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- Very Conservative
And before the 1600's? I'll find out what name they call themselves but they really don't like you guys. Yes, I find american liberals/leftist mostly objectionable. I have no such feelings about the chinese. The chinese kids around here are mostly college kids. They seem nice enough, just like all college kids. They don't always seem to get along with the japanese kids tho. Imagine that.
One might even call them multicultural.
What I have said is that assimilation is dead.
That is exactly where it comes from. I live in Taiwan and my wife is ethnic Minnan/Taiwanese and I have to say that there is definately some residual effects from the days of the White Terror, but also renewed now with more Chinese (nationality) tourists coming to Taiwan and exhibiting uncivilized behavior while guests here...
They most certainly are in many ways. If you travel extensively in the country, get off the beaten track where the tours take you and are conversant in Mandarin, you definately can get a feel for that...
We're just going to have to agree to disagree on most of this. All I'm going to say is gay marriage is not an attack on any individual, or group, or culture. If you or your church don't support gay marriage, that's fine. E="3"]Gay Marriage is not an imposition on anybody. You are free to not get a gay marriage and to try and prevent your children from doing so. I don't see why people against gay marriage are so intent on denying other people something that has little to do with them.
You keep on saying "you" as if you think I am the embodiment of liberalism and liberals are this huge monolithic entity out to get you. Liberals consist of 20% of the American population. It seems to me that you know very few actual liberals or else you wouldn't be painting them with such a broad brush, and that some abstract monolithic "liberal culture" actually exists.
Cultural liberalism is a liberal view of society that stresses the freedom of individuals from cultural norms. It is often expressed, in the words of Thoreau as the right to "march to the beat of a different drummer".[1] Cultural liberals believe that society should not impose any specific code of behaviour, and they see themselves as defending the rights of non-conformists to express their own identity however they see fit, as long as they do not hurt anyone.
The culture wars in politics are disagreements between cultural liberals and cultural conservatives. For example, cultural liberals argue that all religion(s) and forms of worship (or lack thereof) should be tolerated. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance"[2] and the Constitution of the United States states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States"[3]. Cultural liberals are strongly opposed to censorship or any kind of oversight of spoken or written material in peacetime.[4]. They believe that the structure of one's family and the nature of marriage should be left up to individual decision, and they argue that, as long as one does no harm, no lifestyle is inherently better than any other.....
At the end of the day, Conservatives still have drastically more votes than liberals simply because they constitute a much larger percentage of the population. All this fear-mongering about how liberals are out to get you is rather amusing to me considering we're still a drastically conservative country. It's amusing because conservatives still hold the most power.
On a personal level, I think hunting should be banned and firearms should be controlled. In no way does that mean I actually want to impose anything upon you, especially since it would probably impossible legislatively. On the other hand, denial of gay couple's right to marry has a concrete and material impact on the lives of those individuals. Just who exactly is imposing upon who? Conservatives dominate the population and as a result our government. The degree of your fear is inordinate.
For the most part true. I was merely explaining the logic behind the international policeman way of thinking. I wasn't saying that I agreed with it totally.
I am completely aware. Yet joining the military has always been a dream of mine. That's not going to stop me. At the end of the day you fight for you buddies and your comrades because your survival depends on the man on your right and left. Personal politics should have nothing to do with it. If I decided not to join the military just because it was dominated by conservatives that would make me rather narrow-minded, don't you think?
What are you talking about here? Who's "us" and who's "you." I have no sons or daughters (it would be rather troubling if I did.)
I interned at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Kenting this summer. My experience was that lots of Taiwanese tourists were rather rude. The Mainlanders in many cases were even worse.
Nonsense. Assimilation is happening just the same today as it ever has, and the new group always adds changes to the society. Assimilation leaves neither the immigrant nor the society the same, and that is a good thing.
You bemoan the changes in society as if assimilation used to happen by magic, as if immigrants from generations past just blended right into a perfectly continuous, unchanging society. But you're looking at the past with rose colored glasses. This is the same tired rhetoric, the Irish/Italians/Mexicans/whatever today's immigrant group is are undermining our society, and it is just as bogus today as it was in the 30s.
That's very interesting. How hard is it, do you think, for an English speaker to pick up conversational Mandarin?
Just my cultural norms.
You do, and you're corrosive to traditional societies.
You do understand this country has mr obama in the white house and the democratic party holds the senate right? Liberals also control the mainstream media in this country.
The country is now understood to be divided in thirds, 1/3 liberal, 1/3 conservative, and 1/3 independent. Conservatives have lousy representation. The leadership of the republican party is, far too often, virtually identical to that of the democratic party.
You want your cultural norms to predominate over my cultural norms. I get that. It's why I want a divorce. It's why I want borders. I want to keep my culture.
You know us as trailer trash, hicks or worse. Whatever you call us we tend to predominate in the flyover states.
