The political bubble and how it affects your opinion

[CJD]

I passively follow another forum type political group called Quora. It's also liberally leaning, but they have a bunch of conservative contributors (in the minority on this website). Because of this, most of the top voted answers are liberal answers and even good conservative answers don't have too many votes unless they're exceptionally rational and clear in their explanation, proof and justifications.

This may sound like a tangent, but there was a question asked on the website "What are the differences between Republicans and Democrats? My parents are both Republican, and they want me to support that group. I don't want to support one side of a war I know nothing about. Which group is better for the whole US?"

As you could guess, most of the answers were like "Well, Democrats are the devil and Republicans are the bestest!" or the opposite version for the Democrats. On highly partisan questions like this, I like to read basically every answer, so I can get a better understanding of what rational thinkers on both sides believe or think in regards to the question being asked.

This morning, a new person answered, and it started off really strong. And then went downhill very quickly. And it felt like a pretty great example of what bubbles can do to a person's perception.

Quote:In some ways Democrats and Republicans want the same things, we just have different ways of meeting our goals:

1. Climate change. We all recognize that climate change is a real thing. Democrats claim to be all about science, yet they ignore the fact that there has been no less than nine major climate changes in Earth’s history which resulted in major extinction events, most of which occurred before humans ever arrived. We all want to utilize renewable energy but Democrats are willing to turn everything upside down to attain that goal without any regard to the consequences of doing so. Republicans know that the climate is changing but we don’t believe that it is happening just because we refuse to buy a Prius.

2. Military. Democrats want a smaller military. Republicans want a large, powerful military that can take care of business. We are about researching new technologies that give us an advantage over any potential enemies.

3. Economy. Democrats love throwing money at things like a program to study the mating habits of cockroaches, or a program to teach South African men how to wash their junk. They say we are broke, yet they keep spending. Under Obama the crushing regulations forced businesses offshore, and their jobs went with them.

4. Jobs. Republicans want people to be employed so they can improve their life and contribute to the economy. Democrats don’t care too much about people being employed because if they aren’t working there are social programs that will take care of them.

5. Abortion. Democrats don’t see a fetus as a human, even though it grows inside another human and has human DNA. They want abortions, even partial birth abortions, to be readily available for any reason. Republicans believe that a fetus is human and has the same rights as humans. We acknowledge that abortions should be available, but only in cases of medical need and they should be rare and highly regulated.

6. Socialism. The biggest difference between Democrats and Republicans in 2019 is that the Democratic Party has turned radically socialist. They want our country to become a socialist state like Venezuela, North Korea, or the former Soviet Union where the government controls what citizens should have. The younger socialist lawmakers aren’t old enough to remember the horrors that socialism has caused and mistakenly see socialism as a program that helps those who cannot help themselves. Republicans reject this idea and want each person to be responsible for their own destiny. We believe that help should be available when needed, but it should be designed to encourage people to make their own way when their circumstances change.
I’m sure there is more but those are the ones I can think of right now.

I, generally, agree with his intro. Democrats and Republicans want many of the same things. My responses as I was reading each of his points:

1. Okay, yea. I agree that Democrats may be pursuing climate change a bit more aggressively than may be economically viable. It's unclear how they want to implement the Green New Deal and if it is even realistic. This guy wants to take a more measured approach to climate change and I can understand that. I think he's being a bit charitable to the Republican view of climate change, since our President is a climate change denier. But if he is a representative of rational Republicans, then I think his viewpoint is accurate to the group he represents.

2. Agreed on both fronts. Democrats want a smaller military, but we don't really want a small military. The amount of money being spent on the development of weapons and equipment that then sit in hangars and storage facilities could be used in more efficient means and we'd still have the largest military on Earth.

3. This is a bit unfair. Sure, there are plenty of research studies that seem silly, but I am not sure many of them, especially the ones he cited, are specifically Liberal research studies. Liberals obviously are willing to spend money, but Conservatives aren't financially conservative anymore anyway, so that's a rather moot point overall. As for the regulations, I think this is a very pro-corporation opinion, as removing regulations can cause disasters like the 2009 recession. But I understand why Republicans feel that way. A free market creates jobs etc.

4. Oh wow. Okay. This is a bit of an absurd premise to base your opinion off of. Democrats don't want people on social programs. They just want people to not be financially ruined if they lose their job and are struggling to find a new one. This has a pretty significant blind spot in this guy's view of Democrats and their policies.

5. I have no idea what a partial birth abortion is, but it sounds like something you'd hear on Fox News about babies being ripped from wombs etc. Abortion is an emotional issue, so I could definitely see someone really buying into the propaganda on this issue. It's unfortunate, but it's just the way this issue typically goes.

6. Aaaaaand, there it is. The kool aid is in full effect at this point haha. What began as a relatively rational evaluation of the differences between Republicans and Democrats which had occasional partisan twists and turns has now gone fully out the window with this patented talking point of Democrats want to be Venezuela because they think medical care and education availability should not be restricted based on how much money you have in your bank account/at your disposal.

Politics are fun :)