Conservatives are alien to me

[Debs]

I no more understand them than I would a being stepping off a ship from Zeta Reticuli. I mean if someone shows me I was wrong they have done me a favor. I want to BE right not to maintain the illusion I was right. So if it is shown me directly with facts that I am wrong I can more properly understand the world, reality. The wingnuts I am running into lately HATE reality. They have made up this pretty narrative in their heads and it is the ONLY important thing. This is why for a GOP politician there is no downside to lying to their base. They. Don't. Care. As long as the lie conforms to their narrative they are happy even when PROVEN to them it is a lie they don't care because it makes them happy, its all about the pretty story they have made up in their heads. On the other side if you tell them the truth UNDENIABLE FACTS they get mad, I mean hysterical. IF they cant deny it they call you an American hater or some such ad hominem. When I have, in making a point brought up the torture at Abu Ghraib or the democratic governments we have overthrown and installed dictatorships its hissy fit time. It makes them mad but not at those who did those things nor do they want to assure they don't happen again only that they not be TALKED about again. It goes against their narrative and they cant deny it so the cognitive dissonance makes them hysterical. Above all things they must protect that narrative that it is unrepresentative of reality EVEN that they KNOW it is doesn't matter, protect the story at all costs. ITs insane. I am baffled and can not begin to understand this pathology.

[Kiouni]

1. LOL! I love the Alien's reference.

See the problem is that you don't speak stupid. Try focusing every thought on your self and how much people that are not you piss you off and then talk and waa-lah you can speak basic stupid! for an intermediate course watch Faux news exclusively for a week and you'll be on your way to fluent conversations that all end in Damn "Liberals!"

[don954]

2. I know exactly what your talking about

it seems every republican I meet is like Lawton Smalls from Morning Sedition... Even if you can get them to admit your right, a minute later they are saying praise the lorrrrd and pass the ammunition!

[illinoisprogressive]

3. They have to hide from reality

because they know deep inside they are wrong. How do they face themselves about throwing innocent kids into the fire and innocent civilians and how do they deal with thier support of Bush and the gop in what they have been doing. How can they face reality when they see what the congress has done for the past decade and they let it.
Hiding from it is the only way they can cope and still be 'good republicans' and support the party. If they see reality they will have to cope with the guilt of what they have become and how twisted they let themselves be.

[SanCristobal]

4. They think the same thing.

You could find this same topic on Free Republic or any other conservative site. You could find it on any other site about any topic, all you have to do is replace conservatives with liberals, vegetarians, Mormons, hunters, gays, or any other group or idea that leads people to take sides. People like to argue, especially from the comparative safety of their keyboard, and will debate issues to the death without ever seeing the other sides prospective. Too many people view an argument as a contest instead of a truth seeking process. Because of this they are loath to feel they have lost and will refuse to concede any point, even when they are obviously wrong. This is particularly true in discussions between those with extreme differences in their beliefs.

The fact is all people will be wrong about something eventually. The ability to admit that and adapt is a good judge of a persons intelligence, not to mention character.

[Debs]

5. They may THINK that but I certainly don't see it

I am pretty far left. I have plenty of friends who are also. I don't know any of them that avoid facts like a vampire avoids holy water or like many of the conservatives I have run into lately do. If they are shown undeniable facts they don't throw a fit or slink away then make the same claim later. This I have seen over and over lately from a certain type of conservative. Now there may BE some liberals that way but I haven't seen them. Also you may have noticed that very conservative politicians like George Bush and Ronald Raygun LIE, they lie over and over they get caught in lies and their base couldn't care less, could you imagine a more progressive politician getting away with that?Why do Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have a following? How much more often could they POSSIBLY be wrong or push outright lies. Rush recently admitted as much when he said he was glad some of the republicans lost because he was tired of trying to make a case for policies so bad even the politicians couldn't make a case for them. That is an outright admission he is lying to them and pushing an agenda he doesn't believe. Are there any liberal equivalents of Rush and Hannity? Whatever they THINK I don't think they can make the case its true. I can.

[Skittles]

7. what a crock

the difference is that I am OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER when conservatives simply had a point of view I disagreed with. Now they just spin propaganda to the masses - conservatives, and their supporters, have put the interests of the GOP above the interests of America

[Skittles]

6. I was just telling someone that tonight

freepers, FOX News fans, they KNOW they are being lied to, but they LIKE WHAT THEY HEAR. It's not like back in the old days of Russia when Pravda was THE source of news. There are many other forms of news media now BUT CONSERVATIVES ARE NOT INTERESTED! They only want to hear the stuff that conforms to their narrow, black and white view of the world, the stuff their DITTOMASTERS TELL THEM TO BELIEVE. It is why I no longer respect them - they are willfully ignorant. That used to just plain suck but now it has become damn TREASONOUS because of the harm their willful ignorance is doing to this country and the world.