is it my imagination about lefties?

Former Member · September 2005

klintock wrote:

Art, culture, blah blah blah.

Fact is, the bits of the brain that are the centres of "art" and creativity are also the bits that govern shit like empathy, relationships and emotion in general.

On the other hand, the bits of the brain that have to do with logic, systems and order are on the other hemisphere - the "cold" bit of the brain.

This means that if you are good at "creative" stuff you are going to be more empathetic and therefore more "left" leaning politically. It's down to brain operation, not mystical forces.

I can see your train of thought there...but objective logic can lead to a left-wing position just as much as empathy for others does.

Former Member · September 2005

klintock wrote:

Art, culture, blah blah blah.

Fact is, the bits of the brain that are the centres of "art" and creativity are also the bits that govern shit like empathy, relationships and emotion in general.

On the other hand, the bits of the brain that have to do with logic, systems and order are on the other hemisphere - the "cold" bit of the brain.

This means that if you are good at "creative" stuff you are going to be more empathetic and therefore more "left" leaning politically. It's down to brain operation, not mystical forces.

On the subject of art ..........

an intersting reply at last ....

Former Member · September 2005

Spliffie wrote:

I can see your train of thought there...but objective logic can lead to a left-wing position just as much as empathy for others does.

And both empathy and objective logic can also lead one to a right-wing position.

Former Member · September 2005

NQA wrote:

And both empathy and objective logic can also lead one to a right-wing position.

I've yet to meet any right-winger whose logic hasn't been twisted to suit their own prejudices. It isn't objective.

How exactly can empathy lead people to voting George Bush, Tony Blair or Nick Griffin?

Former Member · September 2005

Spliffie wrote:

How exactly can empathy lead people to voting Tony Blair ?

it seemed a good idea at the time ...he seemed such a nice guy after the thatcherites.
conned again.
i may well never ever vote again.

Former Member · September 2005

I can see your train of thought there...but objective logic can lead to a left-wing position just as much as empathy for others does.

Yep, but if you hold the position through logic then you will abandon it whenever it stops suiting you. If you hold the position through an empathetic view it's much more likely to keep hold of it against logic and reason.

How exactly can empathy lead people to voting George Bush, Tony Blair or Nick Griffin?

Because it's limited empathy. i.e. only white people are people, only card carrying republocrats are people etc etc. Everyone does this, we all walk passed other people in the street without bothering about them in the slightest. The difference is the context in which a racist will do this and whether or not we like it or not.

Racism in itself might be due to mental impairment - the ability to distinguish groups of people but not recognise that everyone is different from everyone else.

Former Member · September 2005

Spliffie wrote:

I've yet to meet any right-winger whose logic hasn't been twisted to suit their own prejudices. It isn't objective.

Either that's your own prejudices showing through (lack of objective thinking) or you haven't met many right wingers

How exactly can empathy lead people to voting George Bush, Tony Blair or Nick Griffin?

Quite a diverse group you've got there (again I could point to lack of objectivity). I suspect a lot of left wingers voted for Blair - him being the leader of the Labour Party.

And whilst I'd probably agree that anyone who goes to Nick Griffin shows a lack of empathy, I would also suggest so do many of those who voted for Galloway*

However on voting for Blair and Bush (come to that Michael howard or charles Kennedy) people can empathise and still vote for them. You may think that society should look after its weaker members, should base itself on the equality before the law and protecting human rights and think that the best way to do that is economic and social liberalism, rather than a socialist model.

Now you can argue they are wrong, but it seems a little arrogant to suggest they lack empathy and that not only are the left intellectually superior, but also morally.

* I always liked this piece of grovelling to Saddam by Galloway "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength your indefatigability. And I want you to know that we are with you until victory, until victory until Jerusalem.", but I think it may have been overtaken but this one "The courts killed this woman and I don’t think there can be any justification for it.” - George Galloway on the death of Terri Schiavo (BBC Question Time, 3/31/05)

Former Member · September 2005

Either that's your own prejudices showing through (lack of objective thinking) or you haven't met many right wingers

I used to be vehemently right wing, and have known plenty of likewise others - my opinion is completely objective.

Quite a diverse group you've got there (again I could point to lack of objectivity). I suspect a lot of left wingers voted for Blair - him being the leader of the Labour Party.

Labour are proponents of capitalism - they're not left wing, and never truly have been. And how am I lacking objectivity?

However on voting for Blair and Bush (come to that Michael howard or charles Kennedy) people can empathise and still vote for them. You may think that society should look after its weaker members, should base itself on the equality before the law and protecting human rights and think that the best way to do that is economic and social liberalism, rather than a socialist model.

Economic and social liberalism is a con. We don't trade freely, our societies are still illiberal in some respects, we plunder other countries potential wealth...it doesn't matter if you vote Labour, Conservative or Lib Dem...they all advocate the same basic approach within a capitalist framework. Mainstream politics is a sham.

Now you can argue they are wrong, but it seems a little arrogant to suggest they lack empathy and that not only are the left intellectually superior, but also morally.

Of course right wing parties are lacking in morals. They support a system based on corruption, war, terrorism, misinformation and greed. How can that be moral?

I can veighly understand why someone deeply intellectual might veer towards the right wing on certain issues, but for the masses, supporting the right wing is largely a result of ignorance, dubious media output, a false sense of self-interest and personal prejudice.

Former Member · September 2005

How condescending of you.

So none of those poor ignorant normal folk actually vote for the Tories becasue they actually want their taxes to be lower or becuase they are for lowering the abortion time limit or because they support fox hunting?

They are just being conned are they?

Former Member · September 2005

Toadborg wrote:

How condescending of you.

So none of those poor ignorant normal folk actually vote for the Tories becasue they actually want their taxes to be lower or becuase they are for lowering the abortion time limit or because they support fox hunting?

They are just being conned are they?

I mentioned self-interest. Of course a lot of small-minded people vote according to their own social/psychological position - something which isn't objective.

Former Member · September 2005

Ah, but Spliffie alone has seen the truth which has evaded countless others for thousands of years. Only he can be objective and understand the underlying realities of politics.

Arrogant much?

Former Member · September 2005

NQA wrote:

Ah, but Spliffie alone has seen the truth which has evaded countless others for thousands of years. Only he can be objective and understand the underlying realities of politics.

Arrogant much?

Well, only myself and millions of others :rolleyes: .

Former Member · September 2005

Spliffie wrote:

Well, only myself and millions of others :rolleyes: .

Well, dozens.... the millions of others are supporting the Tories, Labour and the Lib-Dems and the capitalist system. It must be a real fucker

Former Member · September 2005

Born Slippy wrote:

Arts, radio, television, newspapers, music and most of public life are saturated with leftism. The film industry in particular is dominated almost without exception by liberals, especially in Hollywood - the liberal Mecca. The whole of California and New York are infact, Democratic strong holds and I used to live there so I know first hand. But the movie industry has always been like that, as the 1933 poster of S.A.-Mann Brand, directed and written by life long liberals shows

Liberal != left

Former Member · September 2005

NQA wrote:

Ah, but Spliffie alone has seen the truth which has evaded countless others for thousands of years. Only he can be objective and understand the underlying realities of politics.

Arrogant much?

Maybe he's just honest about his ideology?

is it my imagination about lefties?

Comments