I Hate Middle Class "Liberals" and "Socialists" (and here's why)

Discussion in 'Socialism' started by Quig, Dec 6, 2009.

  1. Quig

    Quig Member

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    Hey guys. I usually post in the journal section, but I figured I'd post this particular article here, just to get some reactions (and possible input in regards to an eventual rewrite.

    This article will eventually appear on the website I write for, Liberating Porn. (Don't be fooled by our name, we aren't a smut site!)

    P.s.-- If you've seen my entries in the journal section, you know what to expect lol

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    I Hate Middle Class "Liberals" And "Socialists" (And Here's Why)​

    I spent my childhood in two Philadelphia neighborhoods: Fishtown and Kensington, two working-class enclaves where most folks were blue-collar, missed a few teeth, kept their houses in order and, if they were on drugs, had the common sense to shoot up in an out-of-the-way place. These were fun neighborhoods to grow up in, the kind of old school area where kids still threw shoes with the laces tied together around telephone pole wires. However, one morning in 2003 we neighborhood citizens awoke to see a vast army at our gates. This was a smiling army, mostly unshaven, and they all wore non-prescription glasses. Hipsters and liberal yuppies had arrived.

    Before we knew it, our favorite drug corners had been transformed into coffee shops. Standing on the corner with a case of beer became a felony overnight. The cheap piss-water beer we enjoyed was replaced by cheap piss-water beer from Mumbai, although the hipsters and yuppies charged ten dollars a pitcher. Just like the wave of gentrification that overtook sections of North Philly, the gentrification of Fishtown and Kensington purged the neighborhoods of so many of their favorite citizens: the truly toothless, the layabouts, the people who struggled to get by and, mostly, the residents who paid rent instead of mortgages. Their rent skyrocketed and, along with the poorer citizens of North Philly, packed their bags and traveled to the formerly (somewhat) prosperous sections of Northeast Philly, causing the quasi-suburb to go into an uproar as Section 8ers and thrift-store-shopping white trash wrought havoc upon their front lawns.

    I used to think hipsters and yuppie liberals were cool. They are not. They're hypocrites.

    Travel to either of my old neighborhoods today and you'll see the unmistakable mark of middle-class liberals: Bumper stickers. I've often heard that backward, inbred conservatives love bumper stickers, as to inform the guy driving behind you that you think abortion totally sucks ass. The same is true for middle class liberals. They want you to know that Bush was a retard, that PETA kicks ass, that we should totally save the planet, and that they, being enlightened middle class liberals, voted for Obama. The old neighborhoods, once so awesome and humble, now have at least one Internet cafe. Seven years ago you would get your ass kicked for saying the word “cafe”.
    Of course, hipsters and liberal yuppies are all supporters of the working man. Enter one of the many middle class liberal bars that fester in the old neighborhoods and listen for awhile; you'll doubtlessly hear many drunken diatribes about the capitalist system and how the drunks are totally socialist, or at least close to it. Meanwhile, just around the corner, another working-class family has to move out because their landlord raised the rent to $900 a month.

    Well, gentrification is clearly just an unfortunate byproduct of these outside-the-box thinkers, PBR drinkers, and counterculture artists. I mean, shit, just because a middle class liberal raises property values in a working class neighborhood, thus driving out the working class, doesn't mean the liberal doesn't still totally support said working class, now does it? No, of course not. Didn't you read the bumper stickers?

    Fishtown and Kensington are quickly becoming a pair of liberal country clubs. Just like old fashioned country clubs, where rich men beat blacks and Catholics with nine-irons, the middle class liberals are starting to take a stand against the toothless natives. Not long ago, a liberal yuppie purchased a corner bar in Fishtown in hopes of turning it into a quasi-dive bar so fashionable among hipsters, only the neighborhood regulars, who had gotten drunk in this bar since Reagan could remember how to tie his shoe laces, kept drinking there. The new liberal owner kicked their asses out. (A few nights later, the neighborhood regulars visited the owner after closing, greeted him with a friendly smile, then beat the tofu out of him with a baseball bat.)

