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Originally posted by ihavenoaccount
reply to post by ButterCookie
Okay, this is getting frustrating.
It's frustrating because I really do agree with you on certain points. I do agree that many "black" people hide behind the struggles of their forefathers to escape their own accountability. I wholeheartedly agree that such behaviour is ultimately more destructive than any surviving instance of institutional racism. I'd even go as far to say that the so-called "black leaders" in the African-American community are pretty much useless.
But you keep using this word: "all". Surely, with your past experience, you've learnt how over-used this word is? I really want to agree with you, but when you say things like "all liberals" or "all leftists" it just hurts your argument. You were sick and tired of black people blaming "all white people", and you even dropped religion, where thinking in absolutes is the M.O. of many adherents. Liberalism is such a broad ideology, like conservatism.
What if I were to say that "Republicans/ all conservatives are reactionary, illogical and exhibit properties of the jingoism present in the old British Empire?" Stop painting us all with the same brush; it's hypocritical.
Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by ButterCookie
Wow, not that many people I have talked to even know where those labels of liberals and conservatives came from, and what they are supposed to mean. I always found it interesting that a lot of people apply labels to themselves without even really understanding the meaning of said labels.
Originally posted by jadedANDcynical
When you accept such labels, you also accept all of the hidden assumptions people carry within their own minds about those labels. They restrict you within that person's preconceived notions, in their mind. And then when you act contrary to what that person thinks about you because of the label they've given you, they're shocked.
So her family and friends think they've got her pigeonholed and when she seeks things they do not value, education, eloquent speaking, broadening of her own horizons they ridicule her and put another label on her.
Liberal, conservative?
I'm me, f the rest!edit on 25-7-2013 by jadedANDcynical because: typo
Originally posted by ihavenoaccount
reply to post by ButterCookie
Ah... I see what's happened here.
I'm talking in quite a general context. Liberalism has everything to do with liberty in the grand scheme of things, but the American condition is rather unique, since most of its ideologies evolved (at least partially) separately from the rest of the world.
This is what I call liberalism. J.S. Mill, Jeremy Bentham and other thinkers who are considered generally to be the "heart of liberalism", in essence, the missing link between classical and modern schools, resonate most strongly with me. They'd probably be dubbed libertarians in the US, though.
So that being said, I'm very much for limited government. Things like public healthcare are causes one can get behind (our NHS is far from perfect, but it could be so, so much worse without it), but otherwise, a nanny state will always crumble eventually.
So all things considered, one could still call me a European liberal or a left-libertarian or whatever. Depends on the judge, really. The label really doesn't matter, but I get kinda pedantic about them when they're used!
It seems more like a misunderstanding on my part, really. American politics really is a different ballgame!
P.S. Sorry for going so off-topic.edit on 25-7-2013 by ihavenoaccount because: (no reason given)
Social Workers/ all liberals have this EXACT same mentality...instead of saying, "Let me show you how to apply for college so that you can become more marketble and eventually climb out of poverty...let me explain to you why having multiple children out of wedlock will hold you back..." etc, they take on the slave master's mentality.
Without even reading your post (YET), let me educate you on something.
It is not humanly possible to know ALL of a group.
This is known without being said, amongst intellectuals.
So when a person retorts by 1st saying "You can't say ALL......(blah,blah)", they are merely trying to defract from the argument at hand.
Because if I were to ask what your point was, what would it be? The OP is initially talking about the difficulties of daring to be different in the black community, and I cited some examples.
...and also that there is now a subculture in the black community that is anti-intellectual and promotes deviant behavior (ie, support of Trayvon Martin assaulting another person).