I'm not seeing much difference between the left (liberals) and the radical extreme left at all. I think the only difference is just a matter of how much they want to speak about how they feel and what they think.

<God or the idea of God?>

This entire post

Big Pawn chessforum (kibitz #1112)

reads like a laundry list of things that <you> don't like. Do you even know, or know of, one single person that likes all of the things you listed?

You gave <AI> as an example, but I've never seen a post from him saying he likes RHPS, Phish, or Monty Python, for example.

Matter of fact, my rabidly conservative, Republican step brother loves all three of those things.

My rabidly conservative, Republican father loves Starbucks.

You've created this bogeyman to hate, this iconic "American Neoliberal", that most likely doesn't even exist!

I say this as someone who has met many people in his life, many leftists, and never once met anyone who is even close to fitting the definition of a liberal that many conservatives like to give out.

I see all the posters who come here, rant, and spew venom at supposed "liberals" who probably don't even actually exist. It reminds me of nothing more than a bunch of congratulatory backslapping by smug "righties" to celebrate the denigration of anyone who doesn't subscribe to their groupthink.

Yes, it is paradoxical that libs should so thoroughly hate God, while claiming that He doesn't exist. It's kind of like the way they go to pieces over incidents in the Old Testament--which they insist is totally fictional, none of these things ever happened--while being singularly unmoved by Mao Tse-tung's murder of at least 50 million of his own people during peacetime.

Just a mile down the road we have an annual Hindu festival. Libs never sued to stop that. It's only the Christian religious holidays they want to ban.

Among the documents that most clearly display the profound wickedness and folly of modern liberalism is the Humanist Manifesto II. Okay, every gaggle of left-wing dopes has a manifesto. But take a look at this, and see how quickly they rush to deny that God exists... because they see themselves as His replacements.

https://americanhumanist.org/what-i...

Is there a difference between classical liberalism and moonbat crazy leftist running the American media and universities?>

They'd look like Republicans/Conservatives.

They'd actually live it, vs. liars giving it lip service. (for someone else)

I think "classic liberalism" is right up there with "Reagan Democrats, Trump Democrats." A bunch of BS.

Truman, JFK, MLK, would be "right-wingers" today. (FDR, the Obama/Clinton ilk)

<thegoodanarchist:

"we need an occupational health and safety administration to protect workers from predatory capitalism" [for example]. Or, we need a union to protect us.>

Don't forget:
"We need a Great Society!"

Yes sir, the folks who would become wealthy/empowered off it, were all for it.

<playground player:

-unless it's due to a rarely-articulated expectation that they will somehow wind up in the drivers' seat and have control over everyone else.>

Bingo!

<playground player:
The modern lib hates God, hates Him with a burning passion>

Are you sure?
(remember, they lie)
I always see it as, they hate what gets in the way of what sells. (anything goes!)

Only when you are in an elevator with one, and the cable breaks, will you know for sure.

supposed "liberals" who probably don't even actually exist.>

Exactly!

<diceman:Fundamentally liberalism is a lie.>

Obama/Hillary like money, just like I do.
Obama/Hillary like freedom, just like I do.

The disagreement comes in from the folks they stomp on/use to get there.

...and the "experimental" way of living life they have for them.

reads like a laundry list of things that <you> don't like>

Well yeah, of course I don't like that stuff. That's the liberal culture and I do not dig it - at all. I think I stated in that post that I was describing liberal culture.

There are always going to be exceptions, but in general, the things I listed as part of liberal culture are liberal culture. That means that the vast majority of liberals like those things. It's part of their bonding experience. <Tga> says his friend is ultra conservative and like the RHPS. Okay, fine. That doesn't mean it's not a defining part of liberal culture.

Exceptions prove the rule actually.

A liberal doesn't have to like everything on my list for the list to accurately describe liberal culture in America. For instance, if one liberal doesn't like soy milk or sushi it doesn't invalidate the claim that liberals are into soy milk, or sushi.

<tga> says that in invented this profile of a liberal but there probably isn't a single liberal out there that gets into all the things on my list. I give that a big <no kidding>. That doesn't mean it's not part of the culture.

Look, voting Democrat is a part of liberal culture. Sure, you can find a liberal here or there that voted for Trump, but that doesn't mean that voting Democrat is not part of the culture.

Same thing with Global Warming. You may find a conservative here or there that buys it, and you may find a liberal here or there that thinks it's bunk, but it is definitely a part of liberal culture.

How does one decide that they are going to go full liberal?>

It boils down to:

There are a lot of components involved. Knowing things that aren't so. An ungovernable desire to get in with the whoopee crowd. Unresolved bitterness against this or that aspect of society or culture: liberals like to translate their own personal demons into public policy. "I had a bad relationship with my father, therefor fatherhood is bad." An outsized opinion of one's own capacities: every liberal I've ever known is absolutely convinced of his superiority. A quasi-religious faith in the efficacy of government. I could go on, but you get the point: there are probably as many reasons for going liberal as there are liberals.

There are degrees.

If the current American definition of "liberal" is "radical extreme left" then how would you categorise somebody just slightly left of centre?

<<God or the idea of God?> Both. There are very few people that identify as atheists, percentage wise. However, I have another personal twist on that. I happen to think that even strong atheists know that God exists. Can't prove it of course but it's my suspicion.>

Why would someone who knows that God exists self-identify as an atheist?

<playground player: <optimal play> What they've done in Bloomington, Indiana--abolishing Good Friday--has been done in towns and cities all over America. My own town lost its 100-year-old annual Christmas parade: now it's our "Winter Festival.">

Actually, they can't abolish Good Friday, nor Christmas, nor any other Christian commemoration -- they can only try to suppress these holy days.

