i've been thinking lately about political identities. in lots of ways, i'm a lefty. but i resist being a lefty in the sense that it is an inherenly oppositional identity, one that makes sense only in opposition to conservatives/right-wingers.
Barack Obama said something that really struck a chord with me:
"I'm considered a progressive Democrat. But if a Republican or conservative or libertarian or free-marketeer has a better idea, I am happy to steal ideas from anybody - and in that sense I'm agnostic."
Certainly, inasmuch as political identity is ascribed, I'm a lefty. Inasmuch as political identity is tribal, I'm a lefty with some hesitations ... I really like Obama's idea of agnosticism.
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a true political agnostic is michael crichton. try his website. read his stuf on global warming. i doubt a lefty could handle the truth he presents. it makes al gores movie look like the silly bunk it is. obama may well be smart enough to know crichton is correct and gore and his notions are nonsense, but in a million years he will never admit such a thing, not even to himself in a private moment. he is a true believer, and his cause is socialism, and anything that helps him reach his goals he will embrace, even outright lies.to be agnostic is to not be a true believer and to be willing to accept truth even when it upsets your ideology or political imperatives.
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