Observation; Good vs Evil (left vs right)

[edy420]

I heard these statements recently,
“There used to be pro-life Democrats” “if you know two or three of a persons beliefs you most likely know their opinions on abortion, assisted suicide and death penalty”

There’s a stigma if your left wing but have a few right wing values and vice versa. If your on either side, you most likely recruit centralist to closer align with your beliefs. Or if your central then your shunned from both sides.

This binary alignment of group identity is just starting to take effect in my country, or at least I’m starting to notice it. If your left wing, then other left wings are good and right wing are evil. Essentially this is a war of Good vs Evil where both sides see themselves as good, and they demonise the other.

Why have we become so streamlined in this binary fashion? Is it because of social media helps us attach ourselves to an establish group identity?

Is this not essentially two religions that co-exist?

Thoughts?

[PaulN]

Definitely social media, which comprise echo chambers where the poorly informed can hear only things that support their prejudices and ignorance. The Net has gone rotten terribly fast.

[bangstrom]

The binary alignment has been strong for nearly as long as I can recall ever since the early 1950’s and it waxes hot and cold but I have never seen it as strong as it is at present. I have little doubt it is strongly media influenced but it predates social media. I remember the heated battles in early fifties during the so called “McCarthy” era in the USA between the anti-communists who saw communists everywhere they looked and wanted them driven from their jobs and homes and country and the moderates who thought the McCarthyites had gone too far and were a threat to democracy.

I see the battles as between the liberal left-wing and the conservative right-wing with the right-wing being the more authoritarian and paranoid of the two but both sides can be quite paranoid towards each other. Social media have their echo chambers with dozens of different micro points of view but I am surprised at how even the echo chambers maintain the same old tribal liberal and conservative divide. I would expect more diversity.

[Brent696]

I have noticed, psychologically speaking, a drive within all men (and women) to be "right", thus advancing to themselves a sense of "goodness". The depth of this can be seen in Jihad-ism, or even the guy who goes postal and kills his work associates claiming something like "Joe deserved it for stealing my peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the break room".

We all want to be good, but we know within our hearts we are not. So to attain this goodness we begin distorting "values", a religious man claims his goodness by stating "I believe", while an liberal abortion supporter claims to be supporting women's health, all the time each is weighing, contrasting, their own position against that of another.

This "weighing", "comparing", "competing", is what in ancient times was understood as Envy, envy is more than simply desiring what another possesses, it is the whole concept, context, of determining one's "worth" by the act of comparison.

In an orchestra, it is necessary for only one instrument to sound a note, and then all the other members tune to that one instrument, in this harmony is attained. As a human being, one among many, what might be that one note that binds us all together, would it not be LIFE, and next to that respect for the life of another. And beyond that perhaps FREEDOM, as I desire a certain amount of freedom should I not respect that of others, one might even see a shadow of this in the constitution. But it should also be rationally understood my desire for freedom does not negate the expectation of life of another. (although this could be extended to the debate on abortion I am actually just speaking on an interpersonal level)

This is all stated to apply to those who would follow, normal citizens trying to live their lives and vote as best they see fit, and having opinions that might sway from the left to the right. We all practice a well rehearsed game of self deception, surrendering the search for TRUTH for the advancement of our own sense of value. Thus we are "shallow" and self centered.

But as for the politicians, I would say 80% at least desire only POWER, they prey upon those who would vote enforcing their self deceptions as they appeal towards their supposed sense of self rightness. They could care less about being Good even as they speak their lies, it is all a game, they are more evil than those who are simply self deceived,

"Good" people are those who seek truth, not a buffer to elevate themselves, this brings harmony, and IGNORANCE about this path brings discord. As a man must know himself in order to act appropriately, so the people of the nation must understand themselves to vote appropriately and to contain those who by a desire for power are drawn to covet positions in the government.

We might say a selfish people end up supporting a selfish government, in contrast those who are less self centered sit down and work together for the good of all.

The internet, selfies, media, advertisers, Hollywood, there are many pressures that support such a selfish lifestyle.
Just a few thoughts,