The word parsing is getting to be too much.

[Else You Are Mad]

I understand words matter, but taking words from quotes and showing them out of context to illustrate how they can be offensive to someone is just wrong. Anything can be taken out of context and shown to some how be offensive.

This goes even further, all of the juries I have been on this last week try to frame that what is said in the alerted post could some how be offensive to someone and should be removed.

We are all Liberals here. We are acting like posters at WND or Breitbart.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. I consider myself a Democratic Socialist.

[Else You Are Mad]

2. So, you are a liberal. That is what I meant.

I will edit my post to state that. Thanks for pointing it out.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

3. I don't believe that those supporting Hillary are liberals

in any sense of the word.

[Else You Are Mad]

4. Okay.

I don't think Hillary is liberal. At best, she is center right. Her supporters, on the other hand, are mostly liberal. Regardless, both are much better than the GOP candidates and their supporters.

[Hortensis]

10. Else, liberal is a basic PERSONALITY type before

it is a political orientation. Not everyone here is liberal in either meaning, but particularly in personality.

Some DUers are conservative, another basic personality orientation, and here most of whom because they are registered Democrats. There may be a few libertarians (for some reason some think they're here, though I can't imagine who'd be drawing them).

Most significant, though, a sizable contingent of left-wing extremists, or "radicals," is here at DU, as well probably as some far-right extremists drawn by Bernie's attempt to woo them. Some are probably Democrats, but others likely consider themselves "independent" because they haven't been registered with the Democratic Party for some time, or ever. There is such a thing as left-wing "anti-Democrats," called that because they are defined by their despising of Democrats and liberals, and I believe that mentality is strongly reflected here.

All these not-liberals may currently outnumber the liberals posting on this forum. "Out there," we know, most of Bernie's supporters are liberals, and only a minority radical, and most of Hillary's liberals. But not here. DU does not reflect the big world.

So, no. We are not all liberals. By a long shot.

[Else You Are Mad]

11. While well put..

I must disagree. Liberalism is a political philosophy that encompasses a large swath of beliefs, but it is not a personality type. Liberals generally share a set of political beliefs that set them apart from other political philosophies, such as conservatism -- but it is something learned and adopted by the individual through ones experiences and education. No one, inter alia, is a liberal because of their sentiment or how they interact socially. Using the term as it is commonly understood, a liberal is anyone that believes that politics should be used to achieve social justice and equality. One cannot have a personality that is liberal -- though, one can be highly empathetic and justice oriented but how one directs their personality type could be described as liberal.

Sorry the original post was truncated, I have a new phone and my thumb keeps hitting enter.

[Hortensis]

14. Please go read about it. It's fun and

Last edited Mon Apr 18, 2016, 08:02 PM - Edit history (1)

extremely interesting. I now know why a conservative friend went home early from a party in preference to using a bathroom with a door visible from the family room (and seeing others use it). I also know she's not peculiar after all, nor is another friend who won't loan her hairbrush even to her own grown daughter. Being more easily disgusted (to various degrees, of course) than...well, liberals like me, is characteristic of a lot of conservatives.

Most research has been on liberal, conservative, and on right wing extremism, recently mostly focused on terrorism and religious extremism. Left-wing extremism hasn't gotten much interest or funding to date, but there is information out there. My shocked impression on joining DU (to get away from the far right) that the far left shares very strong characteristics with the far right, while retaining some definite differences, turned out to be appallingly correct on researching a bit.

Some interesting stuff:
Basic personality around the planet, in all racial groups, is hard-wired by genetics and altered by environment.
Conservatism is stronger in hot, and otherwise survival-straining, climates. (Check this against maps!)
Conservatives and liberals process information in different directions in the brain, typically resulting in at least somewhat different conclusions, and often extremely different.
Conservatives' and liberals' moral codes develop from different basic frames.

Libertarians (the real by-personality thing) feel little to no altruism toward others, while cons and liberals both are strongly altruistic -- cons mostly to those within their own groups, liberals to larger populations.

Radicals on the left and reactionaries on the right are both strongly motivated by extreme righteousness, callous indifference to the beliefs and rights of others, and a conviction of impending doom if those like them don't take control. Both are very bad at cooperating with others to achieve goals.

Authoritarianism was once thought to be a right-wing phenomenon, but far-left authoritarianism is apparently being identified. While what becomes right-wing fascism may initially take a "leftist" government form (makes you wonder about what can happen when these people get together), there is no such thing as liberal fascists. (I highlight that because right-wing propaganda is pushing the Hitler and Nazis were liberal idea very strongly, hiring hacks to write books, etc.)

Etc, etc, etc, etc,...fascinating, fascinating, fascinating.

[HereSince1628]

5. What do you mean by we -ARE- all liberals? I think that needs some deconstruction

Just say'n we have to be careful about confusing LABELS with ADJECTIVES.

[Else You Are Mad]

8. Crap.

I haven't diagramed a sentence since 9th grade. I am a little rusty.

[AgerolanAmerican]

6. how horrible of you!

"I... can be... further... offensive to... Liberals here."

for shame!

[Else You Are Mad]

9. Haha.

Wait, I didn't say that...?

[NCTraveler]

7. I'm sorry. Laughing my ass off at the immediate word parsing.

[pdsimdars]

12. There needs to be some way to appeal a jury decision on DU

That system is good but there have been some misuses. This AM I was reading a thread and there was a "hidden" post. The replies to that "hidden" said it should not have been hidden.

I clicked to show it. The post said that since Howard Dean had sold out, all bets were off. That was it -- Howard Dean had sold out. . . and THAT was "over the top" and "disruptive" and had to be hidden?

Shouldn't there be some way to overturn that jury? That jury decision was the only thing that was "over the top".

DU is a fantastic site but that system needs some tweeking.

[firebrand80]

13. We need Appellate and Supreme Courts nt