This ATS crowd has been invaluable to me and my personal growth. I came here as a person who understood the left/right illusion and was one of the 10% of the people who didn't play along with it. I thought.

I had no idea how ingrained it all is with some people. People who are unwilling to, even for a second, consider the other side. People who throw around hegemony like it's going out of style (don't worry guys, it never will). People like me who thought they understood but still played along and didn't even realize it.

Now I understand. I mean really understand. I caught myself a couple of days ago popping into a thread about pyramids or something and responded to a dude who was talking about a religious author and I bashed the author on his political stance. Totally unrelated. The OP called me on it and I tried to justify it but, in the end, I realized that I'm still one of those guys I get mad at!

So now... now I get it. I will practice what I preach. For those of you who don't believe you are fooled, tell me why these words have changed meaning and now somehow mean something negative:

- Liberal (what's wrong with liking liberty?)
- Conservative (since when is being frugal a bad thing?)
- Progressive (somehow "progress" is a bad thing now)
- Intellectual (I still giggle when somebody calls me this as an insult)
- Fundie (believing in fundamental concepts can be a good thing sometimes)
- Socialist (collective taxation to help the poor is a good thing)
- Capitalist (freedom to make, sell, and trade goods is a good thing)
- Race Card (somehow this can now mean calling somebody out for racism...)
- Obamabot (robots are AWESOME)
- Any word that is a horrible attempt at a pun (ie Rethuglicans. Hahah, very clever, now go back to your Madlibs)

NONE of those things should be insults! Don't get me started with "bushism" or "Obama-____".

If you think any of those things are insulting or absolutely "wrong", then you are brainwashed. Join me and tell the world you do not buy into it anymore. Be a born-again American and screw FOX, MSNBC, and any talking head that uses any of those terms as an insult. Now repeat after me:

"I, _____, promise to look at every view point objectively and realize there may be merit to it, even if there is a catchy dismissive nickname for it that my favorite news person uses. I, _____, promise to protect and defend viewpoints that run counter to my own as I am an American and I believe that ideas from Americans are American unless they are destructive to God-given rights. I will also protect my fellow Americans from unAmerican views that promote bigotry, racism, sexism, or corporatism. So help me God(s)/(ess)"

Ok, I guess I'll start :

I, Cuervo, promise to look at every view point objectively and realize there may be merit to it, even if there is a catchy dismissive nickname for it that my favorite news person uses. I, Cuervo, promise to protect and defend viewpoints that run counter to my own as I am an American and I believe that ideas from Americans are American unless they are destructive to God-given rights. I will also protect my fellow Americans from unAmerican views that promote bigotry, racism, sexism, or corporatism. So help me God.

it's funny, your exactly right, none of those names offend me because i don't see myself as any of those parties....

It looks like all those titles listed, were twisted into bad things. (Progressive) for the purposes of propaganda. It's sad. Part of the Powers That Be('s) manipulation through the mainstream media. But those of us who are awake and aware see through that, clearly.

Originally posted by simone50m
It looks like all those titles listed, were twisted into bad things. (Progressive) for the purposes of propaganda. It's sad. Part of the Powers That Be('s) manipulation through the mainstream media. But those of us who are awake and aware see through that, clearly.

And

Originally posted by patternfinder
it's funny, your exactly right, none of those names offend me because i don't see myself as any of those parties....

Looks like you guys are already "there". Good for you. Don't allow yourselves to be marginalized!

If you get it shouldn't it start with"I _______ as an Earthling...." Why start with spreading the word of "getting it" with a dividation on nationality.

I like the attempt really, I agreed with most until I encountered the stupidity of dividing by the color of ones ID tag.

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Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

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it´s time people start looking at each other for what they are.. HUMAN

characteristics and actions are the only two things that should count, the rest are all labels to be put on certain people.

colour of your skin, your religious beliefs, political beliefs etc. it all DOES NOT matter.

it´s time to stop judge people on these labels.

i know it´s hard, it still catch myself doing it sometimes.

but when you start looking at people for what they are, without preconcieved notions, the sheer beauty of humanity and the human race becomes visible.

Interesting coincidence, I am listening to Infowars show right now, and Alex says we are the majority, and could tell by merely speaking with people on the streets, but if you pay attention to the MSM, it seems like we are all asleep sheeple. I have said before, a few times, that we can thank the internet for this, it is a Godsend for people against tyranny and oppression. I -often- wonder, for example, where the NWO 'Republican' candidates would be in popularity right now, if no one was online. Perry would likey be --gauranteed-- for the Oval Office.

Originally posted by Diyainoue
If you get it shouldn't it start with"I _______ as an Earthling...." Why start with spreading the word of "getting it" with a dividation on nationality.

I like the attempt really, I agreed with most until I encountered the stupidity of dividing by the color of ones ID tag.

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Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

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Point taken. You could replace the word "American" with anything and it still applies. I guess I used an American-centric perspective because that's who I hear getting swept up in the left/right illusion fervor. I'm also guessing I am thinking that way because it's harder to get your street in order until your own courtyard is first.

I'm both an extreme globalist and an extreme localist (meaning a world with overall allegiance to cooperation with independent sovereignty) so I can relate to both. Thanks for the perspective check.


ps edit - How's this?:

"I, _____, promise to look at every view point objectively and realize there may be merit to it, even if there is a catchy dismissive nickname for it that my favorite news person uses. I, _____, promise to protect and defend viewpoints that run counter to my own as I am a member of humanity and I believe that ideas from fellow humans are human unless they are destructive to God (or Cthulhu, Charlie Sheen, etc) -given rights. I will also protect my fellow Earthlings from unEarthly views that promote bigotry, racism, sexism, or corporatism. So help me God(s)/(ess)/(Xotli)/(That Guy Playing Sax In Lost Boys)