Opinion
Political labeling not for thinkers
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Also by Casey Hoff:
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- Left-wing, right-wing out of bounds with war rhetoric (April 25, 2005)
- Crowley huffs, puffs about Playboy (November 15, 2005)
- Madison's many legal prostitutes (May 2, 2005)
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If I had to define myself, I’d be a left-leaning conservative, a bleeding-heart rugged individualist, a common sense ideologue, a Capitalistic socialite, a war-mongering peacemaker, a fiscally responsible spend-o-crat, a reasonable extremist, and a pro-choice anti-abortion activist all rolled up into one mushy mess of labels that I’ve been called over the years. Of course, these labels clearly have no more meaning than … well, the whispering of sweet nothings into your significant other’s ear on a drunken Friday night.
Just think of all the labels and groups there are to be a part of in this country. You could be a liberal or conservative, green or socialist, Democrat or Republican, neo-conservative or libertarian. My advice: screw being a part of any political group! It only dumbs down your arguments because then you have to belong to some stringent party platform — and try defending yourself when you don’t “fall in line” with the agenda of that group. Think about it. It was “cool” to belong to some clique in high school, but not anymore. Strict conformity only breeds ignorance.
Take, for example, Rush Limbaugh. Whenever I hear his radio audience call in and say “Mega-Dittos Rush,” I immediately write that person off as a complete idiot. Who could trust a man that claims to be pro-family, but is currently on his third marriage? How can anyone call Rush the voice of God when he called Kurt Cobaine a piece of human debris for being a drug addict, but has popped more pills than Ozzy Ozbourne and the Ol’ Dirty Bastard combined?
Or how about those on the “left” who can never think outside the box? Let’s take for example people that worship Al Franken. How can you take a political argument seriously by a former Saturday Night Live actor who played Stuart Smalley and spent a good portion of his life being a satirist?
The bottom line is this: anyone who goose-steps, if you will, in line with one political party is nothing more than an ideologue who has thrown rationality and right-versus-wrong judgment out the window for a sense of mind-numbed belonging to a political group. I’m talking about those who can never see anything good that comes from the “opposing side.” Here’s a perfect litmus test to see if you’re being disingenuous or not.
Let’s say for example, that you claim to be a Republican, and I ask you to cite a policy that you agree with the Democrats on. If the only thing you can say is, “Uhh, I agree with all of Zell Miller’s policies, and he’s a Democrat,” then you have chosen blind obedience over common-sense judgment. If you claim to be a Democrat, and I ask you to cite a policy that you agree with the Republicans on, and all you can say is “I agree that George Bush is a chimp,” then you have been bitten by the disease as well. Let’s think rationally about this: No one party or political group is right 100 percent of the time, period.
The political ideologues in this country on the far left and the far right have become nothing more than a bunch of cartoons that are more fake than Ashley Simpson’s “live performance” at the Orange Bowl this year. In addition, notice that these people don’t ever put forth arguments, but rather they bank on name-calling, which of course goes along with my thesis about their “dumbed down” mentality.
On my radio show, I answer countless emails every day from party hacks. Example: I got an e-mail from a Republican hack who writes: “Casey, you are a pansy-assed, PC, pussy-liberal bitch.” Wow, that was a very substantive argument. Here’s one from a liberal hack: “Casey, Mega-dittos you nationalist prick.” Again, sounds like a regular Socratic thinker wrote that one.
These ideologues on both sides have become mean, irrational bomb-throwers who are empowering each other through partisan hackery. The Internet is part of their graffiti, where they constantly make accusations based on lies against their political enemies due to sheer intellectual laziness. Thankfully, politics is only a small portion of life because the world isn’t black and white, Democrat or Republican. I’ve noticed that most of life’s choices come in shades of grey, which gives individuals all the more reason to be just that, rather than fictitious elephants or donkeys.
Casey Hoff (choff@badgerherald.com) is a UW student and the host of “New Ground with Casey Hoff,” live Monday through Friday, 9-11 a.m., on Talk Radio 1670 WTDY.
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Oh so true Casey. If only we would all think for ourselves! I don't disagree with you...but I find your argument to be a little obvious. Maybe that's because I don't fall into these patterns either, and I suspect the only angry mail you're going to get to this article is from brainwashed idiots.
The error in this article is that you fail to recognize that it is possible for a thinking person to agree with almost all of the policies of one party, or even all of their policies. There are people who are smart who totally agree with the democratic platform or democrats and those who are smart who totally agree with the republican platform or bush. This does not necessarily make them goosesteppers.
Most political positions stem from some very fundamental views on the family and government. That's why people tend to agree in broad swaths.
But even people with deeply held political beliefs can agree when they find someone who can't write his way out of a bag.
Political parties may not be right 100% of the time.... but I am... so I will stick with that
What exactly is so intellectually challenging about being a fence sitter who can't choose a single side of an argument? While you certainly should never just swallow all the beliefs of one party simply because you are told to, it is just plain lazy and an easy answer to say that you are a "left-leaning conservative, a bleeding-heart rugged individualist, a common sense ideologue, a Capitalistic socialite, a war-mongering peacemaker, blah blah blah" It's nice to have an open mind, it is even nicer to be able to make a god damn decision.
Anonymous number 5, I think you missed the point. He's not saying to refrain from making decisions. He's saying that he doesn't believe it's wise to just agree with all a party's decisions just because it is that party's decision. For example, fiscally I'm a pretty big mix of conservative and liberal. I believe taxes need to be high enough to support services without running a deficit, but they should be as low as they can be. I'm for social security privatization, but with some definite safeguards. I am completely for tort reform.
Socially, however, people would describe me as either liberal or libertarian. I believe in gay marriage, I'm pro-choice, believe affirmative action is still a necessity, etc. Essentially, I believe that as long as people don't harm others (and for you pro-lifers, we have a difference of opinion on what "others" entails) they should not be prevented from action. Oh, and the harm has to be tangible. It can't be some "my gay neighbors are getting married, they are going to gayify the neighborhood" or something like that.
OK Casey, go back and find out what Sly wants you to think next.
Gooooooood boy!!!!
Here's a puppy treat for you!
Is that makeup?
Great article Casey. I have long tried to argue that anyone who falls strictly in line with the left or the right need a reality check. I think it would help politics on campus if more people were able to acknowledge the BS on each side of the aisle as opposed to resorting to merely calling out the right. Regardless of where one is politicially, they can't possibly be able to rationally disregard every argument of the other side.
"On my radio show, I answer countless emails every day from party hacks."
Countless e-mails? Given your ratings I would think those e-mails would be quite countable.