NorthernGent
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Joined: 7/10/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: nefertari
No apology necessary. I am a realist and I understand how things work. But I'm also an optimist and can hope for better.
I like optimism and it is certainly the right path to take. It has been said on this board that the Democrat and Republican parties will not offer you a great deal of difference in practice (due to the strangehold big business has on US society). Based on this, realistically, the best you can hope for is a change to the political landscape where people begin to move away from these parties and form political movements based on values such as social equality, human rights etc. As ever, the stumbling block is that large sections of the media in the US, and to a lesser extent Britain, is very consumerism and pro-business focused. As a result, large sections of the population are being fed images suggesting business exploitation and consumerism is a natural and healthy state of affairs. The more I think about it the more I think it is going to have to be done from the grass roots. It is going to take a determined group of people to change the system. It is also going to take various poltical groups to put their differences aside. In Britain, among others, we have around 5 Socialist parties who all fight each other at elections, Green parties, respect parties and large chunks of the Labour party that feel completely disillusioned with this Labour Government and their war mongering policies. All of these people have a common goal and that is human rights and respect for others. However, they hold different views on how this goal can be achieved. In order to form a powerful body of opinion they are going to have to put aside their strategic differences and join as one political movement based around achieving social equality and human rights.
There are parallels here with the British Labour Party. This party formed at the end of the 19th Century when we had two main parties (The Conservative and Liberal Parties - both parties for the Middle-Classes). The British Labour party was an amalgamation of various groups with one common aim - representation for the masses i.e. Trade Unionists, Communists, Socialists, Skilled workers, The Unemployed etc. Within 40 years this party was elected into Government and from 1945 the party has made up around half of our Governments.
It can be done but if people really want genuine Government (i.e. fulfilling its duty to Govern for all of the people) then they are going to have to do what Arpig alludes to - forget the traditional political parties.
And I don't expect it to change overnight. I guess it saddens me in a way that with all of our money, technology, etc people are still not smart enough to want to see the real issus. Or maybe those in office like to think we are not smart enough. Maybe they're right. Or maybe it's just that our nation is so divided right now that all we are interested in doing is tearing down the other side.
I think there is some truth in both i.e. a large section of the electorate is not smart enough and the Government are fully aware of this.
As an example, a White House insider has just released a book (you'll know more than me on this one, I don't know the author's background so can't comment on credibility). Basically, he confirms that, in public, the current administration is all smiles and handshakes with the Christian right. In private however, they spend their time laughing at them and basically view them as complete fools.
Admittedly, I've done my share of Republican bashing. However, I try to stick to the issues at hand: at what the Republican controlled government is doing - not just bashing all Republicans in general. At least I try not to. Afterall, we are all people first. Hopefully our political affiliation falls way down on our list of priorities after parent, spouse, brother/sister, employee/employer, you get the idea. The important things.
A wise path to take. It is concepts, policies and values which really should win the argument. I have nothing but contempt for the British Conservative Party for many reasons but particularly as they were the Government which deliberately set us on this path of neo-liberal economics and big business dominance. As you say though, petty name calling is pointless.
I guess it all boils down to that I expect better of people. Maybe my expectations are just too high.
I just want everyone to get along.  Is that too much to ask? (Yes, I do like it in my world. They know me here.  )
 It shouldn't be too much to ask but we have some determined groups who are willing to employ the most underhand tactics to maintain the status quo so it could be a while before we're all one big happy family. On the bright side I'm sure there's certain members of the current administration that you really don't want in your family
_____________________________
I have the courage to be a coward - but not beyond my limits.
Sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.
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