Why do people subscribe to choosing a political team, Left vs Right?

[airdata]

It just isn't logical at all.

Why does the left do this?

Why does the right do this?

Lumping people together just isn't logical. Unless every person you group into one of the categories is thinking the exact thing at all times about all subjects, it's kinda silly to do that.

What's wrong w\ just being American? We're supposed to be in this together but everybody is too pre-occupied blocking legislation because of the persons party affiliation. Our 2 party system needs a facelift. I'm not offering any solution, just here to say that left vs right bickering is infantile and stupid.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Every sheep needs a shepard.

 

[PeshakJang]

Lumping people together just isn't logical.

It's perfectly logical, and a natural result of our system. People on one side generally believe in one set of ideals, people on the other side generally believe in opposing ideals.

Unless every person you group into one of the categories is thinking the exact thing at all times about all subjects, it's kinda silly to do that.

Nobody ever thinks the exact same thing as another person. It makes perfect sense to team up with somebody who has generally the same ideas about how government should function. Even if their ideas may differ somewhat, they are still more in line than those sharing opposite beliefs.

What's wrong w\ just being American? We're supposed to be in this together but everybody is too pre-occupied blocking legislation because of the persons party affiliation. Our 2 party system needs a facelift. I'm not offering any solution, just here to say that left vs right bickering is infantile and stupid.

Yeah it can get stupid, but that's because both groups have very different ideas about how things should be run. Both sides may have the best intentions, but incompatible ideas.

You could argue for a parliamentary system like Britain or something, but that's basically just a more fragmented system than ours, and not really too compatible with how our legislature is set up.

 

[ch33zw1z]

The innate desire to be part of something bigger than individualism.

 

[wayliff]

because people lean towards the team that protects their interests...me me me.

 

[Rodamus]

It just isn't logical at all.

Why does the left do this?

Why does the right do this?

Lumping people together just isn't logical. Unless every person you group into one of the categories is thinking the exact thing at all times about all subjects, it's kinda silly to do that.

What's wrong w\ just being American? We're supposed to be in this together but everybody is too pre-occupied blocking legislation because of the persons party affiliation. Our 2 party system needs a facelift. I'm not offering any solution, just here to say that left vs right bickering is infantile and stupid.

IMO, I think it is human nature that simplifies the situation to the point that one is right and one is wrong. Black versus white. It's easier than having to think about the grey area in between.

 

[Jaskalas]

The innate desire to be part of something bigger than individualism.

No. It's called strength in numbers.

Imagine if Republicans split their vote for a third party and the Democrats do not. Dems would immediately have command of the government. They cannot possibly split their votes and let the Black Muslim Communist Space Alien be freely reelected!

Imagine if Democrats split their vote for a third party and the Republicans do not. Reps would immediately have command of the government. They cannot possibly split their votes and let a man like the criminal cabal leading war criminal and traitor like Bush be freely elected!

Which ever party divides their votes first, will guarantee that the opposing side has a grace period of undisputed and unbridled power. Thus far not enough people have had the balls to step out of line and do it. People are afraid of division in their own camp. They want strength in numbers.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Good question. "Us vs. Them" stereotypic mentality is very common throughout the history of mankind...I figure it's rooted somewhere in the primitive parts of our brains. We apparently need to feel we're better or more superior than others in order to 'validate' ourselves....people are strange...and I are one.

 

[ch33zw1z]

No. It's called strength in numbers.

Imagine if Republicans split their vote for a third party and the Democrats do not. Dems would immediately have command of the government. They cannot possibly split their votes and let the Black Muslim Communist Space Alien be freely reelected!

Imagine if Democrats split their vote for a third party and the Republicans do not. Reps would immediately have command of the government. They cannot possibly split their votes and let a man like the criminal cabal leading war criminal and traitor like Bush be freely elected!

Which ever party divides their votes first, will guarantee that the opposing side has a grace period of undisputed and unbridled power. Thus far not enough people have had the balls to step out of line and do it. People are afraid of division in their own camp. They want strength in numbers.

While I understand what you're saying, my comment was not false. If it's not Liberal/Conservative, people will find another group to be in. Religion comes to mind.

edit: Your hypothetical highlights what's wrong with the two party system.

 

[MrEgo]

I'm with whoever said it was the result of the political system that we have in place. The system is never going to change, because that would mean that the D's and the R's would have to give up their power.

I think it's pretty lame that you have to either vote for side A or side B, when realistically, there should be a choice all the way up to side Z. Yeah, I know third party candidates can run, but they don't have a shot in hell with the way it's currently set up. If the political system was a corporation, they would violate just about all of the antitrust laws.

 

[boomerang]

Every sheep needs a shepard.

Perhaps, but sheep did just fine before there were shepards.

Does that statement make me a libertarian? :hmm:

 

[Anarchist420]

Before the New Right, there was the Old Right, and conservatism and liberalism were actually totally different. Robert A Taft was conservative, back then meaning anti-New Deal, anti-war, and states' rights/civil liberties.

FDR was what is considered a modern liberal, meaning pro-interventionist in every aspect of life, foreign and domestic.

