# Does every goddamn thing on earth have to be left or right wing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808 "2012-07-20T03:39:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/21 "2012-07-20T19:11:31Z")
It’s an election year. What do you expect? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/22 "2012-07-20T19:13:39Z")
Fluffy puppies are bipartisan. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/23 "2012-07-20T19:40:20Z")
Puppies? Brown little parasites feeding off the good will of their betters. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/24 "2012-07-20T23:12:58Z")
Yes. Everything marketed for babies must be designated as either for boys or for girls, never for both, and every idea must be designated either left-wing or right-wing, never both. People might get confused if it weren’t that way. See, if every idea is designated as left-wing or right-wing, you can just look at the label and know right away which one you should agree with. It saves you all that messy and tiring _thinking_ about whether or not you agree with a particular idea. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/25 "2012-07-21T01:44:52Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Puppies? > > Brown little parasites feeding off the good will of their betters. Okay, sunsets. ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/26 "2012-07-21T04:55:45Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I mean seriously? It has gotten to the point people classify films as left or right wing propaganda if they bother to take any kind of stand whether it is political or not. > > If anyone mentions laudable attributes like self sufficiency or taking responsibility for your choices well those are clearly right wing propaganda talking points. > > If someone mentions helping others who are needy or self sacrifice well obviously those are left wing propaganda catch phrases. > > :smack: > > Jesus christ on a cracker, if you view the world through this bizarre lens everything is political, everything is propaganda. Could it be that things aren’t left or right wing, could they simply be positive things independent of politics? > > At this point the right wing will be degenerate into Unibombers shooting at people trying to freeload on the oxygen the plants on their property produced, while the left wingers are waiting for the government wiper to come clean their crusty butthole. When you keep going more and more extreme you produce nutty extremists! > > EDIT: You want a real world example? That horrible book Atlas Shrugged, when I was a teenager it was a book your teacher might tell you had an interesting viewpoint. Most of the people I know who called it a fav in their teens were the artsy fartsy crowd who would probably be called left wing today. It was a stupid book making a stupid point, like a million others. > > Now it is the fucking Bible of god Rand, right wing wank material, the source of controversy and friction. Get the fuck over it! WOW. Somebody else gets it. Thanks. Sadly you are spitting into the wind my friend. We live in an era of extremists who love to play this simpleton “us vs them” lunacy. “Their” side/candidate/viewpoint is always right and the “other side” is always wrong and evil and stupid. Doesn’t matter if it’s hard-core liberals or hard-core conservatives. Two sides of the same brain-dead coin. Be afraid. Be very, very afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/27 "2012-07-21T05:07:10Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Yes. Everything marketed for babies must be designated as either for boys or for girls, never for both, and every idea must be designated either left-wing or right-wing, never both. People might get confused if it weren’t that way. True enough, we’re programmed for dualities. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/28 "2012-07-21T05:21:39Z")
Abstract: In this paper we exam an algorithm for assigning statements a numerical value and determine the threshold a Linear Threshold Function will use for classifying them as either left or right wing. I’ve been reading too many machine learning papers recently. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/29 "2012-07-21T05:21:43Z")
The only thing in the middle of the road is yellow lines and dead opossum. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808/30 "2012-07-21T06:10:27Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Abstract: In this paper we exam an algorithm for assigning statements a numerical value and determine the threshold a Linear Threshold Function will use for classifying them as either left or right wing. > > I’ve been reading too many machine learning papers recently. I think **Jragon** is half-joking but all-or-none thresholding is often key to decision making. Primitive man is often faced with Fight-or-Flee decisions. Advances in society led to more nuanced thinking but some “modern” things, e.g. the 15-second soundbite, may tend to reversion. For example, I was astounded by the black-or-white thinking of an “English teacher” in recent threads who assumed anyone favoring taxes on the rich must think they’re evil, or anyone not despising Ho Chi Minh must love him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-goddamn-thing-on-earth-have-to-be-left-or-right-wing/628808.md?page=1)