Are you an ideologue?

CPT Jack Durish — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 17:04:13 -0400

While reading the 8-volume biography of Winston Churchill I came across the following quote:

‘While I cherish idealism as a cheerful light playing over the thoughts and hopes of men and inspiring noble deeds, ideology too often presents itself as undue regimentation of ideas and may very likely be incompatible with freedom.’

I have found ideologues of every persuasion. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the following definition on Google:

i·de·o·logue
ˈīdēəˌlôɡ,ˈidēəˌlôɡ/
noun
an adherent of an ideology, especially one who is uncompromising and dogmatic.
"a conservative ideologue"

It seems that propaganda rears its ugly head even in a search engine.

Don't imagine that I will be surprised when the progressives lurking here jump in to defend the idea that only conservatives are uncompromising and dogmatic

Response by SPC Andrew Griffin made Jun 10 at 2016 5:05 PM

SPC Andrew Griffin — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 17:05:38 -0400

Great Question! Something for me to Think about and do a Self-Assessment!

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Jun 10 at 2016 5:06 PM

SGT Jerrold Pesz — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 17:06:50 -0400

Yes it does.

Response by Sgt Tom Cunnally made Jun 10 at 2016 5:15 PM

Sgt Tom Cunnally — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 17:15:43 -0400

"Are you an ideologue?"

Hell No! I'm Boston Irish & damn proud of it..

Response by SPC David S. made Jun 10 at 2016 5:36 PM

SPC David S. — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 17:36:48 -0400

As one ideologue said, "Always remember, you're smart, but I'm right."

Sure I have my opinion on things but not to the point of lambasting someone for their point of - As a Christian yet having atheist friends clears me of any charges.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2016 8:42 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 20:42:28 -0400

I am uncompromising and dogmatic on some issues and more flexible on others. Moderate Republicans have recently taken a lot of flack for being too compromising and pragmatic, which has resulted in a party that is generally more uncompromising and dogmatic than the other major party. It would be sort of silly for me to criticize that too heavily while wishing Democrats were just as uncompromising and dogmatic when it came the issues they are supposed to be supporting such as care for the environment and working people.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jun 11 at 2016 9:50 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 09:50:35 -0400

I am in the same sense that a scientist is dogmatic about the laws of physics. Physics is not random nor is it subject to compromise. Truth is like that.

The mark of excessive dogmatic thinking in my view is when one's views do not change to accommodate newly discovered and/or proven facts as they arise.

Hanging onto ideological positions after they have been disproven by experience is the mark of ideological fanaticism.

Thinking one has ended the war in Iraq by retreating - and still insisting that this has been a success after observing the results - is one example of ideological fanaticism, IMHO.

Response by SFC Pete Kain made Jun 11 at 2016 10:21 AM

SFC Pete Kain — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 10:21:31 -0400

Are you an ideologue?

To some I suppose I am. However it is getting harder to keep up with the changing definitions of words, Damn P.C. idiots.
Suffice to say I am me and march to my own tune. Screw those that don't like it.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jun 11 at 2016 3:44 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 15:44:20 -0400

"We call it ‘Political Correctness.’ The name originated as something of a joke, literally in a comic strip, and we tend still to think of it as only half-serious. In fact, it’s deadly serious. It is the great disease of our century, the disease that has left tens of millions of people dead in Europe, in Russia, in China, indeed around the world. It is the disease of ideology. PC is not funny. PC is deadly serious.

If we look at it analytically, if we look at it historically, we quickly find out exactly what it is. Political Correctness is cultural Marxism. It is Marxism translated from economic into cultural terms. It is an effort that goes back not to the 1960s and the hippies and the peace movement, but back to World War I. If we compare the basic tenets of Political Correctness with classical Marxism the parallels are very obvious.

First of all, both are totalitarian ideologies. The totalitarian nature of Political Correctness is revealed nowhere more clearly than on college campuses, many of which at this point are small ivy covered North Koreas, where the student or faculty member who dares to cross any of the lines set up by the gender feminist or the homosexual-rights activists, or the local black or Hispanic group, or any of the other sainted ‘victims’ groups that PC revolves around, quickly find themselves in judicial trouble. Within the small legal system of the college, they face formal charges – some star-chamber proceeding – and punishment. That is a little look into the future that Political Correctness intends for the nation as a whole.

Indeed, all ideologies are totalitarian because the essence of an ideology (I would note that conservatism correctly understood is not an ideology) is to take some philosophy and say on the basis of this philosophy certain things must be true – such as the whole of the history of our culture is the history of the oppression of women. Since reality contradicts that, reality must be forbidden. It must become forbidden to acknowledge the reality of our history. People must be forced to live a lie, and since people are naturally reluctant to live a lie, they naturally use their ears and eyes to look out and say, ‘Wait a minute. This isn’t true. I can see it isn’t true,’ the power of the state must be put behind the demand to live a lie. That is why ideology invariably creates a totalitarian state."

http://www.academia.org/the-origins-of-political-correctness/

The Origins of Political Correctness

An Accuracy in Academia Address by Bill Lind.

Response by SPC James Harsh made Jun 12 at 2016 12:38 PM

SPC James Harsh — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 12:38:33 -0400

Idealism is a trait of freedom I'd think because your ideas are free and in the US it's possible to share your ideas. More than half of the conversion about politics would get people arrested in other countries. I admit I vote for the conservative party mostly and have an ongoing ideal that ebbs and flows to change, such as new information or time however it is centrally based. I think idealists that are too rigid without compromise are plain stupid. I thought someone I knew who called themselves a realist was just being narrowminded however, if being a realist is recognized as a 'vision' or belief system the same way we look at idealism than they probably belong together. Problem with idealists is the 'work and effort' part. Sure maybe your ideal is something minor, if it takes time and persuasion to achieve than the realist attribute recognizes things for what they are in the present tense. A strictly realist though wouldn't have idealistic vision though and may not want anything other than just being content.