    Personally, I've been booted from a few hipster bars myself, as have my buddies. We didn't fit the dress code, as none of us wore jeans that threatened to mush our scrotums into our anuses, and I don't think hipsters and liberal yuppies appreciate the fine art of getting your ex-girlfriend's name tattooed onto your neck. Understand that we caused our conquering gentrifier overlords no problems. I guess these far-left supporters of the working man didn't think we supported the working man enough, although we didn't have enough time to do so, as most of my buddies work long hours in warehouses, mechanic garages, and loading docks.

    I would prefer if the neighborhoods of my childhood were gentified by conservatives. When a WASP in an Argyle overcoat wants to bludgeon me with a sand wedge, at least he says so to my face. Middle class conservatives love to rape the working-class, and I'd rather have my gentrifying overlord admit that he's out to destroy the livelihood of my fellow toothless, corner-dwelling layabouts. We wouldn't have to suffer those fucking coffee shops and Internet cafes. And, really, we all appreciate honesty, don't we?

    I know I do.
     
  2. xcandykidx

    xcandykidx Member

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    gentrification pretty much sucks in most cases for more than one reason...and it turns diverse neighborhoods into homogenous areas with no diversity.
     
  3. Quig

    Quig Member

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    ^^^ The funniest part about the gentrification of the neighborhoods I mentioned is the supposedly "alternative" media in Philly. Two weekly papers, both of which try to present themselves as very socialist and "for the working people", celebrate the gentrification in these working class/poor white neighborhoods.

    Yet when areas in North Philly (predominately black) were gentrified, those same "socialist" weeklies condemned the gentrification.

    Faux-liberal hypocrisy of the highest degree. PC like a motherfucker. While the working class and poor of every race get displaced, the so-called "liberals" only jump to the defense of minorities.

    It's all for show. So many liberals, socialists, and hippies are really just middle-class capitalists in disguise, unless that mindset goes against their image.

    The Left is dead...
     
  4. boguskyle

    boguskyle kyleboguesque

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    i think calling people hypocrites is stupid. or at least a stupid concern. They can be deceiving, but to tag people negatively for saying different things at different times is lame. it just gets to the point of a witch hunt.

    good post. points out how people don't think of everyone else's perspectives.
     
  5. darkforest

    darkforest Member

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    They really do love you. They just don't won't you in their neighborhood.
     
  6. heiadn27

    heiadn27 Member

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    I'll say my two cents worth, being what you would call a middle-class liberal and/or socialist. I'm not really a hipster but have hipster friends. But also am friends with conservatives, military men and women, and moderates. I'm young and very liberal but surprisingly was raised in a tight-fisted conservative household. My hometown is probably 65% conservative if not more. What you might call a hick-town in the northern US where a handful of classmates would fly confederate flags (yet still don't understand why, considering Wisconsin is in the North.) The upside to being raised in a conservative family is I understand the point of view. Depending on how extreme the gentrification is, there must still be a way to be at peace with it though. Or, you become hypocritical yourself by not accepting the change. Knowingly going into a "hipster" bar only to be kicked out...you probably knew you either would be kicked out or would want to walk out; it's not your atmosphere, naturally. And being kicked out is easier considering you can hate the ones who in fact kicked you out. I admit I don't hang out at the local bars here as I can't hold conversations about Nascar and going Up Nort snowmobiling or 4-wheeling. I can't because it's not who I am. It's not my atmosphere. I'll talk about music, art, films, and yes...the downsides to capitalism. Why not? Why can't I? When you're in the pub next door bitching about all the hispanics that have moved to town. Damn those illegal aliens, right? But I'm sure you'll become friends with the illegal alien who hails from Canada, Australia, or somewhere in English-speaking Europe.

    The thing is, they aren't bothering you as much as you are bothered by them for just being present. Same goes for the homosexual couple who lives down the road. Damn that gentrification. Are we hypocrites as well? In some form, aren't we all? You may not fit their "dress code" but shit, I don't fit the dress code according to my grandparents when I wear jeans to Church. As I'm sure you have. Any lower-middle class conservative that is religious probably wears jeans to church more often than a suit. It's more affordable. It's all that damn gentrification. It boils down to resistance to change. You're the same crowd who bashed the Equal Rights Amendment. But yet because of it, you get to see some nice titties workin behind that bar instead of me.

