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Your Unpopular Opinion

gmr548

By gmr548
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gmr548

gmr548 16580

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I peak at the Unpopular Opinions thread (Lulz I think?) from time to time. I've also read a few of the recent 538 interviews where people talk about a political opinion they have that doesn't fit well in their social circle, party, whatever. Today I got curious as to what I'd see if I posted such a thread on here for political opinions. I'll probably regret this, but oh well.

Mine, as a liberal: I think pursuing gun control is largely a waste of time. Yeah, if I were emperor of the universe for a day, I would change a lot of things, but I think the cat is generally out of the bag in this country. Republicans have shown willingness to make investments into mental health as a sort of compromise. Mental healthcare in this country is in bad shape, we should take them up on it. That in combination with other progressive priorities could yield serious results in terms of public safety in its own right. Instead, we continue to fight a slogging, uphill battle and give the Fox News crowd a USDA Prime piece of red meat.

Me, generally out of touch with the mainstream of both sides (and fully aware of the ironic conflict with the above): Cops shouldn't have guns. Not your run of the mill patrol cop or highway trooper anyway. They've shown they can't be trusted with them. If some gang or terrorist group killed as many unarmed American civilians as the police do we would spend  needless trillions on invading and wrecking their entire home country (and maybe another couple in the region for good measure). Cops get paid vacation instead.

They rarely need them, and when they do, a stun gun/taser will get the job done in a large majority of situations. Yeah, it would put the cops in a tougher, more dangerous situation in rare cases, but at the end of the day they are there to serve and protect - and they are compensated quite well for it. Don't get me wrong, obviously I don't want police to be in any more danger than they have to be, but I don't want innocent people being in any kind of danger in their interactions with police. That isn't the case now, and if one of those two parties has to bear the burden of putting their life on the line, it should be 100 percent on the cop.

At the very least, special training and re-training/continuing education, combined with a minimum service threshold and independent psychological evaluation should be required. Ideally, lethal weapons are limited to SWAT and other such specialized units if they have them at all. Police are far too weaponized in general, but that is a whole different topic.

Flame away.

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BradInATX

BradInATX 9208

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I don't think we're in a bad mental place, generally speaking, as a country. I think the Trump phenomenon is sort of the death throes of a generation of people who have generally turned bitter and angry and confused as technology and progress has passed them by. And I think while right now we're undergoing some temporary pain, in very short order (perhaps even as early as 2020), those that haven't died off will essentially be forced back into their cave by society as a whole. This is sort of an exposure of some really bad traits that older generations, particularly in certain parts of society, have, that I don't think are going to be tolerated openly once they're gone.

Basically we'll be fine. I think in 10 years or so R vs. D going to be what is now the Bernie wing of the D party vs. what is probably right now what you'd call a moderate dem, or slightly right of that (maybe a little bit right of me). And I think that's a great place to be in terms of where that puts the parties and the Overton window and all that.

Edited by BradInATX
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gmr548

gmr548 16580

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1 minute ago, BradInATX said:

I don't think we're in a bad mental place, generally speaking, as a country. I think the Trump phenomenon is sort of the death throes of a generation of people who have generally turned bitter and angry and confused as technology and progress has passed them by. And I think while right now we're undergoing some temporary pain, in very short order (perhaps even as early as 2020), those that haven't died off will essentially be forced back into their cave by society as a whole. This is sort of an exposure of some really bad traits that older generations, particularly in certain parts of society, have, that I don't think are going to be tolerated openly once they're gone.

Basically we'll be fine. I think in 10 years or so R vs. D going to be what is now the Bernie wing of the D party vs. what is probably right now what you'd call a moderate dem, or slightly right of that (maybe a little bit right of me). And I think that's a great place to be.

 

So your unpopular opinion is... Optimism. That is wild, indeed.

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BradInATX

BradInATX 9208

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4 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

 

So your unpopular opinion is... Optimism. That is wild, indeed.

