Opinion of CentristRepublican?

[Schiff for Senate]

Constantly replying to your own opinion thread doesn't help your case.

This thread has basically turned into a discussion about what's bad about my posting style / habits / me as a poster, so I feel it right to both address those points, and to (in the case of those who voted HP on the basis of some of my views, particularly those that were characterized as transphobic) clarify my views so that people can better understand them and not vote HP on the basis of a misunderstanding (not that I even care much about the poll - rather, that people understand my views and then vote however they think right).

An unspoken rule of this forum is that you are generally not supposed to comment in an "Opinion of" thread about yourself (one or two comments to clarify things might be fine, but certainly not massive back and forth quote blocks with other people). This furthers the points made earlier in this thread that  (1) you don't understand decorum of what is an appropriate thing to post in a specific thread and (2) you are not interested in genuinely improving yourself as a poster as you want to clarify every single view you have instead of stepping back and listening to what others have to say as a way to improve your quality as a poster. The latter is probably a much more constructive thing to do, as what you're doing now is likely not changing many people's minds.

I believe the unspoken forum rule was that you do not create threads regarding yourself; posting in them is fine (though I obviously have been posting more here than most posters do in their 'Opinion of...' threads). But that's fair enough. What is not is your comment that I am 'not interested in genuinely improving [myself] as a poster'. When people have given constructive advise, such as Xahar and SawxDem, I've thanked them for it, and I've simply asked those that haven't and have rather given one-word 'explanations' (Averroes Nix's one-word post of 'Dim'; Horus' one-word post of 'Annoying') if they could give me advise on how to improve. The other posting I've done in this thread is, as you've said, to clarify my views, and while I agree I should probably tone that down a bit and take it to another thread, what I'm trying to do is make sure people understand my views on transgenders and other issues that are guiding their vote, rather than voting on what may well be a misunderstanding, or poor articulation on my part. I've done that, as I clarified my stance on the 'trannies' issue to Klobementum, and gave a full apology. Not trying to grandstand or necessarily improve my poll numbers, which seem to have leveled off at about 68% HP to 32% FF. But in order to show that I still respect some of what you just said, I will reduce the number of posts I make in this thread, since I appreciate that point of yours.

Voted FF only because he is a young teenager and I do expect him to gradually get better with time (assuming he lasts in the site for multiple years). Though maybe I am wrong

I also predict that at some point like so many other "young teenage conservatives" he will just drop the blue avatar and go red or possibly lime green.

You seem quite well-intentioned, but I do take fault with certain things you've said here:
1.) I don't know where everyone has gotten the noation that I am a young teenager.
2.) More pertinently, I wouldn't even have such a problem with the above assumption if people didn't use it as justification for 'oh, he'll grow/mature out of it': while this is certainly true in some cases (some of my views will obviously change as my view of the world further expands and I learn more), it doesn't mean that any and all views of mine that people do not appreciate/understand/like are on issues I don't understand yet, or that I'll 'mature' out of holding those positions and will switch to your viewpoint. Not saying you are malicious in intent in any way whatsoever, and I appreciate the FF vote, but I'm not going to 'mature' out of a blue avatar. Don't think I have it just for the yuks or because I don't fully understand how terrible the GOP is. A lot of people don't fully understand the blue avatar, and I will admit that for a bit I myself didn't see the rationale behind it either, but as I thought about it, I realized I knew why and articulated this reason in a post to WM some time back:

And an unrelated question:

@Centrist Republican - would you ever consider leaving the GOP becoming an Independent or a Democrat, for example?

