This country is turning very right wing....

tomofson · 04-07-2016 07:31PM #1

One thing I have been noticing over the last year or two is how right wing this country is getting... Right wing opinions are popping up out of the woodwork on comment sections and the number of thumbs up/likes these comments are getting is showing a very worrying trend for Irish society... A lot of the sayings/slogans being used I have seen over the years on american websites so no doubt these people sympathize with american conservative opinions...

Has anyone else noticed this??? Why is the country turning more right wing and turning against its own more vulnerable people??? Is this a sign of middle class fear?

smash · 04-07-2016 07:32PM

It's mental, Joe!

D0NNELLY · 04-07-2016 07:33PM

Steer clear of comments sections, they're a world onto themselves, not relative to the real world.

tomofson · 04-07-2016 07:34PM

D0NNELLY wrote: »

Steer clear of comments sections, they're a world onto themselves, not relative to the real world.

In my opinion they are very relevant to the real world, people really have those opinions and comment sections allows them a platform to state those opinions... You can also judge by the amount of people liking those opinions that they are not at all uncommon...

pwurple · 04-07-2016 07:35PM

Leftie surge everywhere I look.

Down with private enterprise, up with taxes, free houses for all... Sounds leftie to me.

ToddyDoody · 04-07-2016 07:35PM

Yes.

tomofson · 04-07-2016 07:35PM

pwurple wrote: »

Leftie surge everywhere I look.

Down with private enterprise, up with taxes, free houses for all... Sounds leftie to me.

Thats strange cause im noticing the complete opposite of that... Maybe in a strange way we notice the opinions we disagree with more so...

GLaDOS · 04-07-2016 07:36PM

I'd say it's more a polarisation of society that's become more prevalent. People seem to be migrating towards the more extreme end of the political spectrum, while moderate views get lost in the din.

Sky King · 04-07-2016 07:37PM

You can't go far wrong with the far right.

Bubbaclaus · 04-07-2016 07:37PM

I've noticed the complete opposite

RayM · 04-07-2016 07:40PM

There's definitely an upsurge of US-style right-wing extremist shite on the internet, but thankfully it's just a relatively small number of incoherent blowhards and cranks, and doesn't seem to have spilled over into real life.

Wibbs · 04-07-2016 07:41PM

We've in the last couple of years imported a shed load of Yankee "culture war" sheeeite that is on the interwebs. This has ramped since the whole US presidential election thing. The lack of borders on the internet seems to make some people in small town Ireland think they're americans for some reason. It's all very odd. It becomes hilarious to me to hear someone with an Irish accent go on about "cucks", or say "go trump!". Ditto for the dafter end of hippie liberalism(which is much of it).

I genuinely don't think we're any more right or left wing than we ever were. We may be more vocal about it. On the interwebs, but the vast swath of Irish people are middle of the road types. Some may go centre right, some may go centre left, but the overall thing is centrist. It's long been a joke that FF and FG were basically the same party(Lab too), but that in a way is a good thing. It shows how centrist and non extremist we actually are.

newacc2015 · 04-07-2016 07:42PM

tomofson wrote: »

Thats strange cause im noticing the complete opposite of that... Maybe in a strange way we notice the opinions we disagree with more so...

Are we living in the same country? You cant stick on the radio without listening to "those evil landlords this" and "Despite the fact I havent worked a day in my life, why aren't I feeling the recovery?".

Ireland is starting to become a country where the educated, who have worked hard all their life pay for the sizeable minority who contribute nothing to society. Look at how all the recent budgets have piled on the tax on the top 10%, yet you swear the rich were paying no tax at all.

freshpopcorn · 04-07-2016 07:42PM

I think there's a lot of people who's stuck in the middle regarding being left/right wing and they cary for some issues.
I personally find extreme left/right people to be as bad as one another.

the dark phantom · 04-07-2016 07:44PM

Idiots and bold headlines with a dash of misinformation makes for more ignorance. Ignorance is a key component in maintaining right wing views.

D0NNELLY · 04-07-2016 07:44PM

tomofson wrote: »

In my opinion they are very relevant to the real world.

Maybe something in that?

tomofson · 04-07-2016 07:44PM

newacc2015 wrote: »

Are we living in the same country? You cant stick on the radio without listening to "those evil landlords this" and "Despite the fact I havent worked a day in my life, why aren't I feeling the recovery?".

Ireland is starting to become a country where the educated, who have worked hard all their life pay for the sizeable minority who contribute nothing to society. Look at how all the recent budgets have piled on the tax on the top 10%, yet you swear the rich were paying no tax at all.

Strange how you dont see that your own mentality is as a result of right wing scaremongering and divide and conquer tactics... So what your more or less saying in a non direct sort of way is that the rich are turning against the poor...

Earthhorse · 04-07-2016 07:50PM

I think the world has become more right wing but wouldn't say Ireland has.

RayM · 04-07-2016 07:50PM

Wibbs wrote: »

The lack of borders on the internet seems to make some people in small town Ireland think they're americans for some reason. It's all very odd. It becomes hilarious to me to hear someone with an Irish accent go on about "cucks", or say "go trump!".

I've never heard those words coming from an Irish person in real life, but there's something hilarious about being called a "leftist fag" or a "cuck" by someone who's probably sitting in his stained underpants in a boxroom in Navan or somewhere.

