Quote (Handcuffs @ Oct 15 2020 07:06pm)

PaRD is an interesting place because I've been posting for what feels like essentially a decade now, and the Internet is amazing in the fact that I'm able to look back at those postings 10 years ago and compare them to today. While my general positions haven't changed over time, as I have long felt secure in far left identity, I would certainly say that both the style and overall quality of my communication has improved quite significantly. I wasn't sure that this was the case until I looked back at those messages. 10 years ago I was much more reactive, combative, and prone to the pitfall that is viewing the world through a 'left/right' binary. I've feel I've become a great deal more humble, comfortable in recognizing areas that I lack knowledge (economics, in particular), and have become increasingly bored with echo chambers.

That said, I hope this progress I see in myself is felt by those around me. Of the various left-wing posters that come through PaRD, I think it safe to say that I generally have one of the better relationships with right-wing posters for the most part. I suppose one major shift is that my younger self felt the need to take a strong stance against right-wing ideology, but nowadays my #1 enemy is tribalism and purity politics. I despise the right's obsession with "owning the libs" as equally as I despise the left's obsession with purity and theatrics. I've been registered as Non-Partisan in California since Day 1, and I anticipate this being the case for a very long time. I dislike political parties and find many grievances in Republicans and Democrats alike.

Of the posters that rustle my jimmies the most, it is no longer right-wing posters, but specifically posters who believe themselves to be holier than thou, hypocritical, and rude.

Quote (duffman316 @ Oct 15 2020 06:15pm)

i find it odd that you say this when you are our resident lgbt tribalist :o

Quote (Handcuffs @ Oct 15 2020 09:22pm)

I don't think there's evidence to back up this claim in terms of how I'm using the term "tribalism".

Quote (Handcuffs @ 16 Oct 2020 01:06)

PaRD is an interesting place because I've been posting for what feels like essentially a decade now, and the Internet is amazing in the fact that I'm able to look back at those postings 10 years ago and compare them to today. While my general positions haven't changed over time, as I have long felt secure in far left identity, I would certainly say that both the style and overall quality of my communication has improved quite significantly. I wasn't sure that this was the case until I looked back at those messages. 10 years ago I was much more reactive, combative, and prone to the pitfall that is viewing the world through a 'left/right' binary. I've feel I've become a great deal more humble, comfortable in recognizing areas that I lack knowledge (economics, in particular), and have become increasingly bored with echo chambers.

That said, I hope this progress I see in myself is felt by those around me. Of the various left-wing posters that come through PaRD, I think it safe to say that I generally have one of the better relationships with right-wing posters for the most part. I suppose one major shift is that my younger self felt the need to take a strong stance against right-wing ideology, but nowadays my #1 enemy is tribalism and purity politics. I despise the right's obsession with "owning the libs" as equally as I despise the left's obsession with purity and theatrics. I've been registered as Non-Partisan in California since Day 1, and I anticipate this being the case for a very long time. I dislike political parties and find many grievances in Republicans and Democrats alike.

Of the posters that rustle my jimmies the most, it is no longer right-wing posters, but specifically posters who believe themselves to be holier than thou, hypocritical, and rude.

Quote (duffman316 @ Oct 15 2020 06:29pm)

i've seen you take odd but not very surprising positions on the most controversial of topics around lgbt issues where you will firmly come down on the side of what is good for your community, i don't think it's particularly terrible but you do do it

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Oct 15 2020 06:32pm)

I think the bolded part might have to do with the fact that homosexuality and gay marriage are far less contentious issues and more widely accepted today than they were ten years ago. I might be wrong on that one, but to me it feels as if gay acceptance has made big inroads among conservative but non-bigoted people (there will of course always be hopeless cases). Right-wing politics is probably less threatening to gays these days than it used to be, which allows both sides to get along better and break down previously hardened fronts.

Quote (Handcuffs @ 16 Oct 2020 03:34)

I think people over-identify the fact that I'm gay and as a result think it impacts my thinking process or exists as a primary navigation than it actually does.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Oct 15 2020 08:40pm)

Dunno, it just seems logical to me that someone has to take strong stances against an ideology or political movement which is hostile and threatening to one of the defining parts of his identity.
It's like... at a time when the mainstream of the Republican party wanted to subject gays to electroconvulsive therapy to purge them from the devil or some shit like that, a gay person was left no other choice than being strongly against that party.

Quote (Thor123422 @ 16 Oct 2020 03:41)

Isn't it wild that that was 10 years ago?

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Oct 15 2020 06:40pm)

Dunno, it just seems logical to me that someone has to take strong stances against an ideology or political movement which is hostile and threatening to one of the defining parts of his identity.
It's like... at a time when the mainstream of the Republican party wanted to subject gays to electroconvulsive therapy to purge them from the devil or some shit like that, a gay person was left no other choice than being strongly against that party.