[Politics] It isn't easy being Blue.

[davywavy]

Whilst out on the town a few weeks ago, I got talking to a girl in a bar. After a while, for reasons I can't recall, the conversation came round to politics. Suddenly she stopped short and looked at me quizzically.
"You're right-wing, aren't you?"
"Yup", I replied.
"Well, I don't think we should let homeless people starve to death on the street", she said, smugly ensuring her moral superiority over me and my homeless-starving ways whilst necking the booze I'd just bought her like there was no tomorrow.

A friend of mine who shares my political opinions once told me they didn't really like going to social events with many of my friends, because they knew that they would be belittled and insulted for holding their political beliefs. They found it upsetting that they would be insulted by people they barely knew not even for their beliefs, but for what those people considered their beliefs to be without even taking the time to find out the reality of the situation. In other circumstances this sort of behaviour would be considered 'prejudice'. When you're dealing with a lot of people I run into, it's called 'informed debate'. Sometimes it's nice to open LJ and read the wise words of the mind-numbingly gorgeous vulgarcriminal, who is political voice of reason.
The irony of the intellectual intolerance of many people amuses me in a bleak sort of way; most of the people on my friends list consider themselves to be tolerant, understanding and non-judgemental; however this just highlights the basic dichotomy of many people's political views - they're tolerant of any kink, perversion, social attitudes and outre behaviour which they happen to agree with. Their tolerance doesn't extend so far as being polite to people who think that, oh, say, civil liberties have been undermined quite a lot by the current government or that spending thirty-seven billion quid which we don't have every year in a slowing economy might lead to trouble later.
raggedhalo recently made a post in which he compared prejudice against vegetarians to homophobia, and presented himself as being a persecuted minority. Personally I think it's a bit difficult to be a persecuted minority when you're a socialist vegetarian in a student union, but that's just me.
Re-reading his post, it's interesting to me just how much of his argument I can apply to my own point. After all, if he can compare prejudice against sexualities with his own political views, so can I - to object to that would be prejudiced, wouldn't it? Back in the 1980's, being gay would get you socially ostracised and sometimes insulted in public, whilst being Conservative would get you social acceptance and congratulations on your snappy dress sense. And now...?
There's a comparison to be made here, I think...

Of course, I think Joe's comparison is as nonsensical as mine. But it's funny nevertheless.

Comments

Re: They're ALL dead Dave...

[mrmmarc.livejournal.com]

Interesting.
But I think flawed... Thatcher's attempts to make us 'stand up' were identical and as misguided as DeGaul's in France, or Develera's in Ireland. I totally agree with the prognosis about the Irish/Scots/Welsh (i've been saying that for years as you know), but I do not accept the 'victimisation' backlash is part of growing US/Chinese/EU cultural hegenomy. In truth Thatcher was doing the same thing as the St. George's Day supporters. And did she succead?
In a way Blair has not?
Blair HAS caused more serious debate in the EU than Maggie did. Blair HAS done more for parts of Africa (and with it earned huge gratitude which is largely unreported in the West). Maggie took a stand, but for good or for bad, so has Blair. Churchill would not back down because his views were out of step- and neither did Maggie and neither does Blair. We may hate/dislike Tony, but he HAS held true on the things he can (JUST like Maggie), and yes, his alliance with the USA over Iraq has diminished our standing globally... but so did Maggies close relationship with Reagan. Indeed, Tony is the first PM to hold close relations with both Democratic AND Republican parties. AND, we forget just how BADLY people saw Maggies relationship with America was. Dave- 'The The' was singing "This is the 51st State of the USA" when Maggie was still in office. Britain had 'sold out' to America back then.
Why I disagree with you Dave is that you are actually doing yourself an injustice. It is usually very wet left-wingers who claim the UK is being 'taken over' by the USA mate! You know better than THAT line of flawed reasoning...
The question is my friend- the growth in English nationalism/feelings of powerlessness and victimisation is NOT unqiuely British. The far right got into the last two during the last French Presidential elections- this election will be all about 'traditional French values'; America is seeing a growing malaise towards its leaders and increased feelings of disenfranchisement; Japan struggles to overcome increasingly apathy towards its leaders; Spain struggles with low voter turn out; Australia sees race riots as poor and disenfranchised men kick out at the nearest targets; look closer Dave.
It's a GLOBAL feeling, a growing feeling. The IRISH for God's sake, dispite the fastest growing economy in Western Europe were unwilling to accept an expanded EU. We are isolated and lost. A growing feeling of complete powerlessness. And it IS being felt from Inuit Action groups in Canada to farmers in Mexico to silk weavers in India to White Van Man in Essex.

The truth is- we no longer control the world. The problems the world face are SO big, no one nation can control it. We have created a global economy but have not created a system of global management. No, this is NOT some left-wing rant at globalisation my friend (I hope you know me well enough that I wouldn't be so childish as to fall into that camp). But it is about cause and effect. We have a national economy. We have a national government. We feel some control. We have choice. We can deal. We have a continental economy. We have NOMINAL European government. We feel we have a LITTLE control. We can write angry articles about the EU. We can ignore EU elections. We can react and demand our national goverment stands up to the Continental one. We can just about cope.
We have a global Economy.
We have NO global government. We have no say, no way of impacting it. We cannot change or influence global economics. We see the price of oil rise up- we are told it is because of oil buyers buying oil. Our government cannot stop the price of oil going up. We watch- HELPLESS as it does. We watch as recessions come in and go, like weather fronts, but we cannot control them. helpless we try our bit but know that we are too small. We recycle and worry about global warming and tsk at America's refusal to sign up to the Koyoto accords, but even if they did, it wouldn't actually solve the problems. And we know it.
We feel HELPLESS Dave.
And it has npothing to do with ANY of opur politicians...