Yes, I have done so multiple times. Aside from its history as the antislavery party, the real reason I am still affiliated with the Republican Party is complicated. To put it simply I am affiliated with the GOP precisely because I disagree with many of its talking points: I am proudly pro-mask, anti-Trump and anti-Big Lie, for gun control, and pro-environment. All of these are anethma to the current GOP and welcome in the Democratic Party. But if I were a Democrat, no one would notice the views I am most proud of (being pro-mask, anti-Trump, anti-sedition, anti-gun, pro-environment) since that is the case for the generic Democrat; they'd notice my views that aren't commonly associated with the Democrats, and which I don't hold as proudly or as fervently: my opposition to transgenders, my opposition to welfare, my opposition to affirmative action, my opposition to wokeness. That's not to say I am ashamed of any of these views, but these would be the views I would be known for - not for being pro-mask/anti-Trump/anti-sedition/anti-gun/pro-environment. But I have considered leaving the GOP numerous times at seeing it devolving into a glorified, mad Trumpish cult. I still remain in it for the purposes of my forum, but in practice, you could consider me a centrist Democrat if you'd prefer to. For instance, in an election featuring a generic Democrat and a generic Republican, I'd likely lean toward the Democrat, unless the GOP candidate was moderate or centrist like I am.

Whether or not you agree with and understand this post, I would hope you know that I have a blue avatar for a reason and it's unlikely this is something I'll just 'see the light on' and 'grow out of.' I'd like to close with addressing the 'conservative' label you gave me - I'm a centrist and am far from being remotely 'conservative.' Furthermore, if your implication is that conservatism as an ideology is a sign of immaturity and is something young teenagers grow out of, I'd say that's untrue since, though you and I might disagree with them, enough young teenagers have concrete reasons / convictions that make them conservative (though at the same time, I don't really blame you for thinking that after looking at people like Jonathan Krohn).

Well if you are an adult then I apologize for interpreting you are a teenager. But yes your posting style does to me suggest someone who would be very young, possibly something like 15 years old? Not like young teenagers can't be good posters; and tbh it's a matter more of experience in the site/forum boards in general than purely age. Pretty sure Ishan is possibly one of our youngest posters but no one has any issues with him other than perhaps some Atlasia stuff. But after like 3 years in the site he is also more experienced.

Also I don't mean to imply that you will necessarily become a liberal or anything with age; but rather that more broadly you will learn to articulate your points better and what not.

But I have also seen and heard too many stories of young innocent sheltered teenagers that with age and more experience gradually shift left (most notably in my experience S019 but there are plenty of others)

Completely fair and understandable, thanks for explaining. 

[Gracile]

An unspoken rule of this forum is that you are generally not supposed to comment in an "Opinion of" thread about yourself

I always thought it was to not make said threads about yourself.

It's both, or at least it is certainly in poor form to reply to a thread about yourself more than one or two times.

[Aurelius]

An unspoken rule of this forum is that you are generally not supposed to comment in an "Opinion of" thread about yourself

I always thought it was to not make said threads about yourself.

If so, that clearly hasn't stopped our most prolific poster.

[beesley]

I think the subject of this thread needs to read the responses to this thread, both individually and on aggregate, and reflect. The comments about the trans community are a substantial part of the result, but also reflect other reasons for the result - including the combative and arrogant attitude (whether intended as such) expressed in this thread. They should also consider whether turning what is normally a fairly routine procedure on this forum into a source of palaver and bad vibes for everyone reflects the sort of person they want to be or come across as.

[If my soul was made of stone]

saying trannies is most likely worse than being a trans person.

"Most likely" is awfully non-committal for a statement with pretensions of penitence.

[Ancestral Republican]

saying trannies is most likely worse than being a trans person.

"Most likely" is awfully non-committal for a statement with pretensions of penitence.

Saying "n***er" is potentially worse than being a black person. I'd have to see more evidence, though.

[Cokeland Saxton]

HP, largely due to his views on the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans people. I gave him the benefit of the doubt because I thought he was a teen conservative (I was one myself and kinda still was one when I joined Atlas), but now that I know he's an adult....

[VAR]

Alright. I've been barely active on this forum over the past few months and I imagine CentristRepublican barely knows me. But there are a few important points that have not been made yet.

First off, you don't want people to assume that you're a teenager. Well, I don't think you really understand why people think you’re very young. To put it bluntly, you’ve said some astonishingly stupid things on this forum. You recently proposed nuking Pyongyang 'for hours' (showing extremely poor knowledge of how nuclear weapons actually work), spent days arguing with people whether 'tranny' is a slur (using the word 600 times in the process) and said things not even the most unabashed transphobes would say while claiming not to hate trans people! Not to mention your extremely juvenile posting style in general. Such behavior is absolutely not normal for a young adult.

