PROGRESSIVE AUTHORITARIANISM AT ITS BEST

[Atlanticmike]

PROGRESSIVES being PROGRESSIVES by telling people exactly what they're are going to do, or else!! PROGRESSIVES hate freedom, absolutely hate freedom!! We are doomed!!
https://youtu.be/8SFa0Th9P_E

[honorentheos]

PROGRESSIVES being PROGRESSIVES by telling people exactly what they're are going to do, or else!! PROGRESSIVES hate freedom, absolutely hate freedom!! We are doomed!!
https://youtu.be/8SFa0Th9P_E

The video is about vaccine mandates and equates them to Communism. Do you believe that a vaccine mandate is Communism as the video outrage mouth spouted?

Could you offer up a recognizable definition of Communism that supports this?

[Gunnar]

I didn't view AM's OP in this thread, and I don't intend to, but it is my observation that some hard right posters on this board and others seem prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being communists--especially if it involves expressing any sympathy for redressing the plight of others who are unfairly disadvantaged whether because of racial prejudice or economic status.

[ceeboo]

......but it is my observation that some hard right posters on this board and others seem prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being communists.....

Hey Gunnar,

Have you observed any hard left posters on this board prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being a white supremacist? Or a Nazi? Or an insurrectionist? Or a real threat to democracy? Or a xenophobe? Or a homophobe? Or someone who doesn't give a crap about their grandchildren?

Or are your observations strictly limited to only the human beings that happen to be politically right?

[Atlanticmike]

I didn't view AM's opening post in this thread, and I don't intend to, but it is my observation that some hard right posters on this board and others seem prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being communists--especially if it involves expressing any sympathy for redressing the plight of others who are unfairly disadvantaged whether because of racial prejudice or economic status.

Holy crap!!!! You crack me up dude. You sound exactly like my TBM mom! She says, Atlanticmike, you know I'm not going to look at that information, the Prophet has asked us to only read information that's "uplifting" " to the spirit. Do you realize you're still living in a cult, a different cult, yes, but still a cult!

[honorentheos]

I didn't view AM's OP in this thread, and I don't intend to, but it is my observation that some hard right posters on this board and others seem prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being communists--especially if it involves expressing any sympathy for redressing the plight of others who are unfairly disadvantaged whether because of racial prejudice or economic status.

Hi Gunnar,

In this case it is being used to describe vaccine mandates. It's mainly a video collage of clips of politicians and news persons saying individual choice is less important here than is the need to combat COVID. My question to Atlanticmike was aimed at seeing if he realized it was a poor choice of descriptions where communism was used for it's fear-inducing value rather than it's accuracy.

As to the subject of vaccine mandates, I suppose it's too much to ask of anyone to remember that when this all kicked off the Trump administration and others compared the need to fighting a war. This included temporarily sacrificing instances of individual liberty for the greater good. Not only is the OP misusing communism as a term, it's framing the issue poorly as an instance of government takeover of individual rights. The reality is it's more like rationing during WWII. Yes, people are expected to behave in a mandated way that turns their choice from one of "get the jab or don't get the jab" to "get the jab or be excluded from opportunities where being vaccinated is required, and possibly face a fine".

It's more of an argument from selfish ignorance than of history or economic-political ideology.

It also says Atlanticmike isn't particularly informed. There are plenty of other concerns that the thread could have been based on where the question of privacy and liberty need examined. For example, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/busi ... ounts.html

The proposed portion of legislation involved seeks to empower the IRS to give it access to bank transactions to assist in better tax collection efforts. This has been a known concern with the bill being pushed since the Spring. I'd argue it's an issue that deserves serious debate.

[honorentheos]

......but it is my observation that some hard right posters on this board and others seem prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being communists.....

Hey Gunnar,

Have you observed any hard left posters on this board prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being a white supremacist? Or a Nazi? Or an insurrectionist? Or a real threat to democracy? Or a xenophobe? Or a homophobe? Or someone who doesn't give a crap about their grandchildren?

Or are your observations strictly limited to only the human beings that happen to be politically right?

In the case of this thread both Gunnar's comment and your reply are distractions from having a serious conversation. Not that Atlanticmike intended to have one of those either. But it is a conversation worth having.

[honorentheos]

I didn't view AM's opening post in this thread, and I don't intend to, but it is my observation that some hard right posters on this board and others seem prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being communists--especially if it involves expressing any sympathy for redressing the plight of others who are unfairly disadvantaged whether because of racial prejudice or economic status.

Holy crap!!!! You crack me up dude. You sound exactly like my TBM mom! She says, Atlanticmike, you know I'm not going to look at that information, the Prophet has asked us to only read information that's "uplifting" " to the spirit. Do you realize you're still living in a cult, a different cult, yes, but still a cult!

Atlanticmike, you forgot to answer my question when you clearly had time if you had time to post the above.

[Gunnar]

......but it is my observation that some hard right posters on this board and others seem prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being communists.....

Hey Gunnar,

Have you observed any hard left posters on this board prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being a white supremacist? Or a Nazi? Or an insurrectionist? Or a real threat to democracy? Or a xenophobe? Or a homophobe? Or someone who doesn't give a crap about their grandchildren?

Or are your observations strictly limited to only the human beings that happen to be politically right?

Hard left fanatics can be and are every bit as unreasonable and dangerous as hard right fanatics. Extremists of every kind are bad. You can't honestly deny, though, that there have been at least one or two posters on this board who have at least inadvertently and sometimes even openly expressed a belief in white supremacy and racial segregation. I have also often expressed the opinion that a just and effective society needs both liberals and conservatives who are willing to talk to each other amicably and draw from the best ideas from both, while honestly trying to purge themselves of their own worst and most mistaken beliefs and ideas.

Progressivism only means to me having both the wisdom and the humility to never assume that we can't improve on our current paradigms and policies, and the courage to seek out and try new and better ways of working for the common good. Without that we can never progress. Without anyone committed to progressivism, mankind would have remained in the dark ages. What passes for mainstream conservatism today was once regarded as wildly dangerous liberalism.

[Gunnar]

Hey Gunnar,

Have you observed any hard left posters on this board prone to accuse anyone with whom they have any political disagreement, no matter how trivial, of being a white supremacist? Or a Nazi? Or an insurrectionist? Or a real threat to democracy? Or a xenophobe? Or a homophobe? Or someone who doesn't give a crap about their grandchildren?

Or are your observations strictly limited to only the human beings that happen to be politically right?

In the case of this thread both Gunnar's comment and your reply are distractions from having a serious conversation. Not that Atlanticmike intended to have one of those either. But it is a conversation worth having.

Thank you for taking the time for that reply. As usual, your remarks are very well thought out and expressed, and I don't disagree with them.

As far as vaccine mandates are concerned, I certainly agree that covid vaccine mandates are a matter of public health considerations, just as the long accepted requirements for vaccination for public school children. The idea that this is equivalent to communism or tyranny is ridiculous.