Socialist Mayor elected in Buffalo NY.

[Shadow Wolf]

The mentality follows even after a shift in one's allegiances and associations, or belief systems. The old saying comes to mind, 'you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy'. Black and white, us vs. them lenses are brought with them into the new belief structures and group identities, i.e, "He's not a True Republican, because he believes in the climate change hoax". A whole thread could be devoted to that as a topic. It's very common.

I was saying what he is doing reminds me what I saw and was taught when I was a Christian. But instead of the devil, he sees Stalinists everywhere.

 

[Windwalker]

I was saying what he is doing reminds me what I saw and was taught when I was a Christian. But instead of the devil, he sees Stalinists everywhere.

Yes, good vs. evil, us vs. them, God vs. Devil, libs bad, us good, etc. Reality is more a spectrum, than sharply contrasted black and white divisions. But black and white thinkers do tend to gravitate to fundamentalism if they are theistically inclined.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Yes, good vs. evil, us vs. them, God vs. Devil, libs bad, us good, etc. Reality is more a spectrum, than sharply contrasted black and white divisions. But black and white thinkers do tend to gravitate to fundamentalism if they are theistically inclined.

I think Twilight is an atheist.

 

[Windwalker]

I think Twilight is an atheist.

Yes, I'm aware of that. But I'm not meaning to speak of him in the 3rd person here. I was simply remarking that it doesn't matter if one is theistically inclined or not. Us vs. Them thinking is something that divides the world into two camps, good vs. bad, and little in between.

What you saw in church exists in the secular world as well. And if somone, anyone is an ExChristian from a fundamentalist group, that type of thinking doesn't just suddenly shift because you simply change the object of faith from myth to science. It's all looked at through the same filters of right or wrong, good or bad, etc. I was remarking on your original comment, knowingly nodding my head. It's all too familiar.

 

[sun rise]

Even NPR calls her a socialist.

So? My point was that the word 'socialist' is so vague that it has no meaning unless further defined.

 

[sun rise]

Specifically:

During her campaign, Walton vowed to cut $7.5 million from the Buffalo police department by not having officers answer mental health calls or enforce minor traffic violations, according to the Buffalo News. She proposed using the savings to fund initiatives to bolster youth employment, reduce crime and increase affordable housing.


She has also vowed to provide financial support to landlords and strengthen protections for renters as well as increase funding for the public school system.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Yes, I'm aware of that. But I'm not meaning to speak of him in the 3rd person here. I was simply remarking that it doesn't matter if one is theistically inclined or not. Us vs. Them thinking is something that divides the world into two camps, good vs. bad, and little in between.

What you saw in church exists in the secular world as well. And if somone, anyone is an ExChristian from a fundamentalist group, that type of thinking doesn't just suddenly shift because you simply change the object of faith from myth to science. It's all looked at through the same filters of right or wrong, good or bad, etc. I was remarking on your original comment, knowingly nodding my head. It's all too familiar.

My sense of morality and right and wrong has changed entirely.
Just because I say something reminds me of something that used to be a part of my life doesn't mean I'm still looking at the world that way. Black and white was all I saw then. Learning of three colors and how they make up every other color broke those lenses.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Specifically:

During her campaign, Walton vowed to cut $7.5 million from the Buffalo police department by not having officers answer mental health calls or enforce minor traffic violations, according to the Buffalo News. She proposed using the savings to fund initiatives to bolster youth employment, reduce crime and increase affordable housing.


She has also vowed to provide financial support to landlords and strengthen protections for renters as well as increase funding for the public school system.

I see a lot of trips to Albany in her future.

I also see the rejoicing of criminal elements as they prepare for a prosperous 4 years.

 

[Twilight Hue]

So? My point was that the word 'socialist' is so vague that it has no meaning unless further defined.

Oh, I'm sure the meaning will become apparent in due time.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I keep waiting for all this terrible stuff to happen as the result of America electing socialists, such as free healthcare and universal basic income and monthly stimulus checks and student debt cancellation and taxing the rich. But I never get delivered the fruits I'm promised by the other side.

You probably will get it too if this is any indicator of this generation.