They try to distract the ignorant populace with these 'terrific' new religious festivals from Islam, Hinduism, Wicca, whatever...

The naïve and gullible take the bait but as long as Christians keep the faith, these evildoers won't succeed in destroying the Church, even though in future it may mean celebrating these Christian festivals privately rather than as part of the wider community.

Well, you got half my point. And seemed to ignore the other half, which is that many of those things are enjoyed by conservatives.

Meaning that they are enjoyed by <people>, and enjoyed by people precisely because they are people, not because of their political persuasion. People, be they liberal, conservative, libertarian or whatever, enjoy caffeine and sugar in Starbucks (for example). An affinity for sweet likely evolved because in nature sweet stuff is nearly universally harmless.

Just because you reject that on an intellectual level (and right you should, since dietary sugar is much more malignant to health than dietary fat) DOES NOT MAKE THOSE ACTIVITIES OR THINGS LIBERAL.

Reminds me of the time I met a woman in a bar who told me she owned a farm and a pick up. I asked her about SUVs and she went ballistic! She spewed forth some country stereotype venom about SUV owners, NONE OF WHICH APPLIED TO ME, EVEN THOUGH I OWNED AN SUV AT THE TIME!

You are transferring your bias against "liberals" to cultural objects that are, in and of themselves, APOLITICAL.

You can't see this? It is really surprising to me.

<I think I stated in that post that I was describing liberal culture.

But whether I like those things or not isn't the point. The point is I'm describing the liberal culture here in America.>

Usually such people will say that they are just left of center, but if you ask them questions it soon becomes clear that they are just plain old left, or, more left than they realized.

I think what we call "far left" people are actually just being consistent with their worldview. This happens, I think, when they treat their politics or ideology like a religion. Religion is something we explore deeply. When we explore political ideologies deeply we realize the implications that the fundamental beliefs require and it pushes us clearly one way or the other.

There are some people that seem as though they are more toward the center but only because of one or maybe two issues that stand out. All the other issues are clearly left. Also, some issues are not as defining as others.

It's true that there are degrees, but I think it's a very slippery slope and anyone that gives serious thought to the fundamental commitments of liberalism (or conservatism) soon finds himself going further left. I think there is a point where the word changes. If you go far enough left the word "liberal" may no longer fit perfectly and a word like "communism" might be better, but I think that communism is the logical endgame of liberalism, at least the kind of liberalism we have in America and not classical liberalism (and pgp is right. There is no classical liberalism in America today and there hasn't been in two centuries).

<Why would someone who knows that God exists self-identify as an atheist?>

I like this question because the answer is the same as another very good question: Why do we ever act against our own best judgment?

We fasten on to our desires and tune out any clear thinking or logic that would reason against them.

Same with God. Atheists don't want to be bound to a moral code that they don't like, so they deceive themselves into thinking that God does not exist. It starts by sowing seeds of doubt by asking one's self questions of a specious and deceitful nature. Then, once doubt has been sowed, affirmations take place. They repeat with their new friends "God does not exist" and cause themselves to commit their pride to this position, after which it is nearly impossible to break out of this spiritual prison. Pride makes mighty chains.

Psalms 19:1 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God and I agree. When you look, you see God everywhere at all times. When people ask why God is so hidden, they ask an exceedingly foolish question, because there is nothing more conspicuous that God's existence.

<Oh, and I don't like Monty Python, I think their humour is stupid and not at all funny.>

This could indicate a serious problem for you. You may get your membership to the Liberal Club revoked. Then again, <PGP> finds MP humorous. Indeed there are exceptions but it's pretty easy to see, here in America, that MP is part of the liberal culture. This does not mean that PGP is in any way liberal however.

And part of the libertarian culture. And conservative culture. etc.

Which means it isn't part of a political culture at all, so your big <no kidding> applies to the obverse as well! Which negates the whole dang rant.

To wit, <but there probably isn't a single liberal out there that gets into all the things on my list. I give that a big <no kidding>. That doesn't mean it's not part of the culture. >

There <definitely> isn't a single thing on your list that conservatives <don't> get into. But that doesn't make them part of a conservative culture, any more than they are part of a liberal culture.

Which all gets back to my original thesis - a bunch of conservatives come to your forum to criticize and insult "liberals" when in reality a "liberal" as any of you define one, doesn't even exist!

Meaning that they are enjoyed by <people>, and enjoyed by people precisely because they are people, not because of their political persuasion>

You can't make exceptions sound like there aren't groups and defining aspects of these cultures.

People already know this. I did a quick Google search and check this out.

<Top 25 Conservative Movies>

http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollyw...

Conservatives and liberals may enjoy some of the same movies, but in general there is a clear divide. These are movies that conservatives tend to really like. (Took another look at this link - it's actually a great article with a blurb about each movie and why conservatives like it. Worth checking out).

Here's a thread about Conservative vs Liberal movies. http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...

Here a good page about food. Is your belly conservative or liberal? http://www.eater.com/2016/7/19/1222...

Here's one study that features a chart showing which sports libs and conservatives tend to be interested in. There is always some overlap but this is generally reliable http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dis...

There is a clear divide when it comes to the cultural differences of liberals and conservatives, even if we accept some overlap.

But in general, it's fair to say that it is the liberal who prefers soy milk, sushi and a latte.

I'm not averse to taking a liberal test, but my answers might be restrictive since I obviously won't divulge personal information over the internet.

I will admit this however, as well as not liking Monty Python, I also dislike soy milk, sushi and lattes.

Can't the military fend for themselves?

And they hold their entitlement bowls just like they hold their hot chocolate - with two hands!

Can't the military fend for themselves?>

While the, "Tomahawk Missile Store" was a great success, because of Hillary's "discount coupons" to the Middle East, it didn't generate much revenue.