What's on your mind today?

[Mister Joy]

Well, strictly speaking, the goal of communism is also to have no state. That's if we're going by Karl Marx's version. And strictly speaking there's never been a *real* communist revolution because it's so utopian it could never actually happen in real life.

I thought that was the main difference between communism & Marxism? I'm a bit rough on the far far left, though (haven't examined it in yonks) so I'm probably confused.

And yeah, a true market economy is equally impossible and not terribly sensible even if it was. Though there are right wing anarchists about, I believe; certainly here, don't know about New Zealand. They don't tend to band together to promote political agendas, though, so much as band together to murder immigrants (usually based on race, though they're still generally xenophobic) and throw bricks through shop windows.

Here in the US we like to call these 'correctional facilities/institutions'

Haha.  Let's reduce crime levels by patting criminals on the head in a condescending manner, then we can redefine the boundaries of things like 'violent crimes' et cetera so that the statistics show a decline. Zip-a-dee-doo-daa.

Generally, I would term these 'social' and 'economic'. What is interesting is that a modern American political 'liberal' is truly liberal on social issues, but conservative on economic issues. A modern American 'conservative' is the opposite: conservative on social issues, liberal on economic issues.

Yet, for some reason we term them 'liberals' and 'conservatives' - placing the emphasis on social outlook instead of economic outlook.

So - if you primarily consider economic positions (as you state) then I can certainly understand your view. Here in the States, people seem to be primarily interested in social outlook - and thus they see the right as more restrictive (from this perspective rightly so).

It's seen in the same way more often than not here as well. Most commonly the 'economic' and 'social' spectrums are mangled together into one left and right scale, which is very confusing in my opinion and doesn't really work, prioritising the social scale, I think, because a surprising number of people simply don't understand economics. However, I think it's more true to prioritise the economic scale simply because that's how the terms left and right started out and were originally meant to be used. Still, because I am (or was) studying economics at A-Level, I may have it firmly on the brain.

What I found curious about the case you mentioned is that this seemed to be the left dabbling in social restrictions - and I would think this would be dangerous ground for them to be standing on. Its like just replacing the 'Church of God' with the 'Church of Nutrition'.

I think it is. They're growing less and less popular with each election. At the last one the Tory's (conservatives) very nearly caught up with them & when it was advised that the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown call a general election early to mark his take over from Tony Blair and win faith with the people, he refused. It's pretty clear he was just afraid of losing it, though he's given several other unsatisfactory excuses. I wouldn't put it past them to rig the coming one though. New Labour are extremely seedy. They have more spin than a used car salesman. People say Thatcher was bad, and she was towards the end, but New Labour has in fact done much more damage that she did - they just rely on people's stupidity in that regard - and at least the 'iron lady' said exactly what she meant and didn't go to great lengths to bullshit the entire country.

As I say, though, their bizarre spin is usually very clever and difficult to see through. It does manage to convince quite a lot of people. They have a lot of people believing that human beings are helpless chaotic and dangerous without a government to shepherd them around in every aspect of their lives. They forget that the government is also comprised of mere human beings, not divine spiritual entities who know exactly what's best for man kind; MPs are no more or less flawed than anyone else.

In a similar theme to your lunch box story, my wife and I had to split up last weekend and take the kids to different places at the same time. As a result, I was at my 3yo's tumbling class and among the other kid's mothers for the first time - I didn't know these people. But - their conversation was really disturbing. They were discussing healthy diet - one mentioned that her sister never lets her children eat cookies or potato chips - and her oldest child was apparently 8 years old. When the child's grandmother made cookies at Christmas, the mom threw them all in the garbage.

Some people really do take things too far. I understand that there has to be a balance there, and I think it should be in the hands of parents what their kids eat, but when it gets that excessive it seems to me that these mothers are forcing their own personal obsessions onto their children, as if they're mere bodily extensions of themselves. It's similar, actually, to a lot of the stories I've heard on here from the younger members; this idea that you have to be a Christian until your parents say otherwise. Also, my parents are vegetarian, but I'm verging on carnivorous. Rather than getting their knickers in a twist about it, they bought me all the meat I wanted and used it as a way to encourage me to cook my own food, which I've now done since I was ten, and thanks to that I'm now very skilled in the kitchen, while most people my age can barely manage a Pot Noodle.

That kid's going to be guzzling buckets of chocolate the moment it develops a mind of it's own. (I say 'it', by the way, only because I don't know the gender)

So now I ask you --- is a life of miserable healthiness even desirable? Isn't there something good in the simple joy of a child eating a cookie that was hand-baked by his/her grandma? If I was overly judgmental I might be tempted to condemn the acts of this mother as child abuse!

