« India listens after a child bride says 'I won't.' | Main | From the "Not So Bright Idea" File »

Apr 27, 2009

Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Travis Greene

"People certainly change parties when their beliefs conflict with party platforms or leaders. But Layman and Carsey have found the opposite happening as well. People are changing their minds to align with their parties’ positions."

I think this is spot-on. If the whole political landscape is divided up into teams, and you have to pick a team, there's enormous pressure to conform to the team you pick. This is true for both parties/ideologies.

And in true Orwellian fashion, language stops existing for those who don't fit into the 2 categories. What are you if you're not conservative or liberal? Moderate? Centrist? Do those terms have any meaning at all, except in reference to the binary?

Michael W. Kruse

"What are you if you're not conservative or liberal? Moderate? Centrist? Do those terms have any meaning at all, except in reference to the binary?"

Exactly!

On many issues (not all) there is a polarity at work, not an either/or dynamic. Breathing is a polarity of inhaling and exhaling. If someone is suffering respiratory problems, then we might differ in our assessment of how this polarity is out of balance, but we would be nuts to conclude its all about either inhaling or exhaling. Yet this is precisely how our binary politics frames everything. Justice is frequently an exercise in balancing multiple competing legitimate concerns.

Both conservative and liberal narratives are definitive either/or narratives. I think the challenge is how do we form a narrative that makes room for the real world existence of polarities and multivariate justice.

Rick McGinniss

Interesting post by FoxBusiness guru Cody Willard that's along the same lines (or on the front lines) of this issue:

http://cody.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2009/04/17/dont-let-them-pigeonhole-meor-you/

I like his term "post-partisan."

Michael W. Kruse

Thanks for the link Rick.

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Your Information

(Name is required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)

Calmly Considered: Videocasts on Faith & Economics


Your email address:


Powered by FeedBlitz

Kruse Kronicle on Kindle

Check It Out











Categories