So there’s only a few plausible explanations for your behavior on Atlas. You are either hopelessly stupid, a dedicated troll, or just someone who is young and naive. Luckily for you, people are being charitable and assuming you are just a naive kid who stumbled upon this site. If people thought you were in your mid-20s or something, you would be judged much more harshly for your opinions. (Now personally, I don’t think your age is the only reason you’re the way you are, but I digress!)

Secondly, the fact that you unironically sport a Republican avatar despite denouncing the party every day is plain goofy and contributes to people’s perception of you as an unserious and naive poster. Your 'reasoning' for it is stupid and I don’t think I even need to explain why. We are way past the time when supporting tax cuts made you a Republican, and if you identify as a Republican because it’s the 'party of Lincoln', oh boy…

I’m also not sure why you reacted so strongly to tack50’s post, since there are many conservative/libertarian/centrist teenagers who shift left with age, as they are exposed to left-wing views (during their time in college, for example) that directly contradict what their parents and community taught them about the world. There’s a reason conservative parents/liberal children is such a common phenomenon while liberal parents/conservative children, like me, is not. Naturally, you sound incredibly arrogant when you say you will never cease to be a blue avatar.

Anyway, my advice to you would be to take a break from Atlas. Many people (including myself) have done that and shown remarkable personal growth. Perhaps you ought to do the same.

[Schiff for Senate]

HP, largely due to his views on the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans people. I gave him the benefit of the doubt because I thought he was a teen conservative (I was one myself and kinda still was one when I joined Atlas), but now that I know he's an adult....

I'm not necessarily. I'm just saying that whether or not I am in fact a teenager, that's not something people should be assuming one way or another.

[Schiff for Senate]

Alright. I've been barely active on this forum over the past few months and I imagine CentristRepublican barely knows me. But there are a few important points that have not been made yet.

First off, you don't want people to assume that you're a teenager. Well, I don't think you really understand why people think you’re very young. To put it bluntly, you’ve said some astonishingly stupid things on this forum. You recently proposed nuking Pyongyang 'for hours' (showing extremely poor knowledge of how nuclear weapons actually work), spent days arguing with people whether 'tranny' is a slur (using the word 600 times in the process) and said things not even the most unabashed transphobes would say while claiming not to hate trans people! Not to mention your extremely juvenile posting style in general. Such behavior is absolutely not normal for a young adult.

So there’s only a few plausible explanations for your behavior on Atlas. You are either hopelessly stupid, a dedicated troll, or just someone who is young and naive. Luckily for you, people are being charitable and assuming you are just a naive kid who stumbled upon this site. If people thought you were in your mid-20s or something, you would be judged much more harshly for your opinions. (Now personally, I don’t think your age is the only reason you’re the way you are, but I digress!)

Secondly, the fact that you unironically sport a Republican avatar despite denouncing the party every day is plain goofy and contributes to people’s perception of you as an unserious and naive poster. Your 'reasoning' for it is stupid and I don’t think I even need to explain why. We are way past the time when supporting tax cuts made you a Republican, and if you identify as a Republican because it’s the 'party of Lincoln', oh boy…

I’m also not sure why you reacted so strongly to tack50’s post, since there are many conservative/libertarian/centrist teenagers who shift left with age, as they are exposed to left-wing views (during their time in college, for example) that directly contradict what their parents and community taught them about the world. There’s a reason conservative parents/liberal children is such a common phenomenon while liberal parents/conservative children, like me, is not. Naturally, you sound incredibly arrogant when you say you will never cease to be a blue avatar.

Anyway, my advice to you would be to take a break from Atlas. Many people (including myself) have done that and shown remarkable personal growth. Perhaps you ought to do the same.

I will take this paragraph-for-paragraph.

