What is a Moderate?

According to Onelook a Moderate is:

noun: a person who takes a position in the political center

.

What does that really mean? A person that takes from both sides of the fence?

The reason that I ask this is because some of my views, from dealing with RL, have led me to some EXTREME views. I'm all for state sponsored health care but would also support the death penalty for serial sex criminals and pedophiles. That is not very moderate but is definately from the different sides of the spectrum.

Now, this thread is NOT about heath care or sex crimes but to determine what EXACTLY a Moderate is.

Thoughts?

If you have one foot in red hot coals, and the other in a bucket of ice... Are you comfortable?

Real life, coupled with introspection is what hopefully sets our respective moral and philosophical compasses... Those who allow their course set by others are on a perilous journey in my opinion.

One wonders what percentage of the "boisterous" are parroting a script...

A moderate is a person who is neither in ice nor hot coals, but lukewarm water.

An example of a Moderate's views on some of the hot-button issues might go something like this:

Gay Marriage: Gay people should be able to live together and enter into a civil union, share insurance and be benefactors, but not get "married" or adopt children. Marriage and family should be preserved for one man and one woman.

Gun Control: There's no reason for anyone to own semi-automatic weapons. People should be allowed to have a certain number of firearms for home protection and hunting and ALL of them should be registered and there should be a background check and 2-week waiting period on ALL firearms sold. You should have to complete a firearms safety course and obtain a license to shoot a firearm.

Moderates don't take extreme positions either way, but it's more of a 'compromise' position.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Gun Control: There's no reason for anyone to own semi-automatic weapons. People should be allowed to have a certain number of firearms for home protection and hunting and ALL of them should be registered and there should be a background check and 2-week waiting period on ALL firearms sold. You should have to complete a firearms safety course and obtain a license to shoot a firearm.

The above seems pretty radical to me... Taking down the Second Amendment... Why don't we take down the First in the same manner?

In order to practice free speech, religion, or press you need to be registered (after a two waiting period for each type of speech, religion, or press and a background check). You can only have so much free speech religion and press per household (we'll let the government figure out how much... they know best after all). You'll need to take a free speech, religion, and press safety course, and obtain a license to use free speech, religion, and press, and then, only in season, or at a designated place. No high speed or large capacity forms of free speech, religion, or press will be allowed either... Heaven knows there's no legitimate use for them.

Sounds reasonable to you?

Originally posted by Mirthful Me
Sounds reasonable to you?

No. Not at all. But I am not a Moderate. These are not MY positions, these are EXAMPLES of positions Moderates MIGHT take. Read my post.

Radical Views on Gun Control WOULD be that guns should be outlawed OR that anyone should be able to own any kind or amount of guns they like. Those are extremes.

I think a moderate is one who takes from both sides. Sometimes we pick one or the other, and sometimes we (ok, mostly me) smoosh them together.

Example of a smooshed-up moderate opinion on abortion (mine): Abortion should be legal until the third trimester. After that, with the exception of life-threatening to the mother, it should be illegal.

Not good enough for the right and not good enough for the left, but good enough for me.

Originally posted by Duzey
I think a moderate is one who takes from both sides. Sometimes we pick one or the other, and sometimes we (ok, mostly me) smoosh them together.

Example of a smooshed-up moderate opinion on abortion (mine): Abortion should be legal until the third trimester. After that, with the exception of life-threatening to the mother, it should be illegal.

Not good enough for the right and not good enough for the left, but good enough for me.

I guess we can close the thread now.

There won't be a better description. Well said.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Gun Control: There's no reason for anyone to own semi-automatic weapons.

A lot of people get confused about that term, confusing "semi-automatic" with "fully automatic". A fully automatic weapon is capable of shooting sprays of bullets.

