I am a Centrist.
Centrism
Posts
Total:
27
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@Dynasty
What does "centrist" mean to you?
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@HistoryBuff
Having a moderate political view.
'Centrism' is perhaps on of the most thoroughly unimpressive ideological labels out there.
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@Dynasty
And what does that mean to you? By Canadian standards, universal healthcare is a moderate, centrist view. So when you say centrist you need to explain what that actually means to you, because it will mean something very different to someone else.Having a moderate political view.
A "centrist" in the heart of republican territory would be very different than a "centrist" in NY district 14 (AOC's district).
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@HistoryBuff
Being a centrist to me, is being moderate in politics. And, will pick sides (If they have evidence for their claims.).
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@ResurgetExFavilla
Why?
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@Dynasty
I am left of centre but relative to the world as a whole am a centrist. In Western Europe the most popular "right-wing" party in most nations is a centrist party, not actually a right-wing party, and it's usually left of centre in this day and age. Thus, if you are supporting the right-wing party of a West European nation, you're probably centrist. Just a tip you should know.
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@Dynasty
When I hear someone say “I’m a centrist”, I hear “I’m an above the fray douche”.
What’s your actual politics? What issues are you for and against?
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@Dynasty
Because it doesn't signify anything. It isn't a system of thought, it's an absence of thought. The center moves, it isn't a solid position with an intellectual defense to it. The center 20 years ago was that marriage was between a main and a woman. The center 100 years ago (in America) was that interracial marriage was wrong. The center 200 years ago (in America) was that slavery was okay. To be in the center means that, intellectually speaking, you are a piece of diftwood being washed around by the waves, nudged this way or that by public opinion, by a consensus that's both manufactured and capricious. A moderate now transported to any other point of time and to any place on the face of the globe would not be a moderate in that time or place, he would be a radical incapable of articulating a defense for his radicalism. Yet in each of those time and places there is another large, temperamentally bovine mass of people that align along that era's and culture's 'moderate' ideology who would scoff at our anachronistic's friend 'extremism'. To say that you are a centrist is to say that you are non-political and reflexive.
No one is a centrist
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@ResurgetExFavilla
As I said, I will pick sides If they have any evidence for their claims.
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@Reece101
"What issues are you for and against?"
I'm against gay marriage. But, I'm for reusing energy for example.
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@ResurgetExFavilla
The main characteristic of a centrist is an acute disability to foresee a better future.
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@Greyparrot
Yes. As a rule, most of the accurate predictions are made by 'extremists' (not to say that all predictions from extremists are accurate).
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@Dynasty
"What issues are you for and against?"I'm against gay marriage. But, I'm for reusing energy for example
By “reusing energy” I think you mean renewable energy. I assume your for the green new deal.
What’s your positions on abortion, drugs, healthcare, minimum wage, guns, medical and student debt, foreign intervention (wars), Israel/Palestine conflict, Saudi, Iran, NK relations relative to US?
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@Dynasty
For or Against.
Or on the fence.
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@Reece101
I'm against abortion for scientific reasons. And, no I'm against drugs, and I'm for healthcare. Also, if anyone wants a gun, then that's fine.
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@Dynasty
I'm against abortion for scientific reasons.
Such as?
And, no I'm against drugs
So you think the war on drugs is a good thing?
I'm for healthcare.
Private or public? Which are you more in favour of?
Also, if anyone wants a gun, then that's fine.
No background checks?
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@Dynasty
Most people choose policy positions that are based on evidence. Are you saying that I will pick a policy position that Republicans propose just because the party I like said to support it? I don't think most Democrats nor Republicans do that. We both have evidence for our ideas, sir.
That comment was incredibly self-gratifying.
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@Reece101
"Such as?"
Here. "Development of the embryo begins at Stage 1 when a sperm fertilizes an oocyte and together they form a zygote."
[England, Marjorie A. Life Before Birth. 2nd ed. England: Mosby-Wolfe, 1996, p.31]
"Human development begins after the union of male and female gametes or germ cells during a process known as fertilization (conception).
"Fertilization is a sequence of events that begins with the contact of a sperm (spermatozoon) with a secondary oocyte (ovum) and ends with the fusion of their pronuclei (the haploid nuclei of the sperm and ovum) and the mingling of their chromosomes to form a new cell. This fertilized ovum, known as a zygote, is a large diploid cell that is the beginning, or primordium, of a human being."
