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“Conservatives don’t speak out?”

I’m a center-right libertarian. One of the arguments I hear most from my left wing friends often is that “conservatives don’t speak out against the far-right” like liberals do. I’m no alt-righter, but my first reaction was to conclude that that wouldn’t do any good. Radicals on both the left and the right are hard to “convert” for lack of a better term. Plus the center-left rarely speaks out against the radical left either.

Then one of my friends pointed to the fact that people often have “spoken out” with positive results. Look at people like MLK, Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, etc. They used protests and free speech to lead to amazing results. The problem arises when they go beyond free speech and start acting violently, like rioting, looting, and even wars.

Anyway, should center-right people speak out against the far-right, and if so, how? How can we do it in a productive and non-violent way? I know there were plenty of “never Trump” Republicans in 2016, but they kind of died out.
SW-User
Hmmm...isn't this the charge always made at Muslims? That the moderate ones don't speak out against the radicals and the terrorists? 🤔

The perception that people don't speak out against the radical wing of whatever they happen to be always seems to be an outsider's perspective. Not that they're incorrect. But they may be speaking out and not being heard because the radicals always have a louder voice.
sunrisehawk · 61-69, M
This center, left and right thing drives me crazy. I know a lot of conservatives (and am one myself) and I don't know anyone who condones or agrees with racism, hatred or any of the other things that is dumped upon the far right. The President is on record condemning those things yet he and anyone who supports his policies is accused of those very things. Yes I know some of those people exist and I oppose their viewpoint.

I suppose why I don't speak out every day is that the liberals (extreme or other) don't seem to listen to what we say, just spew accusations and call names. It's kind of like teaching a pig to sing, all you do is annoy the pig and waste your time.
Northwest · M
@RopinTexan English is not his best subject, and neither is anything else for that matter. Ask me again about how listening and hearing.
Northwest · M
@sunrisehawk [quote]need to learn to listen[/quote]

Again, with the obey me or else.

I noticed you did not address what Trump actually said, but went on the attack instead. Way to "speak out". Thank you for proving my point.
Driver2 · M
@Northwest your best subject is lying. Now that the shell may be president what will you do when he runs the economy into the ground?
GerOttman · 61-69, M
Who says we don't? As a libertarian myself, I've been speaking out against assholes on the left and the right for years. Why did it get me? Ignored, pretty much is what! I don't personally like giving free publicity to assholes no matter what variety they are. I'd rather ignore them and wait for them to go away on their own.
GerOttman · 61-69, M
@RopinTexan I figure I can either laugh at and mock or gun up and get dirty. I'll always go with the first, ummm.. first.
RopinTexan · 31-35, M
@GerOttman Mocking is fun, I am easily entertained by comedians and shows that mock the radical SJW’s. Bill Maher is one of them, although most conservatives hate him because he’s liberal. I don’t take sides. I’m all for center-lefters mocking far-lefters.

Do you think it actually helps though?
GerOttman · 61-69, M
@RopinTexan So, umm.. look. I believe I control what I can control. The rest is out of my hands. Does it help? It helps me, that's all that counts, to me.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
[quote]Plus the center-left rarely speaks out against the radical left either.[/quote]

Wow, this is far wide of the mark. The British institutional center-left has spent the last five years destroying Jeremy Corbyn to the extent that it's been much more of a focus than any kind of opposition against the right. Also, see the quite relentless criticism that Bernie Sanders and AOC receive from the American center-left. None of the above people are even particularly radical in my view.

I don't think the polarisation you speak of is symmetrical. You wouldn't get Biden or even AOC telling Antifa to 'Stand down and stand by.' Also, don't get me started on the conspiracy theories, the number of which is quite staggering on the America right. The extremism is mainstream now with 70% of Republicans refusing to accept an election result and the same number thinking Obama was born in Kenya.
RopinTexan · 31-35, M
@Burnley123 Fair enough about Bernie, but every Democrat I know absolutely loves AOC.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@RopinTexan She gets artacked a lot by sections of the liberal media and politics. She is only a social democrat anyway.
QuixoticSoul · 41-45, M
Being far right or far left usually involves being some kind of fucking retard, and I'm more than happy to shit on those people - but I do not remotely concern myself with being productive about it. And why should I? That's just fucking myself in the ass.

Imagine, if one of these days something actually jolts in the sack of rusty doorknobs sporty spice calls a brain and he has a "holy shit, I'm really fucking dumb" epiphany. What do I get out of that? I just lost a prime lolcow.
MrMonnyPenny · 22-25, M
Fascists are dangerous.

They’ll almost certainly always stab you in the back.

And also, they don’t care about truth or reason. They are more focused on the right narrative/story. For example, I’ve heard Jonathan Bowden acknowledge the fact that the protocols of the elders of Zion were a forgery. However, he just simply said “the spirit of it was true” and moved on.
RopinTexan · 31-35, M
@MrMonnyPenny Do you actively speak out against people like him?
MrMonnyPenny · 22-25, M
@RopinTexan what would that require? For example, I could argue with someone in the comments of his videos (btw he’s dead now). But he’s quite fringe; why bring attention to him?
MrMonnyPenny · 22-25, M
@RopinTexan as in if you meant publically declaring “I don’t believe this mans views”
SW-User
Let people think how they want and don’t concern yourself with shit that doesn’t affect your life
RopinTexan · 31-35, M
@SW-User You can think however you want, but it crosses the line when you act out on those thoughts, or worse yet, pass laws based on them.
RopinTexan · 31-35, M
Follow-up question - What should we do to distinguish ourselves from the radical right? Should we even bother trying?
Liberals just have loud mouths and say very little, nothing makes much sense when they babble on and on though

 
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