Yeah, at least regarding the general moral and ethical direction of the world. I think we've got some really major issues to work out that go beyond the stuff that people on Fox News and MSNBC want to yell about. Things like income inequality and automation and gene modification and the like. But I don't have the doom and gloom about society in general that I think most on either side do. I might just be naive, though.

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NowThis

NowThis 931

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get rid of all military pensions.  

cut military spending by 1/3 , about $225 Billion.

no property tax exemption for veterans.  I have a neighbor who is a Vietnam Vet, in excellent physical shape, could beat the hell out of most 35 year olds, and pays no property taxes because he was exposed to Agent Orange back in the day.

you can tell i don't like money for military issues.

 

 

 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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My unpopular opinion is that yes, income/wealth inequality needs to be addressed on the back end...not the front end.  I work tirelessly as a teacher/lecturer/mentor/judge at myriad startup competitions at UT and around Austin.  If somebody would just please point me in the direction of the Socialism Startup Summit, I'd be pleased to get involved.  

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SDG

SDG 3319

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40 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

All drugs should be legalized 

As a conservative this is one of mine; I’m also in the we need criminal justice and police reform camp.  

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Whatever

Whatever 700

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I always voted Republican until the last go-round, when I voted Libertarian. Very few people I know understand, which confirms their intolerance. Intolerance is born of selfishness, which is the root of evil IMO. Our world and the US in particular are full of selfish, greedy people. I believe it will be our downfall.

(I fall into the selfish/greedy category BTW)

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F250

F250 28784

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55 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

 

So your unpopular opinion is... Optimism. That is wild, indeed.

Pessimism is the prevailing attitude here, so yes his optimism is a wildly unpopular opinion.

 

 

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Tom

Tom 2959

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There needs to be a forced retirement age for congressmen, senators, judges, and presidents.....probably around sixy-five to seventy.  Non-biased computers need to draw districts getting rid of gerrymandering.  Citizens United needs to be reversed.  There needs to be a maximum voting age for nearly the same reasons we have a minimum voting age.

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MaybeACoordinator

MaybeACoordinator 8349

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The GOP uses the better nature of the Dems to force them into positions that are noble and moral and what Jesus would do but that cost them elections.

Case in point, bathroom bills. By focusing morons on the surgically altered peepees of a tiny sliver of the population, and branding Dems as the party of surgically altered peepees, they win elections and keep rubbing our faces in the dirt economically.

I don't give a shit about who is at the next urinal, so long as they follow usual urinal protocol. I don't give a shit who is in the next stall. I know full well that the idea that trans people want to infiltrate public bathrooms so they can rape kids is 100 percent bullshit and enacting more laws to stop them from doing that was nothing but 100 percent grandstanding.

 I do give a shit when the issue comes to dominate an election cycle ahead of far more pressing issues that deeply effect everybody, and sadly, society was and is not ready to go to the hilt for trans rights.

I dunno for sure, but I think LBJ would agree with me, and there was a Dem who got shit done, domestically.

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Aqua Buddha

Aqua Buddha 14598

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As a liberal, I wish we’d focus more on the importance of family.  Go to school, get married, have kids and in that order.  Liberals never talk about this and when conservatives do, they always intertwine it with sexism and anti-gay dog whistles.

As a liberal, I think middle class people don’t pay enough in taxes.  Large swaths of them pay very little or nothing at all.

As a conservative, I think a strong, well funded public education system is key to our prosperity.  

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NotActuallyALonghorn

NotActuallyALonghorn 4976

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6 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

The GOP uses the better nature of the Dems to force them into positions that are noble and moral and what Jesus would do but that cost them elections.

Case in point, bathroom bills. By focusing morons on the surgically altered peepees of a tiny sliver of the population, and branding Dems as the party of surgically altered peepees, they win elections and keep rubbing our faces in the dirt economically.