[Moore, Keith L. Essentials of Human Embryology. Toronto: B.C. Decker Inc, 1988, p.2]
"Embryo: the developing organism from the time of fertilization until significant differentiation has occurred, when the organism becomes known as a fetus."
[Cloning Human Beings. Report and Recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Rockville, MD: GPO, 1997, Appendix-2.]
"Embryo: An organism in the earliest stage of development; in a man, from the time of conception to the end of the second month in the uterus."
[Dox, Ida G. et al. The Harper Collins Illustrated Medical Dictionary. New York: Harper Perennial, 1993, p. 146]
"Embryo: The early developing fertilized egg that is growing into another individual of the species. In man the term 'embryo' is usually restricted to the period of development from fertilization until the end of the eighth week of pregnancy."
[Walters, William and Singer, Peter (eds.). Test-Tube Babies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1982, p. 160]
"So you think the war on drugs is a good thing?"
Kinda.
"Private or public? Which are you more in favour of?"
I would say private. But, not sure.
"No background checks?"
Yes. People must have a background.
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@Dynasty
Do you watch any political news/shows? Don’t take it the wrong way, but you don’t seem that politically active/informed.
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@bmdrocks21
I humbly disagree about "evidence" being a major factor in developing a political ideology. Most people don't choose their ideology at all. Parents with salient political opinions impart them on their offspring, who then marry, and live in a different neighborhood. These external influences galvanize people into adopting partisan preferences (1). Perhaps those who engage in political forums and debate are more likely to rely on evidence. However, DART and similar websites are a narrow niche. I've yet to meet a completely objective person who can stoically weigh the benefits and costs of a policy without personal opinion tinting their decision.
This is not to say that Centrism is a wonderful ideology. It has its many bugbears, especially related to complacency. Say what you will about the political parties of the day (lord knows I have,) they have clearly defined virtues that guide them. When these values are violated, they are the first to rebuff the perceived injustice. Yes, this "injustice" could be minute, but an absolute centrist ideology would fail to grasp the horrors of the Rohingya Genocide, the abuse of the Tamil and Muslim people in the post-war Sri Lanka, or the ignoble domestic policies of Putin. The centrist would rationalize these travesties instead of formulating a stance against them.
I think that every ideology has its benefits. Becoming a zealot has none.
Sources
This is not to say that Centrism is a wonderful ideology. It has its many bugbears, especially related to complacency. Say what you will about the political parties of the day (lord knows I have,) they have clearly defined virtues that guide them. When these values are violated, they are the first to rebuff the perceived injustice. Yes, this "injustice" could be minute, but an absolute centrist ideology would fail to grasp the horrors of the Rohingya Genocide, the abuse of the Tamil and Muslim people in the post-war Sri Lanka, or the ignoble domestic policies of Putin. The centrist would rationalize these travesties instead of formulating a stance against them.
I think that every ideology has its benefits. Becoming a zealot has none.
Sources
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@blamonkey
@ResurgetExFavilla
@Dynasty
@HistoryBuff
@Reece101
I believe this article talks about Centrism in more detail.
Basically, it's saying that Centrism is when you have a combination of both left-wing and right-wing views.
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@Christen
That may be the author's opinion. But that does not seem like a very good definition.
Centrism is a copout. It is an attempt to not take sides on issues. If you believe in 8 left wing policies and 2 right wing policies, then you are left. and vice versa. Lots of people hold a few views from one side or the other. But there are extremely few people who honestly hold a 50/50 view. Most people who say they do simply don't want to engage. They don't care, they aren't intelligent/engaged enough with politics to know what the policies are.
Or alternatively, they are corrupt. Centrism often is used as a method of keeping things as they are. Alot of corrupt people love the way things are because they benefit from the current system. It has been modified for years to benefit specific people. Basically anyone at the top levels of republican or democratic parties would fall into this vein as well as most of their campaign contributors.
And maybe a 3rd category is people who are afraid. Centrism is very popular with old people. They lived their whole lives in the current system. They are afraid of changes being made to it. So they put their support behind centrist (corrupt) politicians who will fight to make sure no changes are made.
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@blamonkey
It is true that children have an influence on the political opinions of their children. I would say that has more to do with selectively mentioning the facts. Like if your parents watch Fox, the kids will hear their parents complain about some liberal policy.
I don't think that most people are as informed as the people on this site. People outside of debate sites are usually informed about 3 topics that matter most to them in my experience.
Centrism really isn't an ideology. It just consists of the super moderates like the liberal wing of Republicans and conservative Democrats.
35 days later
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@Christen
I am conservative leading tho.