in jeopardy.

    So she refuses to even talk to me any more about philosophical issues. I have to bite my tongue in order not to say anything to upset her, or the conversation is over.
    Reply | Permalink  

  • Comment hidden. Undo