Reply #40: I disagree Zodiak...

[marions ghost]

your analysis sounds good in theory--but not when you break it down. I do agree that some protection of "core beliefs" is going on. However I object to your categorization-- I don't see it as a Libertarian/Authoritarian dichotomy at DU.

How can this be a debate between 'Libertarian VS Authoritarian?'

This is not a freeper website right? We do not have very many people around here who kowtow to authority, do we? Not very many people around here who would agree with unreasonable search and seizure, who just love the idea of a Police State? Are there many here who aren't smart enough to see that non-cooperation is sometimes necessary?

This is the fallacy behind automatically assuming that everyone who sees another way to handle this particular situation is supporting a fascist state. It does NOT mean that you "trust the government" (or anything about trust). It does NOT mean that you are on the side of corporations such as Circuit City. That's just really bizarre black & white thinking.

This Circuit City thing is a good discussion though, because it gets down to what methods you use to fight loss of individual rights and what's really effective. It's obvious that a lot of people want to see changes, but is this the right way to go about it? Does it work?

So what core beliefs ARE being protected in this heated debate? I really don't think it's an us vs. them situation. It's another arbitrary divide that can be used to whip up people who are basically all on the same side. We live in a society that thrives on conflict though, so it's what gets attention.

What I think we have at DU is just a lot of progressives/liberals of different stripes expressing their extreme frustration at our collective impotence in the face of abuses of power on every level.