[Technology] Are some leftwingers unthinking automatons?

El Presidente said:

Blimey, does that mean when I was teaching creative accounting at Lehman Bros and Bear Sterns graduates in Wall Street (amongst others) I was trying to subliminally bring down capitalism?

It nearly worked though...

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Weststander said:

You'd obviously always allow reasoned debate and have experience of the world beyond higher education possibly giving you a rounded (not rotund) perspective?

The 'debates' at local schools and beyond on recent matters such as Momentum and Brexit have often abruptly ended as follows "Well I'm the lecturer, I'm older than you and you're wrong". The internet and free speech have their advantages, with young people able to read up, beyond the propaganda thrust upon them. A bit like the adage that the evil Daily Mail wins and loses elections. We can't under estimate the power of individuals to make up their own minds, beyond those who think they can mould others.

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El Presidente said:

Yup, I’m with you entirely. Engage in the issue and rather than focus on the ‘what’ element of a viewpoint, try to understand the ‘why’ factors, which tend to be far more revealing and help identify more underlying issues. Neither the left or the right have a monopoly on closed minds, and by listening to the other side you can learn a lot about yourself as well as them.

There are plenty of ‘left wing’ people in education whose swallowing of dogma hides ignorance, which is shabby for those whose job is to expand minds. They do the left no favours (if calling me a scab and spitting at my car is supposed to encourage me to vote Labour then it’s not a very well thought through policy) and aren’t prepared to give the other side a chance and listen to suggestions and compromises.

At the last set of strikes in my profession (and I’m a member of three different trade unions) I didn’t cross picket lines but at the same time ensured students weren’t disadvantaged by delivering lectures from home online.

The right in education are equally blinkered, manipulating data and cherry picking assumptions when designing models in advance to produce outputs which are agenda rather than objectively driven, and encouraging promotion on a old boys’ network and patronage rather than merit, therefore narrowing the talent pool and risking losing those who can make a positive difference.

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Weststander said:

Always been the way. School teachers and uni lecturers arrogantly deeming that their left view of the world is righteous and unsubtly trying to indoctrinate their students. But because even 14 year olds in this free thinking country make up their own minds, it doesn’t go entirely to their plan. I know this through first hand knowledge of young folk currently in education.

Relax - their propaganda only works those inclined left already.

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Weststander said:

Always been the way. School teachers and uni lecturers arrogantly deeming that their left view of the world is righteous and unsubtly trying to indoctrinate their students. But because even 14 year olds in this free thinking country make up their own minds, it doesn’t go entirely to their plan. I know this through first hand knowledge of young folk currently in education.

Relax - their propaganda only works those inclined left already.

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Weststander said:

Agree entirely with your middle section on economics. The hard left believe there’s a large cake that grows by accident, which should be cut more fairly. Within reason there’s fairness and sense there, but a vibrant economy driven by entrepreneurs taking risks determines the size of the cake.

We’re often then told about great systems such as in Sweden. With tax knowledge, I’ve looked at this closely and ALL middle and high earners pay far higher tax than us. The proposed UK idyll of taxing everyone earning over £100k or £150k very heavily would not produce the revenue to create a Swedish type welfare state. Plus at a stroke it would disincentivise those who do run businesses or have the option in their chosen profession to work overseas.

There’s a balancing act to maximise total tax take.

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Weststander said:

Not you. I like your reasoned views.

I'm not going to name call, but those who've had bans deserved it. Sometimes they have valid points IMO (which are seized upon by their left wing NSC adversaries), but they respond with insults.

One final thing, their "very right wing" views are fine by me. It's perfectly legal to support political views of the right for example the EDL. Those views are for debate as much as those of people demanding high taxation, open doors immigration and state ownership of a swathe of industries.

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Chicken Run said:

Are there any RW or LW Authoritarians in Parliament at present?

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Weststander said:

And both types of regime almost always give the ruling elite a life of luxury. Power corrupts.

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clapham_gull said:

Which University did you go to ?

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cunning fergus said:

Jeez, if the swapping of insults is what results in bans I would have thought this place would be empty, your post 151 is a case in point. This thread had not descended into personal insults up until that point.......

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Weststander said:

Always been the way. School teachers and uni lecturers arrogantly deeming that their left view of the world is righteous and unsubtly trying to indoctrinate their students. But because even 14 year olds in this free thinking country make up their own minds, it doesn’t go entirely to their plan. I know this through first hand knowledge of young folk currently in education.

Relax - their propaganda only works those inclined left already.

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The Clamp said:

That is one of the most bonkers posts I’ve ever read on here. Total tinfoil hattery! Well done.

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The Clamp said:

Universities and academic institutions have always been primarily liberal places as far back as they go. It’s a good job we have Eton, Harrow, Cambridge, Oxford and almost 300 private schools to balance it out and provide members for Bullingdon.

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El Presidente said:

Yup, I’m with you entirely. Engage in the issue and rather than focus on the ‘what’ element of a viewpoint, try to understand the ‘why’ factors, which tend to be far more revealing and help identify more underlying issues. Neither the left or the right have a monopoly on closed minds, and by listening to the other side you can learn a lot about yourself as well as them.

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The Clamp said:

Well I really shouldn’t t worry. Despite all these claims we still have a right wing party in power , Trump is gaining strength and more people listen to his crap than ever before and the world is leaning more and more to the right so I imagine all you panicky little right wingers will be just fine. Look around you, we are not getting more liberal.

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dingodan said:

We are certainly becoming more intolerant. You mentioned institutions like Oxford University as something like a counter to a left-wing skew in universities. Take a look at which views/speakers/debates have been banned from Oxford. The intolerance isn't divided each way, it's one way, even at places like Oxford.

Where will we be after a few more generations of students who haven't been exposed to the full spectrum of ideas and viewpoints?

Whatever your political views a new generation who have only been exposed to one side of an argument and are unable to think critically isn't good for any of us.

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