A "semi-automatic weapon", on the other hand, simply refers to a weapon (usually a handgun) that operates differently from the revolver. Instead of a rotating disc that contains the bullets, a magazine holds them. It can only fire one bullet at a time, just like any other traditional handgun. Wikipedia's definition: "A semi-automatic firearm is one that requires only a trigger pull for each round that is fired." That is, one bullet per trigger pull. We're not talking about Uzi's here.

Police and citizens both use them for self-defense, which is a very legitimate reason to own them.

I've always tried to say decisive where I fit in, and I could never come to a decision. The irony.

Benevolent Heretic

it's more of a 'compromise' position.

I like that. After reading through this thread and the topped threads by MM, I believe I can proclaim myself a Moderate. I guess I've never had the urge to decide what label to put on myself, but maybe the time is now.

I've been sitting on the fence for so many years, but never did take a seat. Slide over people.



[edit on 12-10-2006 by chissler]

Well, being a "moderate" I have to say that a "moderate" is someone who is even handed. He/she can usually understand both sides of the argument. He/she does have a propensity to lean in one directin or the other but not overwhelmingly so. For example,I am a "moderate" with a moderate lean to the right. I mean,I don't know how else to explain it.

The best thing about being a moderate is being able to change your mind whenever compelling reasons come along. You can change your mind 50 times on an issue and never have to get off the fence.

When you lean in both directions at once, you end up evenly balanced.

Originally posted by Duzey
The best thing about being a moderate is being able to change your mind whenever compelling reasons come along. You can change your mind 50 times on an issue and never have to get off the fence.

How sweet it is.

Never stumped in a debate because we can easily admit to agreeing with the point. This used to get me in hot water with professors when I was writing papers. I would be talking about capital punishment, or some other controversial topic, and never come to any conclusion. On every paper I wrote there was a note at the bottom, Get off the damn Fence!

Never!

A moderate is someone who sits on the fence but has many chairs on both sides. where she/he sits depends on the issue. Moderates dont commit the left or right of the political spectrum or to any political partys that dosnt support all there values. This is just my personal perspective other members are welcome to disagree with me.


[edit on 13-10-2006 by xpert11]

[edit on 13-10-2006 by xpert11]

What is a Moderate?

A Bore.

The alternative being, what?

Narrow minded?

You could atleast support claims rather than taking ignorant jabs.

I'm more than happy to explain why I feel the alternative is narrow-minded. But I'll save the effort until your willing to make an effort.

Confused why you feel compelled to enter a forum and slap it in the face with no elaboration. Your welcomed to your opinions, but atleast substantiate them.

A moderate to me, is someone who doesn't tow the line. Someone who is capable of reaching conclusions that make sense to his/herself, regardless of what the money says make sense.

A moderate to me, is someone a bit more autonomous, a bit more intelligent(if i dare say), and a bit more down to earth.

A moderate to me, is someone who realises that republican doesn't necessarily mean what its supposed to, and democrat doesn't either.

A moderate to me, is someone who jumps off the fence to take control of both sides, after they've destroyed the fence with their projectiles.

To me a moderate is one who looks a both side of an issue and is able to make up their own mind. Unlike others that are controlled by one side like a Sheppard does a flock of sheep.

A Moderate in my mind, denotes 'balance'.

The weighing of decisions (possibly assimulating ideas from both sides); yet keeping a broad perspective in the long-run.

A person of this nature, would seem to be the more 'open-minded' in my opinion, as opposed to those who just stick to the left or right of the equation.

~Ducky~

reply to post by Mirthful Me


Well, to be fair, the solution in the quote doesn't impact the 2nd amendment. It doesn't infringe one's right to bear arms any more than having to pay for a firearm does. Quite frankly, firearms could be utterly legislated out of the picture and it still wouldn't bother the 2nd amendment - Can you make a pointy stick? There, you're armed.

Aaaanyway.

What a moderate is depends on the situation. In the current American political climate, a "moderate" is slightly less of a right-wing extremist than the right wing extremists. Why? 'Cause the supposed "liberals" are much closer to what was traditionally the center, while the conservatives have returned to the Paleolithic area, essentially.