Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
To many of you, I am known as a voice of conservatism, or a right-winger, among the many other names I am called. So it may surprise you to learn I was once a moderate. In fact, I still do consider my political world view to be somewhat moderate, even though that is often met with a laugh from the left. Truly, my viewpoints are always based on the premise that mankind is endowed with certain inalienable freedoms, and retains the power of self-governance because of those freedoms. In that regard, matters of legislature should reflect the viewpoint of the people, always. This may contradict my personal viewpoint or opinion at times, but it is okay, because we live in a collective society, where as a group, we all get to decide what rules we live by. From my perspective, that is the epitome of moderate thinking. I also try to remember there are two sides to every issue, and both sides can be worthy of consideration. Again, a moderate trademark. So, I view myself as moderate, and I honestly believe most people view themselves as moderates as well.
This sets up the beginnings of a dichotomy. Everyone wants to be seen as fair and impartial, considerate of both sides, objective and forward thinking about the issues, above party... moderate! But, in reality, very few people can maintain a truly moderate personal perspective. Most of us have our opinions, most of us know what we prefer or which side of an issue we are on, there is no 'moderate' position with regard to our personal preference. Oh sure, on some things, we can act completely moderate... I like strawberry ice cream, so I am not turning down strawberry ice cream because I happen to like chocolate better. I can be 'moderate' and find room for strawberry ice cream in my life, and welcome strawberry ice cream lovers with open arms! I don't support a ban on strawberry ice cream in my home, even though I would personally rather have chocolate. I can be a moderate about it!
Very few aspects of our personal lives, is governed by 'moderate' thinking. Typically, we bounce from one extreme to another, and the predominate factor is our personal wants, needs and desires. Even when we attempt to be moderate in our views, when we really try to overcome the prejudice of our personal view, it still factors into our decision making process, and we subconsciously decide how we feel. We are non-arbitrary, we don't have the ability to override what we feel emotionally, so we can never be a completely fair and impartial judge of any global issue. Nevertheless, this "Moderate" attribute is something we all ultimately strive for and admire in each other. I don't mean to be generalizing here, but this is human psychology, and if it doesn't apply to you, then it probably means you are mentally insane or unstable. These are things that apply to us all, as we are all part of the human species. All humans want to be viewed as fair and impartial, we all want to seem magnanimous, to be considerate of all perspectives... it is human nature to want to be a moderate. It's almost impossible to achieve.
Jumping ahead into politics, one of the more popular recent factions, is that of the Moderate. Typically a Libertarian, or a non-social conservative, but also a few old school democrats. We have several on this forum, including the site administrator and most of the mods. The dirty little secret about political moderates is, they are really isolated extremists. They have a very radical "Ideal World" viewpoint on things, and they stubbornly cling to their personal views, while hiding behind the safe banner of the moderate. On some issues, they identify with the hard left, on other issues, they identify with the hard right, and on some issues, they are completely indifferent. There is absolutely nothing "moderate" about their political viewpoint.
I have often heard libertarians profess a "moderate" conservative view, they agree with conservative fiscal principles, but oppose the conservative social agenda. But there is nothing moderate about that position, except the owner's perception. Did they objectively research the social conservative issues on the agenda? Did they fairly and reasonably evaluate the viewpoints of social conservatives in our society? Do they understand or care about what the other 60% of their fellow citizens think or want? Nope... they have an extremist view which is set in stone, and they will never deviate. They have a prejudiced perception of social conservatism, and it is not a positive one. How can someone with a prejudiced negative view, be a fair and impartial judge? The answer is, they can't! But this is okay, again, because they can safely hide behind the Moderate label!
Another popular "moderate" viewpoint... I don't care for R's or D's, they both believe in Big Government, and I believe in small government! Again we see the 'personal view' coming through. Did this person consider what draconian cuts should be made to the budget, and how that would play out for the rest of society? The effects on the economy to make such cuts? How it would effect our national security and defense? Or did they just shoot from the emotional hip, and reveal their own personal radical extremist view?
Yes, Moderates are the new Extremists. Not only are they extreme in their views, they fully expect to bend the will of the rest of the world, to see things their way. It's almost a Fascist extremism, in that regard. They defiantly refuse to accept the status quot, or compromise in any way, on what they think is "fair."
In this past election, it was ironic, yet revealing. John McCain, the Moderate's Moderate, failed to win the so-called Moderate vote! For the most part, they either cast a worthless third-party vote or stayed home. The "Moderates" refused to support a "Third Bush Term" and thought they saved face by claiming also not to support Obama. However, the end result was McCain, the moderate, lost the election to a radical liberal. This is what Moderates caused to transpire. We were all privy to the same polls, so it's not like these "moderates" didn't know and understand the consequences of their actions, but yet again, they stand firmly and safely behind their banner of "moderate."
