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ricardienne1. Politics are awkward. Also, I guess I'm still not used to being one of the most left-wing people around again. Nevertheless, I was restrained enough not to say something like "um... this is the Republican party we're talking about" when J. was wondering why they couldn't put up a good candidate and not a nutjob. But I am so sick of the "everyone is just so confrontational. What we need are real moderates and people willing to compromise!" shtick! (wait...haven't we had that for three years?)
If you think that the Tea Party is too far to the right and Obama is too far to the left --- congratulations, you're not a "moderate" or a "centrist." Or rather, you can be! Did you know that I'm also a moderate? I'm somewhat to the right of Karl Marx, and somewhat to the left of Obama. QED: moderate!
But I facetiate. I can see that there is some personal satisfaction to be gained from declaring oneself to be a "natural moderate" and always for the "center" in whatever the current spectrum of noised-about opinion is: you don't have to worry very much about the particular issues involved; you get to maintain a virtuous structural position and not a sordid and concretely political one; you get to uphold an abstract ideal that also has the advantage of being 'hardheaded' and 'realistic' and not naively concerned with some transitory issue. And who am I to tell people not to think whatever makes them feel good about themselves?
2. The above is kind of affecting how I feel I can work on Tacitus. And vice-versa.
3. It's really sad how much my mood depends on whether I think my work is tolerable in the eyes of my professors.
If you think that the Tea Party is too far to the right and Obama is too far to the left --- congratulations, you're not a "moderate" or a "centrist." Or rather, you can be! Did you know that I'm also a moderate? I'm somewhat to the right of Karl Marx, and somewhat to the left of Obama. QED: moderate!
But I facetiate. I can see that there is some personal satisfaction to be gained from declaring oneself to be a "natural moderate" and always for the "center" in whatever the current spectrum of noised-about opinion is: you don't have to worry very much about the particular issues involved; you get to maintain a virtuous structural position and not a sordid and concretely political one; you get to uphold an abstract ideal that also has the advantage of being 'hardheaded' and 'realistic' and not naively concerned with some transitory issue. And who am I to tell people not to think whatever makes them feel good about themselves?
2. The above is kind of affecting how I feel I can work on Tacitus. And vice-versa.
3. It's really sad how much my mood depends on whether I think my work is tolerable in the eyes of my professors.
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Date: 2011-12-12 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 01:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 11:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 11:27 am (UTC)It's not that I'm reaally moderate in most of my opinions, it's just that they don't fit neatly into the 'stereotypical left' or 'stereotypical right' boxes. So sometimes I'll call myself moderate when I just need a short label and it doesn't really matter anyway, but it's not really accurate either.
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Date: 2011-12-13 03:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 05:55 pm (UTC)But so... does that mean that they're filling (GASP) traditional women-type roles?? Oh how their masculine identity is secretly suffering!
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Date: 2011-12-12 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-13 03:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-13 10:03 am (UTC)