    And as much as we hipsters, hippies, yuppies, socialists, liberals...whatever you wanna call it, say we hate capitalism...we're just slaves to money just as much as you are. We hate it just as much. We hate paying taxes. We want to make enough money to not have to worry about making this payment or that payment. I have a college education to pay back for this next decade and worry that I won't be able to. And because I chose college (what I was told leads to more money and success...by everyone) over taking the local factory job...the local factory worker has 40hrs a week with a health insurance plan. I have a college degree, thousands more in debt from school, hold two part-time jobs just to pay off what I owe, and to top it off...no health coverage. So if hitting the local internet cafe or coffeeshop, or drinking a premium imported beer instead of Busch Light makes me feel better for being tricked by the capitalist system so they could make more money off of me cause I chose college...then so be it. Seven years ago the term internet cafe didn't exist. It wasn't part of our culture yet. But 10 years ago, HDTV was a new thing. Shit, internet itself 15 years ago. 70 years ago you'da gotten your ass kicked for being friends with a black kid. Damn that gentrification.
     
  7. worldsofdarkblue

    worldsofdarkblue Banned

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    And this all happened in one morning in 2003?

    And people say we can't get anything done anymore.
     
  8. zombiewolf

    zombiewolf Senior Member

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    Haha, nice...:smilielol5:I needed a laugh today. Thanks for that.

    ZW
     
  9. famewalk

    famewalk Banned

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    BUt those Bankers they're the worst. Ten years ago, they got together and they would make mince meet out of the social tolerating solution to the problem of international debt and customer service for the bad industrialized products. Their solution was that the transaction would follow one and only one pattern of exchange. The dealer would be expecting the anonymous condition of warranty and expected value FOR cost by trust in knowledge that follows the instructions of the deal. The one at fault was no longer Jack Nicholson but the at first busy body waitress who had nothing to question except the meaning of an appropriate order for Lunch and the means to hold on to her job.

    Want a job? Well the recession is here anyhow and mostly it's how the bankers solved the problem of the Environmental Degradation.
     
  10. worldsofdarkblue

    worldsofdarkblue Banned

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    Bankers are 'liberals' and 'socialists' now? That explains why they're giving out all those loans to struggling businesses and restructuring all those difficult mortgages held by poor and working-class people.
     
  11. JackFlash

    JackFlash Senior Member

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    This was legal before they moved in?

    And it was legal before?


    This doesn't come about overnight and the property owners had to sell their properties to the "hipsters." Sounds like your beef is with the people who sold them the businesses and homes, not the buyers.

    What I hear you describing is a crime ridden neighborhood that was cleaned up, most likely at the direction of a city planning commission.

    Don't forget that we had a Republican congress through the 90s, until 2007, and a Republican president until 2009. Most of the problems we have now were created by the conservatives.
     
  12. heiadn27

    heiadn27 Member

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    THANK you!!!!
     
  13. JackFlash

    JackFlash Senior Member

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    Just doin my job.

    If you look at the policies of Liberals vs. Conservatives, the Liberals support restoration of old neighborhoods while the conservatives are the ones who bulldoze them to build high rise condos, Starbucks and shopping malls.

    Even as liberal as I am, I cannot support people shooting up in ally ways and getting drunk on street corners. All this behavior does is promote violent crime.
     
  14. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    Is it really that simple?
     
  15. JackFlash

    JackFlash Senior Member

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    On these particular issues, and many others, it is. That's why they sit on different sides of the isle in Congress, if they sat together, they'd kill each other.

    From what I understand the divide between conservative and liberal in England is pretty clear, also.
     
  16. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    Fair enough.

    I think it might be a little more nuanced here.
    There doesn't seem as much of a religious angle to either one of their politics.
    They'll both argue the apposing view when challenging the governments position (unsurprising).
    I couldn't define either like this: "Liberals support restoration of old neighborhoods while the conservatives are the ones who bulldoze them to build high rise condos, Starbucks and shopping malls."...as you could study what is going on in particular councils, blindly (Not knowing who they are governed by... either the Conservatives or Liberal Democrats)...and you'd find a mixed bag of priorities...they'll all have homogeneous high streets.
    Politics seems a little more extreme in America.

    It's not surprising that many argue that there is hardly any clear dividing lines between the three main parties anymore.
    They are all fighting for the centre, with only a slight drift right or left.
     