As far as Pyongyang was concerned, I was saying it only half-seriously and realize it sounded tounge-and-cheek. What I've since clarified is that I'd consult with military leaders on how best to tackle North Korea and Kim, and that bombing wouldn't happen. As far as what TRAHR called 'Trannygate' is concerned, I explained in this very thread that ultimately, since I wasn't the judge of whether 'tranny' is a trans slur and it clearly was, then saying 'tranny' is worse than being trans. Lastly, I haven't said I'm an adult necessarily whatsoever. I may well be a teenager.

All I'll say for paragraph 2 is that that's fair enough and that I'm not, in fact, in my mid 20s or older than that.

As for paragraphs 3-4, you clearly haven't read my whole explanation and jut surmised that it was a Lincoln thing (which I said was a small part of why I'm still in the GOP). Admittedly it's convoluted and in real life I'm not a Republican (rather more of an Independent), but identify as such here. I'd advise you either not write it off, or read the whole post first. With regards to the other thing, I explained to Tack that while he was somewhat justified in what he said, it was still irksome that everyone writes off any position of mine they disagree with, dislike or don't understand as someting I will grow out of. Tack explained his reasons and I understood them and we are (I believe) on good terms, both regarding the matter and otherwise.

Lastly, I've considered it and may ultimately do so, but first I need to tie up things in Atlasia, Flip the 8th and Flip the 6th, and then I might do it.

[Horus]

Alright. I've been barely active on this forum over the past few months and I imagine CentristRepublican barely knows me. But there are a few important points that have not been made yet.

First off, you don't want people to assume that you're a teenager. Well, I don't think you really understand why people think you’re very young. To put it bluntly, you’ve said some astonishingly stupid things on this forum. You recently proposed nuking Pyongyang 'for hours' (showing extremely poor knowledge of how nuclear weapons actually work), spent days arguing with people whether 'tranny' is a slur (using the word 600 times in the process) and said things not even the most unabashed transphobes would say while claiming not to hate trans people! Not to mention your extremely juvenile posting style in general. Such behavior is absolutely not normal for a young adult.

So there’s only a few plausible explanations for your behavior on Atlas. You are either hopelessly stupid, a dedicated troll, or just someone who is young and naive. Luckily for you, people are being charitable and assuming you are just a naive kid who stumbled upon this site. If people thought you were in your mid-20s or something, you would be judged much more harshly for your opinions. (Now personally, I don’t think your age is the only reason you’re the way you are, but I digress!)

Secondly, the fact that you unironically sport a Republican avatar despite denouncing the party every day is plain goofy and contributes to people’s perception of you as an unserious and naive poster. Your 'reasoning' for it is stupid and I don’t think I even need to explain why. We are way past the time when supporting tax cuts made you a Republican, and if you identify as a Republican because it’s the 'party of Lincoln', oh boy…

I’m also not sure why you reacted so strongly to tack50’s post, since there are many conservative/libertarian/centrist teenagers who shift left with age, as they are exposed to left-wing views (during their time in college, for example) that directly contradict what their parents and community taught them about the world. There’s a reason conservative parents/liberal children is such a common phenomenon while liberal parents/conservative children, like me, is not. Naturally, you sound incredibly arrogant when you say you will never cease to be a blue avatar.

Anyway, my advice to you would be to take a break from Atlas. Many people (including myself) have done that and shown remarkable personal growth. Perhaps you ought to do the same.

I will take this paragraph-for-paragraph.

This is why you're annoying.

[Conservatopia]

1. You are a teenager - you've said so before I'm pretty sure.
2. The whole I'm a Republican but I disagree with the GOP on every issue is annoying (to both sides) because it looks unserious and childish and it's not new or clever - we've seen it on here before.
3. 32% FF is a bad result but not that bad - don't take it too hard.
4. Your feud with THG annoys people because it clogs up space that could be used for serious discussion and it's petty because both yourself and THG aren't even usually abrasive posters.
5. Only Hillgoose is allowed to advocate nuking cities.

I am reminded actually - aren't I overdue for my monthly Opinion thread?

[TDAS04]

Seems young and naive, but he’s nice enough, which is enough for me to vote FF (barring any Nazi-type or other such horrific views).

[Calthrina950]

FF on balance.