Liberals and "narrow mindedness"

Debora123 · #1 Feb 5, '12, 10:05 am

Does anyone else see the irony in liberals calling us "narrow minded" for not having the same views as themselves??

I recently watched a "Real World" season in which one of the roommates (who is gay) spends about 4 episodes bashing another roommate and calling him "intolerant, narrow minded, and bigoted" for quietly choosing not to go to a gay pride parade. Even after the roommate politely explained that he was going to stay home from the parade because it went against his personal views regarding sexuality.

It was one of the most hypocritical and ironic, and not to mention idiotic things I've seen in my life.

Don't these people realize what they're doing??

brotherknight · #2 Feb 5, '12, 10:36 am

It's a double standard that has been getting progressively worse over the past several years. The media only seems to inflame the issue.

meltzerboy · #3 Feb 5, '12, 11:18 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debora123

Does anyone else see the irony in liberals calling us "narrow minded" for not having the same views as themselves??

I recently watched a "Real World" season in which one of the roommates (who is gay) spends about 4 episodes bashing another roommate and calling him "intolerant, narrow minded, and bigoted" for quietly choosing not to go to a gay pride parade. Even after the roommate politely explained that he was going to stay home from the parade because it went against his personal views regarding sexuality.

It was one of the most hypocritical and ironic, and not to mention idiotic things I've seen in my life.

Don't these people realize what they're doing??

I'm a so-called liberal or progressive, and I agree with you on this point. It is hypocritical not to allow people to speak their mind and act on their moral and religious principles. Diversity also includes diverse perspectives and such freedom of speech, even hate speech, is a constitutional guarantee. Where I draw the line is when people's speech incites violence.

gallaghertj · #4 Feb 5, '12, 11:29 am

I believe there is widespread mental illness among the liberal crowd...The bigotry against Catholicism is over the top, especially among the media, academia and Hollywood.

anp1215 · #5 Feb 5, '12, 11:33 am

Yeah, it's ridiculous. Anyone who disagrees with their views is narrow minded. Agree with their views, and you're open minded.

??????

Not all liberals are like this, but a LOT are. Seems like any debate on, for example, gay marriage, devolves immediately into the pro-gay marriage person calling the other person a bigot, and that's the end of that. No room for disagreement at all.

Sounds like the gay guy on that show you watched made himself look like the intolerant imbecile.

hannajomar · #6 Feb 5, '12, 11:40 am

Something has gone wrong with the word "tolerance." When people who are in disagreement agree to be at peace with each other, they tolerate each other. Somehow, it has morphed into meaning that everyone has to agree with everyone all the time. However, in order for there to be true tolerance, there must be a disagreement first.

Allegra · #7 Feb 5, '12, 11:41 am

Some people have gotten so open-minded their brains seem to have fallen out.

St Francis · #8 Feb 5, '12, 11:46 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debora123

Does anyone else see the irony in liberals calling us "narrow minded" for not having the same views as themselves??

I recently watched a "Real World" season in which one of the roommates (who is gay) spends about 4 episodes bashing another roommate and calling him "intolerant, narrow minded, and bigoted" for quietly choosing not to go to a gay pride parade. Even after the roommate politely explained that he was going to stay home from the parade because it went against his personal views regarding sexuality.

It was one of the most hypocritical and ironic, and not to mention idiotic things I've seen in my life.

Don't these people realize what they're doing??

This is not the only area of hypocritical illogic among liberals.

Luna Lovecraft · #9 Feb 5, '12, 1:34 pm

It's important to remember that The Real World and just about everything else that comes into our lives through the TV is entertainment that's broadcast for one reason only: to generate ad revenue.

The producers of this stuff only put on the air opinions or world view point(s) that reflect that of their market-research determined target audience. They'd promote anything they thought would generate money, and they've got that down to a science.

Getting upset over anything seen on entertainment television is about as worthwhile use of emotional energy as getting upset when Cadence shoots her fifth husband, Bruce, for cheating on her with his second cousin's ex-wife's boss on daytime TV soaps.

Our TV remotes have off buttons that need to be pressed more.

Luna

St Francis · #10 Feb 5, '12, 2:41 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luna Lovecraft

It's important to remember that The Real World and just about everything else that comes into our lives through the TV is entertainment that's broadcast for one reason only: to generate ad revenue.

The producers of this stuff only put on the air opinions or world view point(s) that reflect that of their market-research determined target audience. They'd promote anything they thought would generate money, and they've got that down to a science.

Getting upset over anything seen on entertainment television is about as worthwhile use of emotional energy as getting upset when Cadence shoots her fifth husband, Bruce, for cheating on her with his second cousin's ex-wife's boss on daytime TV soaps.

Our TV remotes have off buttons that need to be pressed more.

Luna

What you say is true about tv, but unfortunately this illogic occurs in real life too. It is a real phenomena.

(Sometimes I will post something about a situation and rather than explain the real-life situation, I will use an example from tv or the movies.)

meltzerboy · #11 Feb 5, '12, 3:01 pm

Aren't there degrees of liberality and conservativeness? IOW, do we all fit into a box or category rather than on a continuum? I think the categorical, black-and-white way of thinking that one is either liberal or conservative, is like saying we are either good or bad, intelligent or stupid, normal or abnormal. I realize categorization serves a function and our brains seem to be hard-wired to think in terms of dualities, but aren't humans (and nearly everything else) more complex than that? Of course, as a liberal, I will be intolerant of anyone who disagrees with my view!

meltzerboy · #12 Feb 5, '12, 3:07 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by gallaghertj

I believe there is widespread mental illness among the liberal crowd...The bigotry against Catholicism is over the top, especially among the media, academia and Hollywood.

It seems to me this comment is over the top, if taken literally, and particularly the reference to "widespread mental illness among the liberal crowd..." No doubt some will agree with you, however.

Regardless, welcome to CAF!

laircy · #13 Feb 5, '12, 3:51 pm

I agree it appears that among liberals there is a hypocrisy that is unfortunately common. This happened yesterday on Facebook, and I just had to comment:

Seriously!

Elizabeth502 · #14 Feb 5, '12, 4:25 pm

Debora, I can't find the source quote, but someone said that the tyranny of the Left is very similar to the tyranny of the Right. (Rather than visualize Left & Right in a linear way, as we tend to do in political speech, it should be visualized as a circle, where the extreme ends of the spectrum meet in the middle.)

And I can't find the full quote, but Noam Chomsky has also said, "A lot of the people who call themselves Left I would regard as proto-fascists."

Geist · #15 Feb 5, '12, 6:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debora123

Does anyone else see the irony in liberals calling us "narrow minded" for not having the same views as themselves??

Who is "us"? I'm a liberal most of the time. Anyway, hypocrisy and narrow mindedness is as common in liberals as it is in conservatives, Kenyans, women, the elderly, gays, bikers, the homeless, really...anyone. Its not unique or more or less endemic to any social group, ideology, gender, race, whatever.

Its a uniquely human failure.

Never heard a German shepherd bark jokes about poodles to another German shepherd.