Nonsense. Assimilation is happening just the same today as it ever has, and the new group always adds changes to the society. Assimilation leaves neither the immigrant nor the society the same, and that is a good thing.
You bemoan the changes in society as if assimilation used to happen by magic, as if immigrants from generations past just blended right into a perfectly continuous, unchanging society. But you're looking at the past with rose colored glasses. This is the same tired rhetoric, the Irish/Italians/Mexicans/whatever today's immigrant group is are undermining our society, and it is just as bogus today as it was in the 30s.
Some are (Taiwanese, I mean) ... not meeting Japanese standards anyway, but when I go to Sun Moon Lake or other places, the Chinese presence is overbearing... many Taiwanese don't like going there anymore... when I go there, I am there with my triathlete friends, so we stay away from the Chinese crowds because we want to actually swim after cycling up there, but there is far more garbage there now than before opening up to Chinese tourists...
FYI -- The Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium is not strictly in Kenting. It is in Checheng Township in Pingdong County. Kenting is an area in Hengchen Township which is just south of Checheng...
Cultural liberalism is a liberal view of society that stresses the freedom of individuals from cultural norms. It is often expressed, in the words of Thoreau as the right to "march to the beat of a different drummer".[1] Cultural liberals believe that society should not impose any specific code of behaviour, and they see themselves as defending the rights of non-conformists to express their own identity however they see fit, as long as they do not hurt anyone.
The culture wars in politics are disagreements between cultural liberals and cultural conservatives. For example, cultural liberals argue that all religion(s) and forms of worship (or lack thereof) should be tolerated. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance"[2] and the Constitution of the United States states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States"[3]. Cultural liberals are strongly opposed to censorship or any kind of oversight of spoken or written material in peacetime.[4]. They believe that the structure of one's family and the nature of marriage should be left up to individual decision, and they argue that, as long as one does no harm, no lifestyle is inherently better than any other.....
FYI -- The Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium is not strictly in Kenting. It is in Checheng Township in Pingdong County. Kenting is an area in Hengchen Township which is just south of Checheng..
I fail to see how permitting gay marriage is an any way an affront to your culture or the life you choose to live. Again, if you are against gay marriage, don't get one.
"Cultural liberalism" is not the same thing as "liberal culture." Liberals come from all different backgrounds and walks of life. There is no such thing as a unifying "liberal culture." I take culture to mean a lifestyle and set of personal values one lives by. The way I live my own life is potentially drastically different from the way another liberal lives his. The way a liberal lives his or her own life often has nothing to do with his or her political beliefs. As I state above I am rather conservative in my personal lifestyle.
Obama's policies have barely been liberal. He has continued the War in Afghanistan. Most of his closest advisors are rather conservative in their outlook. The healthcare bill was a weak compromise, as was financial regulation. He is against gay marriage. He did not take the lead on don't ask don't tell. He has not closed Guantanamo Bay. He has continued Bush's policy of extraordinary rendition. Obama might have had a liberal voting record but his presidential policies have been barely liberal.
In 2010, Conservatives Still Outnumber Moderates, Liberals
Conservatives outnumber liberals by almost 2 to 1 in this country. Get more of your fellow conservatives to vote.
Your culture and your cultural norms are yours to keep. Your cultural identity will remain intact as long as you choose to maintain it. How exactly is anyone taking your culture away from you? Give me concrete examples.
Why are you so presumptuous as to assume you know what I call other people? Especially people I've never met and therefore have not had the chance to judge? You seem to be judging and stereotyping me quite vigorously purely based on my political beliefs, but the fact remains that has nothing to do with who I am as a person.
The are cultural disagreements between left and right, but the notion of actual "culture wars" is ridiculous. In terms of social issues, Americans have a bell curve were most of the people are social moderate/centrists, and the curve tapers off at the extreme left and right. If there were actually culture wars we would see many people at both extremes and few people in the middle, which is simply not the case. The large majority of Americans are social moderates/centrists/independents.
USA Network's New 'United or Divided' Poll Shows Americans Believe Racial, Ethnic, Political Divisions are Worse Than Just a Year Ago
2010 National Report Card: U.S. Gets a C or Below in Addressing Racial Tensions, Religious Divisions, Hate Crimes and Bullying by Approximately 7 in 10 Americans
Americans Believe Muslims Now Experience the Most Prejudice of Any Group; Nearly 4 in 10 Would Oppose Building a Mosque in Their Neighborhood
President Obama Seen to Be Doing More to Unite Rather Than Divide the Country Overall, But Not Among Whites and Independents; While Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Are Seen as Doing More to Divide People
NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with its Characters Unite public campaign to combat prejudice and discrimination, USA Network today released the results from its 2nd annual nationally representative opinion poll – "United or Divided" -- conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). In just one year since the inaugural survey, there's been a significant increase in the percentage of Americans who think the country is too divided along racial and ethnic and political lines, as well as an increase in those who see the existing amount of intolerance, prejudice and discrimination as a serious problem. More than six in ten polled now say that the nation's lack of unity has changed for the worse over the last decade. A little less than half the country (45%) believes that the economic recession has made people less tolerant and accepting.