I think it will be a smashing success. Maybe for years.

That is, until the money runs out and measures are are taken to rectify any and all .... issues.

 

[Twilight Hue]

What policy do you take issue with that she's presented? Which policy was the "socialist" one?

I guess we will find out during her term as mayor. Wont we?

 

[Twilight Hue]

The knee jerk reaction to 'socialist' is funny. I'm collecting 'Social Security' and am using 'Medicare'. Quite happy with these 'socialist' programs.

That's because you among others confuse social programs with socialist political ideology, thinking it's the same exact things with few exceptions.

Ie; Healthcare is social. The mandate is socialist.

I don't care where it came or originated from, Republicans or Democrat.

You go that route, your a Socialist/Marxist. In or out the closet.

 

[sun rise]

I see a lot of trips to Albany in her future.

I also see the rejoicing of criminal elements as they prepare for a prosperous 4 years.

Personally getting cops out of the business of dealing with mental health issues leaves them free to go after criminals.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

You probably will get it too if this is any indicator of this generation.

I think it will be a smashing success. Maybe for years.

That is, until the money runs out and measures are are taken to rectify any and all .... issues.

Depends on the measures. I'm for a society for example where if it makes more money and more sense for robots to take over a lot of jobs, I'm mostly for it.

Where you and I might disagree however, is that you might see the left as giving me a wishlist, while I see it as smoke and mirrors and a lot of the left in the US being so far right, that things will be screwed up anyway but without us seeing healthcare, universal basic income, etc or anything we really wanted - we'll have a better time than with Trump, but some of these "left" leaders are actually to the "right". Which is why it doesn't make much sense to label them as having a leftist agenda.

 

[sun rise]

That's because you among others confuse social programs with socialist political ideology, thinking it's the same exact things with few exceptions.

Funny, I could have written the exact same thing with you as the target

 

[Windwalker]

My sense of morality and right and wrong has changed entirely.
Just because I say something reminds me of something that used to be a part of my life doesn't mean I'm still looking at the world that way. Black and white was all I saw then. Learning of three colors and how they make up every other color broke those lenses.

I wasn't suggesting you were. I no longer think like that either, but I used to because of a number of factors, one big one being that's the way the system taught us to think. It takes more than just changing a belief, it takes changing how we think and believe altogether. That's takes time and often a lot of conscious effort to try to see a little more nuance and grey areas. It's messier, and not as simple as just black or white judgments.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I wasn't suggesting you were. I no longer think like that either, but I used to because of a number of factors, one big one being that's the way the system taught us to think. It takes more than just changing a belief, it takes changing how we think and believe altogether. That's takes time and often a lot of conscious effort to try to see a little more nuance and grey areas. It's messier, and not as simple as just black or white judgments.

I've also had 20 years of living away from that. Sure, there are still indications I was very deeply involved, but when it comes to things like morality and how I view the world things are so different for me now that although I still retain the previous interpretations and understandings of the Bible that I once adhered to, I feel confident saying that despite being away from it I have come to understand Jesus' message of love and respect to a far greater degree than I had as a Christian.
I could just as easily say Twilight reminds me of what I've read about McCarthyism. But I've not lived through that. The Evangelical tendency to see the Devil everywhere and in everything is. And, indeed, just the other day Twilight offered the "nanny state" as evidence of widespread socialism. It's this established trend he displays that reminds me of my "past life," back when I used to rigidly view the world as things that are good and things that are bad and saw a boogeyman all over the place.

 

[Revoltingest]

Even NPR calls her a socialist.

She calls herself a socialist.
But I wonder if she uses a personal or dictionary definition.
The far left & far right both tend to ignore dictionaries.

 

[SomeRandom]

She calls herself a socialist.
But I wonder if she uses a personal or dictionary definition.
The far left & far right both tend to ignore dictionaries.

I’m half convinced the US in general uses a completely different definition of Socialism than the rest of the world.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I’m half convinced the US in general uses a completely different definition of Socialism than the rest of the world.

I think so too. Just seems like Socialism to the US right now is saying, "Bernie Sanders and his agendas".