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Scared to be Individuals

Entry 2292, on 2023-09-14 at 19:19:10 (Rating 3, Philosophy)

Different people have different political views, and that is often based on their underlying philosophy. Unfortunately, a significant number of people don't appear to follow this rule, and instead just have a political preference based on history, or what "tribe" they see themselves as belonging to.

I don't belong to any political party, and I have voted for many very different parties in the past, so when an election comes along (as is happening here in New Zealand in a few weeks time) there isn't necessarily an easy way to tell who I will vote for.

I recently asked one of my private clients who she might vote for, and she said she was a Labour supporter, so she would vote that way, and she was actually involved in helping that party leading up to the election. I told her that she is the type of person which causes the biggest problems in politics!

I said that because the whole concept behind democracy is that people should decide who best represents their values. The underlying ideology of political parties changes over time, and an individual's values also change, so it makes sense that the voter should change their decision over time. If they don't, they're probably not making the best decision, plus a party who knows they will get your vote doesn't need to do anything to earn it; they just have it as a matter of habit.

Now that might seem rather rude, because she is a paying client, and criticising her because of her politics is maybe not the kind of thing she would expect, but I tried to make it a fairly lighthearted comment. Also, I didn't criticise her because of who she was voting for; it was because she always voted that way no matter what which concerned me. I would be just as critical of someone who always voted National.

When she asked why I wasn't voting Labour this time, although I had in the past, I explained it was because of what Jacinda Ardern had done. She assumed I rejected Labour because Ardern had left, but of course it was the massive damage she did to our society while she was Labour leader that lead me to reject her party. But the fact that this person didn't even consider that possibility, and couldn't comprehend it even when I explained, shows how deep in the leftist echo chamber these people really are.

I value individuality highly, and find people who act based on their tribe extremely problematic. The tribal attitude so often comes from what is in the conventional media too. I often ask people "test questions" and am depressed by how often they just repeat a catchphrase currently popular in the media. Note that this sort of BS comes from all sides of politics, so it's not the leftist stuff being repeated in the media which bothers me, it's every mindless comment, which is clearly repeated parrot-like rather than reflecting any genuine original thought.

As I have explained in the past, one of the biggest issues I have with current woke ideology is the tribal collectivism it involves. According to them, I might have to do or say something to make someone else happy, even if I don't really believe in what I'm doing or saying. No, I won't do that. If my attitudes or comments upset someone else that is their problem, not mine. They should learn to accept that not everyone sees the world the same way they do.

I have a good working relationship with the client I mentioned above, and all my other clients as well, even though I know that many of them have very contrary political views to mine. Why would I be upset that someone disagrees with me? I would be far more worried if everyone did agree. That would indicate to me that people - maybe even including myself - really are becoming the victims of groupthink.

I think the main reason I have different political views than others is that I try to avoid tribalism. I don't trust the mainstream media to tell me what to think, although I do watch and listen to those sources, I also spend a similar amount of time at "alternative" media, and fact check anything I am suspicious of, which is a lot!

So, in recent times I have debated against people who don't think Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, but also debated against the opposite side who think they are somehow special and deserve special privileges. And I have disputed opinions from people who think climate change is a hoax, but also criticised the other side who think it is an existential crisis we need to fix at any cost.

It seems to me that the people on the extremes on either side of both of those, and many other, subjects are the problem. I really don't think "climate deniers" are any worse than "climate alarmists" for example. They're both equally problematic.

One way I can tell someone is captured by an ideology is when their belief in distinct, unrelated subjects follow a trend. For example, if I find someone who wants trans women (who are really men) to be allowed into women's sport, and also think oil production should be stopped, I wonder how those two topics are linked, except they are both associated with leftist ideology.

By the way, I think trans women, in genuine cases, should be treated as their new gender except when it negatively affects others, and I think that oil production should continue while we develop alternatives. You can see why I argue with both sides on these issues. It's because I believe what I think is true, not what someone else has told me what I should think.

Sometimes this extreme individualism becomes difficult. For example, I find it quite awkward to admit I quite like Donald Trump, and would genuinely consider voting for him if I was American. At the same time, I recognise his personality is problematic and likely to cause division, which is why I would only consider him as an option, and would also look at the alternatives.

The worst thing I can ever imagine is finding that my beliefs align closely to a political party or ideology. Currently I consider myself closest to libertarianism as a political philosophy, but there are many aspects of this I disagree with, and in some areas prefer conservatism or socialism. So I will most likely vote Act, New Zealand's libertarian party (or the closest to one we have), at the upcoming election, although I am still considering other options as well: all of them unpopular to most of the people I associate with (I work at a university, which should tell you everything).

While it might sound like I am an obnoxious political extremist, based on some of what I have written here, that really isn't true. I rarely start political conversations, but if I get a chance to add to one that someone else has started I'm not afraid to contradict them, in a respectful way of course. And I never start debates on-line, I always wait for someone to say something stupid, then I go in to tell them why they're wrong!

I think far too many people are scared to be individuals - to be themselves. To me, that is the most important duty every reasonable person has. Don't be scared to say what you really think, but remember that contrary views are just that, just different opinions, not a threat to your existence! Treat your opponents with respect, and remember that the truth almost always lies somewhere between the extremes.

Comment 1 (7490) by Anonymous on 2023-09-15 at 13:26:13:

You worry about being a Trump supporter. I wonder why. Maybe connected with the Jan 6 insurrection in some way?

Comment 2 (7491) by OJB on 2023-09-15 at 13:49:04:

I didn't say I was a supporter, I said I would consider voting for him and that I "quite like" him. It's not really the same. Also, you proved my point by using emotive words like "insurrection" which is more to do with media propaganda than reality. Look at neutral sources and the word insurrection is rarely used. A classic case of parroting the media instead of thinking for yourself.

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