Wibbs · 04-07-2016 07:51PM

tomofson wrote: »

So what your more or less saying in a non direct sort of way is that the rich are turning against the poor...

Yet another american import. The poor have been increasingly vilified in that culture over the last generation, with an increase in the "I'm alright Jack, fcuk you and go to the poor box with you(some might add in Praise Jeebus)" in american culture and politics.

The King of Moo · 04-07-2016 07:52PM

I think it's two things:

Access to more polarised American political rhetoric online
Rebellion against liberal parents and/or peers, not a million miles from the general reaction against conventional attitudes in the counterculture movement

wakka12 · 04-07-2016 07:52PM

Its simply not though. If I were to post the exact same thread and replace right with left Im sure probably more people would agree with it than this one, but again it all depends on the people you hang around with it, your class, age, what part of the country you're in, websites you use that will determine whether Ireland seems to be more right or left wing. Two people's perspectives can be very different

NIMAN · 04-07-2016 07:54PM

I think its a mixture of both tbh.

Views now seem to be at either extreme, left and right. Little in the middle.

As for ignoring the comments sections, saying its just people ranting on the web cos no-one knows your identity. Well I think Brexit has proved that these idiots posting stupid comments can do damage when they actually decide to vote. When FB and Twitter educate people with votes, the world could get messy indeed.

Huntergonzo · 04-07-2016 07:54PM

Ireland has always been a right-wing country, since independence we've never been led by a left-wing government. Ireland is one of the most socially conservative country's in western Europe and again has been for the best part of 80 years.

Economically FG are right-wing, while FF present themselves as all things to all men but they're really closet right-wing.

Personally I'm extremely socially liberal (I can't stand social conservatism) but economically right leaning, so I don't think any party in Ireland represents me.

tomofson · 04-07-2016 07:54PM

wakka12 wrote: »

Its simply not though. If I were to post the exact same thread and replace right with left Im sure probably more people would agree with it than this one, but again it all depends on the people you hang around with it, your class, age, what part of the country you're in, websites you use that will determine whether Ireland seems to be more right or left wing. Two people's perspectives can be very different

Well I'm seeing it on just average mainstream websites... Not as if I'm lurking around stormfront to deliberately find right wing opinions.

questionmark? · 04-07-2016 07:56PM

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I think there's a lot of people who's stuck in the middle regarding being left/right wing and they cary for some issues.
I personally find extreme left/right people to be as bad as one another.

Far left and Far right are basically the same even though would never admit it. Extremists that spout hatred of something, anything doesn't matter what just hate it. Just look at some of the PBP/AAA marches and the abuse/language they use against those that disagree with them and then just stick a Far right symbol on them and the hat would fit.

Wibbs · 04-07-2016 07:59PM

Earthhorse wrote: »

I think the world has become more right wing but wouldn't say Ireland has.

I think the world - by world I'm just looking at the West here - has become more aggressive, more polarised.

I would say that yes there has been an over compensation an over swing against some of the more "liberal" stuff. Why? One reason being so much of it is patently false and/or daft and people are thinking "eh wut?". Take the gender war BS. Feminism claims western women are under a patriarchy living in rape cultures, yet the actual provable facts are that the western woman is the most protected human on the planet. She'll live longer, be healthier, more educated and have more freedoms than the average western man. People are calling bullshít on that kinda stuff. Same with things like migrants. We're told/spoken down to that these poor refugees need our help and we're awful human beings if we say, sorry eff off, yet on the ground people are increasingly seeing with their own two eyes that the official narrative is more and more BS and people's lives are being negatively affected. Again people are calling bullshít on that stuff.

FrJGHackett · 04-07-2016 08:02PM

tomofson wrote: »

Well I'm seeing it on just average mainstream websites... Not as if I'm lurking around stormfront to deliberately find right wing opinions.

What are these shocking opinions? Can you give some examples.

Gbear · 04-07-2016 08:05PM

Saddos' like us who spend too much time in insular communities like this have a warped view of the what the world is like.

A sizable chunk of people actually get their memes on Facebook! Imagine it!:pac:

Few enough bother their holes with online waffle so don't be surprised if you get weird looks when you try and export that kind of argument into the real world.

People are more computer literate than ever, but the number of people who spend a lot of time on forums like this or reddit or whatever is still realtively small.

It'll depend on who you spend time with, but I'd say the bulk of people in the country - middle class types, are in a fairly narrow band of centrism. A bit left on some stuff, a bit right on others.

Only the wonky ends of the horseshoe are on about deconstructing capitalism or burning the immigrants.

tomofson · 04-07-2016 08:07PM

FrJGHackett wrote: »

What are these shocking opinions? Can you give some examples.

Scaremongering of Muslims, Hatred of the poor, Anti welfare,Pro Death Penalty ect

cajonlardo · 04-07-2016 08:12PM

newacc2015 wrote: »

Ireland is starting to become a country where the educated, who have worked hard all their life pay for the sizeable minority who contribute nothing to society.

Never fails to maze me how people claim to be "educated" and yet spout this particular style of condescending BolLLLLLLLLLLLLLocks.

Do you honestly believe that only uneducated people, minority or not, are ripping off hard working honest folk? People with degrees don't play the system? The hospital managers who've been proven to be topping up their salaries, The county managers proved to be using public funds for personal reasons, The politicians fraudulently claiming expenses.....

What was it Twain said about Education and Schooling?

This country is turning very right wing....

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