I don't give a shit about who is at the next urinal, so long as they follow usual urinal protocol. I don't give a shit who is in the next stall. I know full well that the idea that trans people want to infiltrate public bathrooms so they can rape kids is 100 percent bullshit and enacting more laws to stop them from doing that was nothing but 100 percent grandstanding.

 I do give a shit when the issue comes to dominate an election cycle ahead of far more pressing issues that deeply effect everybody, and sadly, society was and is not ready to go to the hilt for trans rights.

I dunno for sure, but I think LBJ would agree with me, and there was a Dem who got shit done, domestically.

If someone is following proper urinal protocol they wouldn't be at the next urinal.

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Enchubben

Enchubben 5510

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I think abortion after second trimester is disgusting and equitable to murder of a human, but if the mother wants to do it, she shouldn’t be restricted. Zero taxpayer dollars and medical insurance should go to anything that supports it.

I’d be ok with fully legalizing marijuana and taxing/regulating the shit out of it like we do alcohol.

 

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workswithseed

workswithseed 2112

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I would be okay with of taxes to be on a list, and bubble in what taxes that I would like to pay other than infrastructure, and military. I kinda would be okay to have a tax scale for Military, but since it's coded into The Constitution you have to pay something.

Edited by workswithseed
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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10958

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The juxtaposition of April 15 and July 4 is mindboggling to me. One day you're anti-American trying to cheat the government and the next you are wrapping yourself in the flag saying how much you love the good ole USA.

Edited by SimonBolivar
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Js1

Js1 85422

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5 minutes ago, seven said:

Abortion should be legal, safe, and fully taxpayer funded. Just like nearly all other medical procedures. 

If the government shouldn't be involved in health care, it shouldn't also be involved in healthcare decisions. 

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DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt

DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301

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11 hours ago, Parliament said:

Abortion takes a human life and it is wrong.  But outrightly banning it will create more problems than it would solve.  It is very much like the slavery issue was 200 years ago.

I’ve read this a few times and am not sure what point he is making? Is he saying what I think he is saying?

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Rougarou

Rougarou 594

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The most positive defining trait of Trump's candidacy has been his humor. He could pass for a wannabe groundling or second city twitter writer:

I was actually sticking up for Sleepy Joe Biden while on foreign soil. Kim Jong Un called him a “low IQ idiot,” and many other things, whereas I related the quote of Chairman Kim as a much softer “low IQ individual.” Who could possibly be upset with that?

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DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt

DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301

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22 minutes ago, seven said:

Abortion should be legal, safe, and fully taxpayer funded. Just like nearly all other medical procedures. 

It’s the most ironic conservative position:

Your life is precious! And when you come into this world, we’re going to do everything possible to make sure you’re incapable of climbing out of the massive hole the life lottery has placed you in. 

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BradInATX

BradInATX 9208

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38 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

I’ve read this a few times and am not sure what point he is making? Is he saying what I think he is saying?

I think he's taking the very realpolitik position. Freakonomics did a chapter on abortion and essentially proved, statistically anyway, that abortion creates much healthier societies. 

Of course that's all ignoring the ethics of it completely, which I think is his point and why he's posting it on the unpopular opinion thread. His post is actually unpopular which I appreciate because 75% of the posts here are not unpopular in any fashion, especially on Surly.

Edited by BradInATX
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SuingToGetAMessageBoard?

SuingToGetAMessageBoard? 3861

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democracy is overrated.  i used to like william buckley's quote about "rather being governed by the first 1000 names in the phone book" and now think the exact opposite. only the super capable seem to have the ability to fight their biases, follow reason, reach conclusions based on evidence, etc.  i haven't figured out how to get those people in charge while excluding those that would use their abilities wrongly though.

it's fundamental to my profession that argument in front of 12 people -- a stand in for a cross section of society -- is largely about putting on an emotional dog and pony show because that is what they'll respond to.  and you'd have been better off having settled long before you get there because god knows what they are going to do.  quite an indictment.

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