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U can tell a person's politics by....

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Went with my dad to NY. Got off a very busy train and in line to go up a stair case. Meantime, people were trying to push in and go around the line. My dad said to me, I want you to time how long it takes us to get to the top of the stairs. I did, and it was 3 minutes waiting in the line and going up the stairs fairly. Then he said to me, so those people pushing in and cutting people off to get to the top of the stairs saved...what maybe a minute or minute and a half?

So here's my question to debate (because of course I saw similar things all day long in NYC, people trying to cut across the intersection when the lights were turning red, going in the wrong lanes to cut people off), can you tell a person's politics by their values.

Cause when I said the people pushing to the top of the stairs were stupid. He said no, they're republicans. :D

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In most cases a person's political views are based on their own values and sensibilities.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think most people will look to support a brand of politics that represents their own values but I am not sure these values cna be deduced from everyday behaviour.

    Your dad makes sense though, Republicans are big pro-capitalists right?

    Self-interest and greed are key caputailst tenets so makes sense.......
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    People in the line laughed when my dad said that. It also kept my mind busy while I waited...he knew it would. You could see people getting fired up on the train with coffee...looking at the London Financial Times or something and Wall Street Journal.

    I wonder if aggressive people who are out for themselves, expect the same from their government? Or do power-hungry, aggressive people go into politics?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I expect people who are out for themselves (and aknowledge it) may admire such characteristics in a govt, but only if it represented their interests I would imagine........
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At the risk of generalising, it is often easy to guess a person's political views, or 'guess where they're coming from'. However as often the political views these people hold do not correspond with the 'values' they seem to cherish.

    For instance, the more religious a person is the more chance they are right wingers. This is an enormous contradiction in terms that seems to go over people's heads. Look at the publishers and readers of the Daily Mail for instance. This is a paper and a readership that claim to be more christian than most. Yet they embrace right wing polices that are profoundly anti-christian: they loathe paying taxes to help the poor, are extremely greedy, and despise foreigners who come here in hope of a better existence with a hatred that beggars belief.

    On more subtle detail, you could expect someone who wears a suit on leisure activities to be right wing as well. Apparently lawyers assert people's tolerance and attitudes to issues when studying a jury by looking at their shoes. Someone with comfortable but not so formal shoes is much more likely to be a liberal than someone with more formal but tight and uncomfortable shoes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And Aladdin what you said about the religious people holds true throughout the West to me. Like in the US where having a death penalty is a states rights issue...less religious states like NY and NJ don't have it, the bible belt including Texas does. Bush is a born again Christian and the number of people who were executed in Texas while he was govornor was an issue in his campaign for the presidency. Also regarding abortion rights, he's on the side of the unborn fetus...not the mother. She has no rights as to whether to give birth or not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Re: U can tell a person's politics by....
    Originally posted by pnjsurferpoet

    Cause when I said the people pushing to the top of the stairs were stupid. He said no, they're republicans. :D

    As a native NYer, I can tell you that those people were both Republican and Democrats. They were the ones that have something urgent on their mind, and they're working to get it done. Nothing to do with politics, everything to do with the culture of NYC.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So Greenhat you're saying some Republicans are compassionate and empathetic...not just tough and good for defense?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by pnjsurferpoet
    So Greenhat you're saying some Republicans are compassionate and empathetic...not just tough and good for defense?

    Check out who donates to the United Way, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ah yes, nothing like a small token gesture to assuage the conscience eh Greenie?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Clandestine
    Ah yes, nothing like a small token gesture to assuage the conscience eh Greenie?

    Small token?

    Suggest you look at the donations of George Steinbrenner. When is the last time you made a small donation that matched any of his?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Interesting you use Steinbrenner as a shining example Greenie. Unlike him I don't have quite the level of assuaging of guilt to contend with either...

    http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/george1.shtml

    Im sure plenty of criminals give extensively to charities. A good way to paint themselves as magnanimous whilst carrying on with their corruption. :lol:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Maybe you would prefer Lou Gerstner to compare yourself to?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    k - I will. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Actually I dont compare myself to anyone. Each person must answer individually for the good and ill they do in life. That has nothing to do with the original point either way.

    That point being that many give to charities to greater or lesser degrees, which says nothing about their ethics or moral code in all other areas.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The point was answering Pnj's question, without your smartass remarks.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Touchy touchy Greenie. Take a deep breath! There ya go! lol.

    What we have above is a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black! ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Blaahaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I love when you two get going at each other. I actually learn a lot. I'm always looking around for a pen to look up the information you're throwing at each other before msn cuts me off. :lol:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well...everyday when I go to work on the train there are people who push in in front of me to get the 'better' seats or to get on first and I really can't be bothered so I wait until they are all on....I may be standing but it usually means I'm the first off which really pisses them off.

    when I get pregnant I will expect people seeing me in my heavily pregnant state to offer me a seat and if they don't I WILL make a fuss. Some people are just too rude...and I guess it may reflect their politics.

    You either care about being part of society or you don't. some twat who leaps on the train infront of all the people who were waiting in line is probably more likely to not give a shit about other peoples suffering.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Guess the actions of all those New Yorkers on 9/11 and the days afterwards were confused, huh?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Actually in some part yes, in some parts trauma, and the gov has wasted no effort to capitalise on it and keep it periodically stoked so they can play with their big toys for a while.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes, I remeber it was funny to divide left wing and right wing attitude in any possible sort of human activity,
    (italy in ten years ago)
    a renault 4 was left wing, a volkswagen golf was right wing
    marijuana was left wing, cocaine was right wing
    AS ROMA was left wing, SS LAZIO was right wing,
    ..etc this sort of nonsense, I'm afraid it all ends up with your financial situations (and some education) as you said
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You're right ROMA.
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