  17. heiadn27

    heiadn27 Member

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    It remains centered for the most part here in the States cause if we shift too far one way, it becomes "Un-American" or is thought of as extremism. To put it in perspective for those in the UK and other parts of Europe, our current President is more along with your beliefs, which I applaud. I held a temp Visa and worked in London in summer '08 and was covered by your Universal Healthcare under it. Back here in the states, I haven't has health insurance of any kind since my 3rd year at college, so it's been 4 years now since I've had coverage. If I tear an ACL while running for exercise, I'm screwed with the debt I'd be in. Also, he is a fan of more high speed rail here in the states, which I again applaud. Cities like NY or Chicago are great for public transportation; just as reliable as the Tube in London. But outside of that, we MUST drive everywhere. I once flew to LA from Chicago O'haire but had to drive 3.5 hours south to get to Chicago, leaving me with an expensive parking pass for my week-long stay in LA. Almost directly south, all interstate highways to get there. But, things could have been cheaper and easier if I had a train that could get me down there. I understand we are quite spread out in our huge country...but rail connecting cities 20,000+ would benefit everyone. And less dependence on oil.

    But here is what the opposition claims this is; socialism. So there you have it...a more common sense approach to Healthcare and less money for roads, more for high speed rail...and we get socialism. Odd to hear when your Pound outweighs our Dollar almost 2:1. We're obviously too arrogant to see how we can better our nation.
     
  18. JackFlash

    JackFlash Senior Member

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    Obama is pretty much a centrist, that's why he's having problems with both sides. Although I'm very liberal, I think the country should be more to the center.

    I long for the good ol' days when god left our politics alone. Religion only made it to politics in a substantial way when the Republicans discovered that fundamentalist christians and fascist nutjobs didn't vote. They ran the numbers and found they could swing elections if they added a few prayers to their speeches and played to the fears of the irrational hate crowd.

    Now we have a political climate where Hitler could get elected if he promised the death penalty for abortion and a tortuous death for queers. So far, all we've got from it is Lord Bush and economic collapse.

    Take away all this, though, and the basics of our politics are pretty simple. The liberals believe in social programs for the poor while the conservatives believe they should get a job. The liberals believe government spending stimulates the economy while the conservatives believe that we should make the rich richer and the wealth will "trickle down" to the poor. The liberals believe government solves problems while the conservatives believe that government causes problems.

    The Democrats are the party of the poor and middle class and the Republicans are the party of the rich. Since the rich are a minority, they've always tried to run this scam called "trickle down economics." It got them a few presidents, but since they caused the Great Depression, it didn't get them control of Congress, until they found that god gets votes.

    So, the liberals will restore old neighborhoods. The money spent will create jobs, generate tax revenue and bring about social harmony.

    The conservatives will doze them, build condos and businesses that will make the rich richer, the money will trickle down to the poor and they can then afford to buy the new condos and spend money in the businesses.
     
  19. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    Would Obama ultimately wish for "Universal Healthcare"?
    I tried to watch the 6 hour debate today, I didn't manage it, tbh.
    From what I did watch, he seemed to trying to please everybody.
    ...and we all know that is impossible.
    How else is he "European" (to put it a little crudely)?

    The "Tube" might run ok, but our trains!!!
    If I were to believe popular opinion, if you want to get from one end of the country to the other: Get a bank loan.

    The irony is, many politicians here would like to effectively break up the NHS and move towards a more American model.
    Well, that'll probably where it would end up sadly.
    E.g: http://www.wrp.org.uk/news/3688

    Imho, it always seems to boil down to entrenched individualism.

    I understand the theory, I just wonder if it is a simple as that in practice.
    My head tells me no, my heart tells me yes.
     
  20. JackFlash

    JackFlash Senior Member

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    Obama is for universal health care, but the reality is that he will not get it. The best he can do is compromise and hope for gradual change toward it in the future.

    It used to be. But, since the Republicans took in the fundamentalists and conspiracy nuts they have muddied the water with false claims and outright lies, like "government health care will kill grandma."

    It might take as long as several decades to fix what the republicans have screwed up. In the meantime nothing substantive will get done. My fear is that my country will not survive this.
     

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