"Ironically, it seems like the one thing most Americans agree on is that we're seriously divided," said Bonnie Hammer, president, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios. "Acknowledging the problem is an important first step, but to avoid the consequences we've got to get out of our comfort zones and reach across the divide with understanding and respect."......
Also I fail to see how the permission of numerous religions to coexist in the same society is a bad thing. We live in America, people should be free to worship whatever or whomever they wish. From the wikipedia article description of cultural liberalism I fail to see how it is corrosive to American society, which is predicated on the very notion of freedom of thought.
And I fail to see why civil unions with all the legal rights of those who are married isn't just as acceptable.
That's why we belong to differing cultures.
Mr obama isn't liberal enough for you and too damn liberal for me. This is the problem one would expect in trying to govern a hopelessly divided country.
Voting is what we do. It's the lack of representation that's the problem. Besides, I'm thinking the term "conservative" has different meanings to those in your poll. For instance you consider yourself "comservative" in your lifestyle. I get the idea you and I wouldn't agree on just what constitutes a "conservative" lifestyle.
I have issues with american liberals/leftists on but not limited to; marijuana, gay marriage, dadt, firearms, hunting, religion, federal land use, experiments with the institution of marriage, failure to allow the use of resources, unions...for starters.
Now, tell me, specifically what are your problems with conservatives.
I'm sure you are a very nice person. I'm certain your mother and father love you. However, you guys, american liberals, are depressingly similar. American liberals tend to be very intolerant of those who do not share their political beliefs, that would be people like me.
Are you trying to convince me we are a united nation? I'm unconvinced.
source
Actually, I don't have a problem with religions, I tend to like people of faith. Naturally you don't want to believe secular humanism is corrosive to traditional cultures. If the shoe were on the other foot I wouldn't either. :mrgreen:
Well a civil union with the same rights and benefits would essentially be a marriage in all but name only, correct? At which point it becomes a matter of semantics and ceases to become one of substance.
That's totally fine. That is what is great about America. People with drastically different viewpoints can coexist. You and I may come from completely different backgrounds but I doubt America is going to split into geographically distinct political entities because of it, a la Balkanization.
You and I come from opposite extremes but the truth is the majority of Americans are somewhere in between. America is not a hopelessly divided country. We are a normal/bell curve, with the most people in the moderate/center and fewer at the fringes.
I guess for the purposes of the poll "conservatism" is in the eye of the beholder. They count the number of people who self-identify as conservatives, moderates, liberals, etc. You'd probably disagree with other people who classify themselves as conservatives on the meaning of conservatism as well.
Pretty much the same issues you identify with most liberals, however I support the rights of conservatives to believe what they wish the believe and do the things they do as long as those things do not negatively impact others. The issue I personally identify the most is perhaps foreign policy and the intelligent use of our military.
American liberals are all depressingly similar? Have you met, and do you personally know, most American liberals? It's pretty hard to judge people whom you don't know personally. I have friends of all races who all come from very different backgrounds, a reflection of the area I live in. Most kids my age are rather apolitical and apathetic. I have a number of close friends who are conservative. Our politics don't get in the way of our friendships. Liberals are often rather vocal and a lot can be downright arrogant at times, I don't deny this. But the same can be said of conservatives. We can all have differences of opinion, that doesn't mean we can't get along.
I wouldn't go so far as to say we're united, of course not. But neither are we divided into two opposing camps. There are people on the extreme left and right on social issues but the vast majority if people are somewhere in between. I think the poll talks more about Americans' perception of division rather than statistical data on whether or not we're actually divided. Like I said, some political scientist should poll people and make a bar graph, i guarantee you for the most part the majority of Americans would be in the middle.
I don't completely identify with secular humanism, but I fail to see how it is corrosive. As long as people believe what they want to believe and leave everyone else alone, that's cool with me. I thought you said you were an atheist?
Leftists,
You must accept the fact that there is a new idea that has emerged on the right. Political nihilism. That means we will use our position within the country to sabotage your New America. In a democracy, there is simply no defense to this phenomenon during a period of political and economic decline. The only thing that could save your New America is a rapid turn around of the economy and the creation of fifteen million new jobs muy pronto. That's not going to happen. Instead there will be a jobless recovery.
Are you trying to convince me we are a united nation? I'm unconvinced.
source
Actually, I don't have a problem with religions, I tend to like people of faith. Naturally you don't want to believe secular humanism is corrosive to traditional cultures. If the shoe were on the other foot I wouldn't either. :mrgreen:
Yes, we disagree, on just about everything, including foreign policy and the use of our military.
If this "secular humanism" actually exists, it probably improves our culture..
Isn't this secular humanism a product of the Bible thumpers ?
We may be a divided nation, to an extent, thanks to Fox,Beck and Rush and other of that ilk..
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