Since then, the progressives/modern liberals (Wilsonians) have started calling themselves conservatives, when they're not conservative at all and in the 30s they would've been viewed as to the left Herbert Hoover. So today, there exists the New Left (60s counterculture) and the neocons (progressives who left the Democratic Party because Jimmy Carter didn't support intervention in the middle east as much as the neocons wanted) as competing ideologies, even though they're still quite similar. The only real difference between the New Left and the neocons is that the former is peacenik, while the latter is hawkish. Neocons are culturally liberal and ultimately against economic freedom, like the New Left is. However, the neocons don't want anyone other than themselves using drugs, whereas the New Left wants everyone on drugs. Every President starting with Herbert Hoover exhibited some neocon tendencies.

 

[fskimospy]

It just isn't logical at all.

Why does the left do this?

Why does the right do this?

Lumping people together just isn't logical. Unless every person you group into one of the categories is thinking the exact thing at all times about all subjects, it's kinda silly to do that.

What's wrong w\ just being American? We're supposed to be in this together but everybody is too pre-occupied blocking legislation because of the persons party affiliation. Our 2 party system needs a facelift. I'm not offering any solution, just here to say that left vs right bickering is infantile and stupid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action#Collective_action_problem

Our 2 party system will almost certainly never have a facelift, and a system such as ours is the logical and necessary result of an electoral system the people who wrote the Constitution fucked up.

 

[Paul98]

This is one of the main reasons the average person gets screwed by our government and why people have such a hard time compromising.

Doesn't matter what is said, if you classify yourself as being on the side that said it you will try and agree with it. If your on the other side you will disagree with it.

 

[fskimospy]

This is one of the main reasons the average person gets screwed by our government and why people have such a hard time compromising.

Doesn't matter what is said, if you classify yourself as being on the side that said it you will try and agree with it. If your on the other side you will disagree with it.

Blame the founding fathers, they designed it this way.

 

[Carmen813]

People have a tendency to categorize information into dichotomies. Good/bad, Male/female, straight/gay, white/not white, tall/short, Christian/non-Christian, ect. It's how people make sense of a complex world and is a product of socialization.

This is just another example of that. Seeing shades of gray is a sign of maturity that most don't obtain.

 

[Scotteq]

It just isn't logical at all.

Why does the left do this?

Why does the right do this?

Lumping people together just isn't logical. Unless every person you group into one of the categories is thinking the exact thing at all times about all subjects, it's kinda silly to do that.

What's wrong w\ just being American? We're supposed to be in this together but everybody is too pre-occupied blocking legislation because of the persons party affiliation. Our 2 party system needs a facelift. I'm not offering any solution, just here to say that left vs right bickering is infantile and stupid.

I agree the two party system needs overhaul.


I also (most strongly) agree that "Left or Right" is totally inadequate as a way to describe political leanings. ie - it's common for someone to take a Liberal stance on social issues, but be more Conservative when it comes to finance. This site is pretty simple, (and there are others which offer a similar spin), but http://www.politicalcompass.org/ has a decent questionaire to take which will give a decent idea of where you really stand. From there it's fairly straightforward to get an understanding of where you stand vis~a~vis a given party.

 

[Mursilis]

It just isn't logical at all.

Why does the left do this?

Why does the right do this?

Lumping people together just isn't logical. Unless every person you group into one of the categories is thinking the exact thing at all times about all subjects, it's kinda silly to do that.

What's wrong w\ just being American? We're supposed to be in this together but everybody is too pre-occupied blocking legislation because of the persons party affiliation. Our 2 party system needs a facelift. I'm not offering any solution, just here to say that left vs right bickering is infantile and stupid.

The majority are neither left nor right; they are apathetic and willfully ignorant.

 

[silverpig]

I think most people don't put themselves into a bin. Other people do.

"I don't see what's wrong with increasing taxes to help with the deficit."

"You left-wing entitlement baby bastard!"

 

[nick1985]

Sheep need shepards

 

[ch33zw1z]

I agree the two party system needs overhaul.


I also (most strongly) agree that "Left or Right" is totally inadequate as a way to describe political leanings. ie - it's common for someone to take a Liberal stance on social issues, but be more Conservative when it comes to finance. This site is pretty simple, (and there are others which offer a similar spin), but http://www.politicalcompass.org/ has a decent questionaire to take which will give a decent idea of where you really stand. From there it's fairly straightforward to get an understanding of where you stand vis~a~vis a given party.

Cool site, I'm close to Ghandi apparently

 

[cubby1223]

The majority are neither left nor right; they are apathetic and willfully ignorant.

Our local paper ran an editorial on last week's election where the county I live in had a whopping 12.5% of registered voters vote. Suppose when you factor in how many people of voting age are not registered (of which I don't know), the percentage of turnout is much lower than this published number!

 

[Carmen813]

Cool site, I'm close to Ghandi apparently

So am I. Close to the Dali Lama apparently. Left Libertarians FTW!

P.S. You are officially the second one I've met on this forum. You will now be labeled a progressive/liberal dolt. Don't worry, we've T-Shirts.

 

[PingSpike]

It's like baseball. You might like the Yankees or you might like the Red Socks, but if you like one you like baseball. You might like the republicans or you might like the democrats, but if you like one you like corruption and incompetence.

 

[DesiPower]

Agent Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals...