My thoughts on Appropriationgate*

[major_clanger]

*Since all major LJ kerfuffles acquire a hackneyed name, let's at least assign it now.

As I mentioned I'm very busy, too busy to wade into this debate (if it can even be dignified by that term now) and too put off by a prior foray into it and the treatment of many of my friends to want to do so in any depth. But I will offer up one thought it has given me:

"One way in which a liberal may be disillusioned or driven to conservatism is criticism that his or her view is not liberal enough from people more concerned with enhancing their liberal credentials than meaningfully discussing the issue at hand."

Discuss.

Comments

[maviscruet.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what your talking about.....

I mean sure the left does have a tendency to tear it self apart - but the right does as well actually. "not the right sort of christian" being a classic example.

[andrewducker]

Or "So, the EU then?"

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

British Conservatives tend to be held together by self-interest, and although there are arguments and occasional knifings in the back (one M Thatcher springs to mind), I think there is a case to be made that they are more cohesive than the Left, because less bound by actual ideology and its interpretations.

Although nominally mostly Christian, this is a very secular nation. Thank God.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I'm almost inclined to say "if you don't know, consider yourself lucky!"

Short version: sf writer Elizabeth Bear (lj user="matociquala"> posted about the issues arising from writing about characters from different cultures, religions or ethnic groups. Now I've met her and she's what I think its safe to say is a very liberal and self-aware person. But the spectacular shitstorm this set off has plumbed new depths of bile and stupidity, much of it seeming to be of the form of "actually, I'm much more politically correct than you are, so your argument is therefore wrong." But much nastier.

Your point is a good one though. It's a problem with people who assert their position out of dogma and thus see their credibility amongst their peers in terms of how dogmatic they can put themselves across as being.