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11-07-2007, 12:53 PM | #1 (permalink) |
Banned
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What is being partisan? Is it blind adherence, or holding non-fact based beliefs?
Webster Merriam defines partisan:
"1: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance" I'm wondering if you attempt to advance reasonable opinions, those that a reasonable person would accept....and you are proven correct, much of the time, in the fullness of time, is it correct for others to consider you "partisan"? Is "centrist" the most reasonable position, especially considering the "centrist" position was enthusiastically for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Can we agree on what a fact is, are all opinions of equal merit? Big questions, little agreement, especially on this forum, and in US politics..... If you are considered "very partisan", but you build a track record, as histroy unfolds, of "getting it right", more often than those who labeled you, are you less partisan than they considered you to be? |
11-07-2007, 12:59 PM | #2 (permalink) |
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
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Centrist isn't always right just like the left isn't always right. Center and left are vague and general terms to usually describe more complex positions. Partisans stick to their position and defend it because it's in their labeled position, not necessarily because they believed it. I'd be partisan to support abortions just because I'm liberal.
If you follow your best understanding leaving alone whether it fits into your group—left, center, right, etc.—, then you are not partisan. I wouldn't call Host partisan. He's dedicated. |
11-07-2007, 01:29 PM | #3 (permalink) |
Super Moderator
Location: essex ma
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the notion of "partisan" implies that having no position is better--closer to "objectivity" as if (a) that existed and (b) if it did exist, having positions drifts you away from it. that seems to me nonsense. if your information intake is shot through with unexamined assumptions, that wont be fixed in any way by positioning yourself as a centrist.
and no, it is not that case that "all opinions are of equal merit."
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Tags |
adherence, based, beliefs, blind, holding, nonfact, partisan |
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