You know what's sad? Even this isn't true for the extremes on the left. There was a whole Twitter war last year with the left arguing that 2 + 2 = 5 (https://thepostmillennial.com/two-plus-two-does-not-equal-five-no-matter-what-twitter-says).
Now, obviously this is the fringes, but that's the point.
"thereтАЩs nothing sagacious about positioning oneself between the two poles"
Yeah, this is more or less my point, though I haven't expressed it quite like this. I agree, there's no point in positioning oneself between the poles. And there's no point in positioning oneself *at* the poles either. I've seen people online describe me as a liberal, a centrist, and even, on a few occasions, as a conservative! And I'm talking about people who did so with the intention of being complimentary.
The labels don't matter. I'm not attracted to certain ideas because they're "liberal" or "progressive" or "conservative", I'm attracted to them because I think they're smart and reasonable and the best compromise overall for a healthy, functioning society. If any idea, wherever it comes from, seems to threaten that society, I oppose it.
So yeah, I'm not trying to be seen as standing between the two extremes. There's no virtue in defending "both sides" of an argument (though there is value in *seeing* both sides of an argument accurately and not caricaturing one side or the other). My only allegiance is to good ideas. Wherever they come from.
"Liberals say 2 + 2 = 4"
You know what's sad? Even this isn't true for the extremes on the left. There was a whole Twitter war last year with the left arguing that 2 + 2 = 5 (https://thepostmillennial.com/two-plus-two-does-not-equal-five-no-matter-what-twitter-says).
Now, obviously this is the fringes, but that's the point.
Holy fuck I didn't even know about that!!! I think you've just blown my mind.
IтАЩm not saying our side is unswervingly rational. IтАЩm saying thereтАЩs nothing sagacious about positioning oneself between the two poles
"thereтАЩs nothing sagacious about positioning oneself between the two poles"
Yeah, this is more or less my point, though I haven't expressed it quite like this. I agree, there's no point in positioning oneself between the poles. And there's no point in positioning oneself *at* the poles either. I've seen people online describe me as a liberal, a centrist, and even, on a few occasions, as a conservative! And I'm talking about people who did so with the intention of being complimentary.
The labels don't matter. I'm not attracted to certain ideas because they're "liberal" or "progressive" or "conservative", I'm attracted to them because I think they're smart and reasonable and the best compromise overall for a healthy, functioning society. If any idea, wherever it comes from, seems to threaten that society, I oppose it.
So yeah, I'm not trying to be seen as standing between the two extremes. There's no virtue in defending "both sides" of an argument (though there is value in *seeing* both sides of an argument accurately and not caricaturing one side or the other). My only allegiance is to good ideas. Wherever they come from.