Special Interest Groups....Real problem or Orwellian doublespeak?

[Liberal Veteran]

Seems to me that EVERYONE is a member of SOME form of special interest group. Whether it's a person fighting for Gay Rights or a member of the Catholic Church or on the local PTA.

Somehow I just realized how empty and meaningless the term "special interest group" really is.

[Maat]

1. As anybody who has had to go through any psychology

program in university/college knows, we all group up, again and again. It's just human nature. I agree with that, Liberal Veteran.

So, that means ... what the Govenator said was .. uh .. baloney.

And I DO NOT appreciate it.

[sweetheart]

2. the 2 party system has brought us to this

In a normal multiparty system, i would be a libertarian socialist,
a green, or whatever was closest to my politics. In america, i am
a democrat who disagrees with most of the democratic party, but i
vote for "them" because they have the largest likelihood of winning
over the evil bastard party.

I support special interests as well, human rights watch, amnesty
international, world wildlife fund, marijuana policy project and
the libertarian party... not because they represent my politics but
because my politics are marginalized by the party i vote for, and
are re-asserted by special groups that fight for the right for
medicinal marijuana, no wars, and generally decent (authentic-christian) issues.

Partisan politics is the failure of the 2 party system, and suddenly
we fail to become people, and are nothing more than splintered numbers
in demographic databases where we agree with no group, but are
clustered with those of likely possibility.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Orwellian doublespeak since it is only used to describe public advocacy

groups not corporate donors such as the MIC or the energy lobby

[HawkerHurricane]

4. Orwellian.

Special Interest Groups are not limited to Liberal Progressives. They include the American Business Council, American Family Association, and a horde of others.
They call the ones they want to demonize 'special interests' to imply that they aren't 'regular Americans'.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. Exactly, so why don't we call them that?

It's been pretty effective at demonizing those on the left, so why shouldn't we make sure we say things like "The Special Interest Group, American Family Association" or "The Special Interest Group, The Knights of Columbus"?

[HawkerHurricane]

6. I do

I also call Detroit Automakers a 'Special Interest Group' (SIG), and the Masons, and the Southern Baptist Council...

[bemildred]

7. Orwellian.

A dismissive pejorative. One mans "special interest" is another
man's "public spirited citizens group".