A few psychologists may well agree with you there. Isn't there that whole notion that highly represses ambitions and urges during childhood can manifest themselves later as neurosis and sexual disorders? Not that I'm a big believer in psychology as a subject though. Tends to get a bit silly.

Well, that's what happens when we try to explain politics on a single axis. I prefer the x-y axis approach, but even that is somewhat flawed, depending on what x or y is. Oh well, most people don't want to have to think that much, give 'em a quick, one word label and they're on their way.

Likewise. Stumbled upon this website yesterday, in fact:

http://www.politicalcompass.org which expresses it quite nicely. Quite cool: there's a quiz you can take to pin-point your position on the x-y axis in relation to all sorts of other politicians/famous people. Don't know how reliable it is though.

[ryanvc76]

Yay! I'm going snowboarding in the Austrian Alps tomorrow!

Boo! The bus leaves at 3:30AM!

[MommaSquid]

@MommaSquid: Talking about cigars, I feel sorry for you guys in the USA that you can't smoke real Havanna's. When will this silly trade embargo with Cuba stop?

Good question.  After Castro and his brother die, maybe Cuba will become a state or US territory.  Apparently many Cuban's are for this scenario.

When I lived in South Florida I saw news reports (almost daily) of Cubans washing up on the shore in Miami and the Keys.  As long as they hit solid ground they can stay.   :?

[Will]

@MommaSquid: Talking about cigars, I feel sorry for you guys in the USA that you can't smoke real Havanna's. When will this silly trade embargo with Cuba stop?

Good question.  After Castro and his brother die, maybe Cuba will become a state or US territory.  Apparently many Cuban's are for this scenario.

When I lived in South Florida I saw news reports (almost daily) of Cubans washing up on the shore in Miami and the Keys.  As long as they hit solid ground they can stay.   :?

I vote for state. I don't like what we're doing to Puerto Rico and other territories: taxation without representation. Maybe they should have a tea party?

[Bella]

M*therf*cker... I have "jinglebells" stuck in my head.

[Gibson]

M*therf*cker... I have "jinglebells" stuck in my head.

Hah!  I can relate.  After hearing Jewel and her mom singing "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer," yesterday, I found myself singing it in the car on the way to work.  I like that rendition a lot, but I hate anything repeating in my head.

[rlrose328]

I've got "Beginning to Look Alot like Christmas" going over and over again... Ugh!  Just that phrase of the song... nothing else.

[Steve Reason]

I've got "Beginning to Look Alot like Christmas" going over and over again... Ugh!  Just that phrase of the song... nothing else.

Yeah I love Christmas music, even ones like "Oh Holy Night", but damn, hearing the same damn song about 20 times in the first week of December is more than I can take. And they do get stuck in your head...

[MysticalChicken]

Personally my favorite Christmas song is The Kinks' "Father Christmas."

I had "Silver Bells" running through my head earlier.


Also, go see Juno.  It's fantastic.  I saw it yesterday afternoon.  It's my new favorite movie.

[Mister Joy]

I hate Christmas songs. Can't go anywhere without hearing them. I went into the high street cafe this morning at 8 for a cappuccino and Jingle Bell Rock was blasting out of the wall-speakers. Not what you want to hear at that time.

[MysticalChicken]

Ooh, I get to quote Lore Sjöberg!

"I don't know where they get off calling this 'rock.'  It's not even Jingle Bell Easy Listening.  Not a great song in the first place, this one is made worse by its overinflated sense of hipness.  I can just hear some sixty-five year old-crooner saying 'And here's one the young people will enjoy.'  You want to hear a Christmas rock song?  The Kinks, 'Father Christmas,' end of story." - The Book of Ratings

[tacoma_kyle]

Today I actually had a pretty decent work Christmas Party lol. Turned out I spent about 2300% what everyone else did though hehe. But I got a kick ass gift---massive firwork dealio! New years...oh yeah! Probably be some pharmacists, techs and others lightin off illegal fireworks haha. Kinda funny...

[ryanvc76]

We get some crazy fireworks here in Germany for New Years - stuff that would never be legal back in Oregon...  This year we're heading to Amsterdam for New Years Eve.

[Steve Reason]

Man that Willie Nelson needs a new guitar. I can't believe that thing doesn't disintegrate in his hands!  

[MommaSquid]

You want to hear a Christmas rock song? The Kinks, 'Father Christmas,' end of story.

The Waitresses--Christmas Wrapping.  My favorite rock Christmas song since 1981 (and counting).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_WH4he ... re=related

And here's the Kinks, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjaPXihb ... re=related