Time and time again, we are subjected to this group of people who seem to be more motivated by what others think of them, that they be seen as fair and objective, unbiased and unprejudiced. They can intellectually see both sides and make an informed decision based on all the facts and truths... it's how every human being wants to be seen as... Moderate!
This sets up the beginnings of a dichotomy. Everyone wants to be seen as fair and impartial, considerate of both sides, objective and forward thinking about the issues, above party... moderate! But, in reality, very few people can maintain a truly moderate personal perspective. Most of us have our opinions, most of us know what we prefer or which side of an issue we are on, there is no 'moderate' position with regard to our personal preference. Oh sure, on some things, we can act completely moderate... I like strawberry ice cream, so I am not turning down strawberry ice cream because I happen to like chocolate better. I can be 'moderate' and find room for strawberry ice cream in my life, and welcome strawberry ice cream lovers with open arms! I don't support a ban on strawberry ice cream in my home, even though I would personally rather have chocolate. I can be a moderate about it!
Very few aspects of our personal lives, is governed by 'moderate' thinking. Typically, we bounce from one extreme to another, and the predominate factor is our personal wants, needs and desires. Even when we attempt to be moderate in our views, when we really try to overcome the prejudice of our personal view, it still factors into our decision making process, and we subconsciously decide how we feel. We are non-arbitrary, we don't have the ability to override what we feel emotionally, so we can never be a completely fair and impartial judge of any global issue. Nevertheless, this "Moderate" attribute is something we all ultimately strive for and admire in each other. I don't mean to be generalizing here, but this is human psychology, and if it doesn't apply to you, then it probably means you are mentally insane or unstable. These are things that apply to us all, as we are all part of the human species. All humans want to be viewed as fair and impartial, we all want to seem magnanimous, to be considerate of all perspectives... it is human nature to want to be a moderate. It's almost impossible to achieve.
Jumping ahead into politics, one of the more popular recent factions, is that of the Moderate. Typically a Libertarian, or a non-social conservative, but also a few old school democrats. We have several on this forum, including the site administrator and most of the mods. The dirty little secret about political moderates is, they are really isolated extremists. They have a very radical "Ideal World" viewpoint on things, and they stubbornly cling to their personal views, while hiding behind the safe banner of the moderate. On some issues, they identify with the hard left, on other issues, they identify with the hard right, and on some issues, they are completely indifferent. There is absolutely nothing "moderate" about their political viewpoint.
I have often heard libertarians profess a "moderate" conservative view, they agree with conservative fiscal principles, but oppose the conservative social agenda. But there is nothing moderate about that position, except the owner's perception. Did they objectively research the social conservative issues on the agenda? Did they fairly and reasonably evaluate the viewpoints of social conservatives in our society? Do they understand or care about what the other 60% of their fellow citizens think or want? Nope... they have an extremist view which is set in stone, and they will never deviate. They have a prejudiced perception of social conservatism, and it is not a positive one. How can someone with a prejudiced negative view, be a fair and impartial judge? The answer is, they can't! But this is okay, again, because they can safely hide behind the Moderate label!
Another popular "moderate" viewpoint... I don't care for R's or D's, they both believe in Big Government, and I believe in small government! Again we see the 'personal view' coming through. Did this person consider what draconian cuts should be made to the budget, and how that would play out for the rest of society? The effects on the economy to make such cuts? How it would effect our national security and defense? Or did they just shoot from the emotional hip, and reveal their own personal radical extremist view?
Yes, Moderates are the new Extremists. Not only are they extreme in their views, they fully expect to bend the will of the rest of the world, to see things their way. It's almost a Fascist extremism, in that regard. They defiantly refuse to accept the status quot, or compromise in any way, on what they think is "fair."
In this past election, it was ironic, yet revealing. John McCain, the Moderate's Moderate, failed to win the so-called Moderate vote! For the most part, they either cast a worthless third-party vote or stayed home. The "Moderates" refused to support a "Third Bush Term" and thought they saved face by claiming also not to support Obama. However, the end result was McCain, the moderate, lost the election to a radical liberal. This is what Moderates caused to transpire. We were all privy to the same polls, so it's not like these "moderates" didn't know and understand the consequences of their actions, but yet again, they stand firmly and safely behind their banner of "moderate."
Time and time again, we are subjected to this group of people who seem to be more motivated by what others think of them, that they be seen as fair and objective, unbiased and unprejudiced. They can intellectually see both sides and make an informed decision based on all the facts and truths... it's how every human being wants to be seen as... Moderate!
