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01-07-2010, 10:02 PM | #1 |
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In case anyone is wondering where the various news orgs/pundits sit on the American definition of the left-right spectrum (IMO of course):
LeftRight* *Not shown: Glenn Beck, because seriously, I don't think anyone has a freaking clue as to what's wrong with that guy at this point Edit: Might switch Limbaugh and Breitbart, not sure about that one I suppose. |
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01-07-2010, 11:12 PM | #3 |
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01-08-2010, 12:49 AM | #5 |
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01-08-2010, 05:13 AM | #7 |
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That's sad and these guys should fry. There is a lot of bias against gypsies all around - I mean, in the U.S. too. This story is not bias to left wing political parties. The bias here is Mr. Away's who automatically associated "worker" with left/Communist/etc. The Workers Party in the Czech Republic is undoubtedly FAAAAAAR right wing. Much like the National Socialist WORKERS Party in Germany aka the Nazi Party. The article clearly states that the Workers Party is of the far right aka Nazi type: An anti-fascist website published a photo of Lukes walking next to the leader of the far-right Workers' Party. Another photo showed Vaculik wearing the armband of the Workers' Party, the public face of the Czech far right. Burned girl a symbol of Roma hate and hope - CNN.com |
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01-08-2010, 05:25 AM | #8 |
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oy vey. Burned girl a symbol of Roma hate and hope - CNN.com Again, if you're going to selectively classify groups so as to disparage them, be prepared to have it come back on you. Personally, I would prefer to eliminate bias by using a consistent standard: If you're going to do the left-right thing, then either classify by economic positions, or by social positions, or try to set some uniform overall standard that works consistently across national lines. But try to label a party as "right wing" simply because they are nationalist and anti-gay doesn't wash. Hey, I just checked the DNC website. On national security, they say the DNC "will confront these threats head on while working with our allies and restoring our standing in the world. We will pursue a tough, smart, and principled national security strategy." Well, I guess the Democratic Party is a bunch of far-right extremists too! Who knew? |
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02-07-2010, 05:28 PM | #9 |
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02-08-2010, 05:07 AM | #11 |
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Again, if you're going to selectively classify groups so as to disparage them, be prepared to have it come back on you. Personally, I would prefer to eliminate bias by using a consistent standard: If you're going to do the left-right thing, then either classify by economic positions, or by social positions, or try to set some uniform overall standard that works consistently across national lines. But try to label a party as "right wing" simply because they are nationalist and anti-gay doesn't wash... Have I disparaged a group? Would that be the Nazis? The Worker's Party? Various far right parties? You cannot keep accusing someone of something and not spell out the accusation and still be taken seriously. If I have disparaged someone who is it? Just say it. For once if you have anything to accuse me of just write here it on this forum. Which group I have disparaged? However, I have correctly identified, as did CNN, that the Workers Party is connected to the Nazis in their core beliefs. I am quite sure the Worker's Party would not think I have disparaged them based on this connection. However, if I have offended any member of the Workers Party, or any Nazis, or any far right wing party let them say so here on PS.com. I truly doubt I have offended any Nazi, or member of the Worker's Party in the Czech Rep., or any far right wing political organization or member of any such organization. The Worker's Party isn't far right wing because they are "nationalist" (because no Czech nation existed before 1993), or anti gay. No one has said that. Sailaway is the only one who has suggested it. I doubt if he wants to confuse the issue of a crime with politics and biased media, because I suspect this is what the Worker's Party would do, but I don't suspect Sailaway of any connection to any far right wing political party or organization. I do think Mr. Away has shown gross insensitivity and continues to show gross insensitivity. However, if Mr. Away wishes to accuse me of gross insensitivity that would be normal. Also, I suspect if you asked members of the Workers Party if they thought the story was biased they would say yes because:
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06-28-2010, 04:51 AM | #12 |
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06-28-2010, 05:11 AM | #13 |
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That's sad and these guys should fry. There is a lot of bias against gypsies all around - I mean, in the U.S. too.
However, I do have to take issue with CNN's predictable liberal bias: The terrorists who hurt this girl are members of the "Workers' Party". Such parties are almost if not universally leftist/Progressive groups. |
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06-28-2010, 05:59 PM | #14 |
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That's sad and these guys should fry. There is a lot of bias against gypsies all around - I mean, in the U.S. too. |
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06-28-2010, 06:27 PM | #15 |
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06-28-2010, 06:48 PM | #16 |
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If they are labor/worker's parties, they are, basically by most definitions, leftist/socialist. They may or may not be nationalist. If they are, does that make them "centrist"? No, they are still fundamentally leftist groups with right-wing characteristics. They are clearly a Nationalist party (which would put them more in line with a Fascist group: "The party has then started to emphasize nationalist dimension of its program, mostly effort to overhaul what they see as a favorable treatment of minorities, and in fact has started a radically anti-communist rhetoric" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers...Czech_Republic) Or: BBC News - Far-right Czech Workers' Party to challenge court ban "The court rules its rhetoric was racist, xenophobic, homophobic and anti-Semitic." So, how is it a "liberal bias" on the part of CNN to call them what they are? |
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06-28-2010, 07:01 PM | #17 |
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My point is that this particular "worker's" party isn't the characteristic left-leaning group. They just adopted the "worker's" moniker, you know, like China calls itself the "People's Republic of China" or North Korea calls itself "Democratic People's Republic of Korea". The program of the Workers' Party is not easily classifiable. On January 19, 2003, a day after the party was established, it published a press release that it planned to compete mostly with the Czech communist party[9] and as late as in early autumn 2008 the Workers' party program was considerably socialist, when the party's most important program point in the regional elections was an abolition of medical fees paid by Czech patients. The party received less than 1% of votes, but shortly afterwards attracted major media attention for organizing riots in quarters of Litvínov city with a significant Roma population [10][11]. Afterwards, the party has managed to maintain considerable publicity by organizing marches against minorities (homosexuals[12], Roma). So, it is very much a leftist party, that does some (very debatable) right-wing stuff to gain publicity. |
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06-28-2010, 07:09 PM | #18 |
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Your own source (Wikipedia) states: "The party has then started to emphasize nationalist dimension of its program, mostly effort to overhaul what they see as a favorable treatment of minorities, and in fact has started a radically anti-communist rhetoric, e.g. on the 20th anniversary of the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia the party leader Tomáš Vandas has said: "So what is the state of the society nowadays? In one word: tragic. Communists still govern us." This is not a left-leaning group. These Nationalistic groups are, and have been, popping up all over Europe in the last twenty years. They may not be considered "neo-Nazi", but they are pretty damn close. *edited to add: I linked BBC too. Did you not read that? How about these, all calling them a far-right party: http://euobserver.com/9/29511 http://www.radio.cz/en/article/125143 And if you need any more proof, the guys at Stormfront seemed pretty irritated that the party was banned: http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t683267/ * |
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06-28-2010, 07:42 PM | #19 |
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You are clearly just reading what you want to. Yes, it "planned to compete mostly with the Czech communist party[9] and as late as in early autumn 2008 the Workers' party program was considerably socialist" but if you continue to read, it says: |
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06-28-2010, 07:53 PM | #20 |
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gawd. does it matter to you that much to paint another country's party's with the same brush strokes as you paint American political system? With a multi-party system, there are going to be parties that not exactly correspond to the way things work in USA.
And the main point of the OP was, I believe, to highlight the suffering of minorities, especially the Roma people (whose origins, btw, are from northwest India close to where my family is from), in Eastern Europe. |
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