3 things (don't make a post, but whatever)

[ricardienne]

1. 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.

Comments

[mhuzzell.livejournal.com]

Pff. There's no such thing as a political 'moderate'. There are right-wing progressives, left-wing progressives, and conservatives.

[mhuzzell.livejournal.com]

Oh, and libertarians.

[existentialgoat.livejournal.com]

Who are also known as the "WTF, you are all crazy" crowd.

[mhuzzell.livejournal.com]

Really, libertarians are just another sort of progressive, it's just that they draw elements from what are currently right-wing ideals as well as current left-wing stuff.

[camlina.livejournal.com]

Yes this!

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.

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess one could call oneself a moderate in some very narrow sense, where the positions that one is moderate between are very well defined.

[achyvi.livejournal.com]

I don't know why, but your very apt description of the moderate-label-obsessed seems very Victorian. Just go with the flow... don't do anything too "TOO", as it were... don't have any real opinion. I dunno.

But so... does that mean that they're filling (GASP) traditional women-type roles?? Oh how their masculine identity is secretly suffering!

[achyvi.livejournal.com]

Addition: I am not accusing you of being Victorian and irrational. I just realized it sounded that way, and that is NOT you at all. x_x

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

I think of it as more -- I don't know...hipster, perhaps? Too cool and over all that to get worked up about stuff, because "we've already been there and done that and all you people are just being silly and naive."

[achyvi.livejournal.com]

Omg, YES. That is the perfect analogue.