Heartless Britain - will attitudes ever change?

As you may not have picked up, in my post of Sun 28-Feb-21 10:10:54 GrannyGravy, that I not only think Conservatism cruel, I also think it undemocratic and needing both cruelty and heartlessness to survive.

I will fight against it on that basis particularly when we have seen what extreme conservatism tried, and is still trying to do, in America. If it can happen there I am concerned about it happening here and I do not want that for my country.

As we are still just about a democracy so you too will be able to vote for what you want. I certainly did not intend it to be "playground politics", a phrase which is quick to the lips of those who support the Conservatives, whose weaknesses is its solipsism.

solipsism is a prerequisite of any politician of all political parties!

If you believe that I think you have just proved my point GrannyGravy.

PippaZ how many politicians do you personally know?

The day when someone goes into politics for altruistic reasons had long vanished.

GrannyGravy13

solipsism is a prerequisite of any politician of all political parties!

Good grief! I sincerely hope not! Anybody who believed that wouldn't even acknowledge politicians in the same political party. Such a person certainly wouldn't be fit to represent approximately 100,000 other human beings.

Solipsism isn't the polar opposite of altruism.

As for American politics, the nice quiet Democratic President who has just bombed Syria makes Donald Trump the peacemaker not look that bad?

For the record I am not a Donald Trump fan but he is the only President in recent times not to have bombed another Country/regime.

For the gumteenth time PippaZ there are good and bad people in all political parties.

Sorry predictive text, meant umpteenth

GrannyGravy13

solipsism is a prerequisite of any politician of all political parties!

Very good [smile}

PippaZ

You must be cock-a-hoop with all the socialist policies being promoted by the present government:

Furlough
Collective responsibility
NHS as the new religion

What more can you ask?

Anyone else just googled solipsism?

grandmajet

Anyone else just googled solipsism?

solipsism

everything is a figment of your own imagination.

solipsism
[ˈsɒlɪpsɪz(ə)m]
NOUN
the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist.
the quality of being self-centred or selfish.

Though I much prefer my definition.

Sounds like the sort of word used by people who have spent their lives in political academia and not ventured into the world of cleaning people’s houses or working in a shop!

It seems that the survey makers need a job.

As a rule GN contributors are wise and thoughtful and it is always very disappointung when you see otherwise thoughtful contributors indulging in mindless stereotyping, whether it is of members of any particular political party, the Royal family, various daily papers, the unemployed or any other section of society that they do not happen to belong to.

Their stereotypes are usually way off the mark, whether political, media, royalty or any section of society they abhor. I have found that when ever I am a member of any of those groups the stereotype as purveyed by them is way off the mark.

To have proper meaningful discussion mean respecting everyone, whether you agree with them or not?

MOnica, you are right. Apologies for any stereotyping.

Grannyrose Your definition (basically, that I am the only reality, everything else is in my imagination) is the first one given in the dictionary, the original philosophical one. The "self-centred" one is sort of derived from that. I have always thought of it meaning the first and basic definition, not the self-centred one, but I can see how that could follow on from the first. At the moment, a lot of words are in use for their secondary meanings, not their basic traditional ones (just as "experts" in any subject have become old-hat). This is another example of that.

I have only ever come across the term in the context of philosophy ... "Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am)".

I love words like solipsisim. It is such a lovely word to say, I wish it was in common usage. We have so many words in English and so few are used. I managed to sneak 'rhodomantade' into a thread today. I love words, the more of them the merrier.

I haven't ever done house cleaning but I have worked in shops in various roles from selling, to writing the price on Christmas cards by hand in a sub basement with no radio reception, as well as waitressing.

GrannyRose15

PippaZ

You must be cock-a-hoop with all the socialist policies being promoted by the present government:

Furlough
Collective responsibility
NHS as the new religion

What more can you ask?

I'm just wondering why you would think I would espouse socialist views?

LauraNorder

For the gumteenth time PippaZ there are good and bad people in all political parties.

I'm not too sure how often I have said this but I do hope I am not becoming repetitious as, unlike you, I don't see that as a positive.

Just think about it LauraNorder and I am sure you will come up with parties in the past whose core beliefs would suggest that, of those following them, there are probably more 'bad' than 'good' when it comes to how they treat their fellow human beings. That would lead me to think that it could happen again in any country including ours.

GrannyGravy13

As for American politics, the nice quiet Democratic President who has just bombed Syria makes Donald Trump the peacemaker not look that bad?

So now we can put up the statues to Trump with the inscription underneath saying "at least he didn't bomb Syria".

No need to look at what else politicians do or why they do it but those who were concerned that they "quite liked Trump and what he stood for" can feel that worry wash away with "at least he didn't bomb Syria".