Current Events > Why do ppl get mad about 'the right wing and left wing belong to the same bird'?

(+) Yeah! (+)

The phrase is funny and useful for attacking both sides when they're uniting to do something bad (like bloat the military or cut entitlements).

Eat the rich!

Here we go again.

It's not so much that both sides don't have their bad, I feel like that's generally agreeable. It's that when people try to pull the both sides cards; it's usually in bad faith & leaning more toward one side in particular/acting like they're equally "bad".

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

It's an Inohira topic. So that's to be expected.

When I say both sides, I prefer to think of the Democrats and Republicans as "Good cop, bad cop." I think of Democrats as a whole as being placed in the role of the good cops, whether they intend to or not, simply by accepting money from the same sources as the Republicans - because money comes with strings attached.

Anyone sane or with a conscious will vote for the "good cops," but realize they are still part of the problem. At least the Democratic party can be reformed. The Republican party are a danger to the public and need to be disbanded and prosecuted.

The only thing I hate about the "both sides" argument is that it ends up casting too wide of a net, and you end up just getting yelled at by Liberals.

The discussion can be about the Defense Budget, and you can say "both sides" approved the bloated budget and both should be blamed, and the response is "YEAH?!?!!? But only one side is trying to take away Trans rights! So is it really 'both sides' ?!?!?!?"

And I'm like WTF does that have to do with military spending?

"Both Sides are bad" as a whole is bad faith argument, but you can 100% make the "both sides are bad" argument for specific things.

bigblu89 posted...

The only thing I hate about the "both sides" argument is that it ends up casting too wide of a net, and you end up just getting yelled at by Liberals.

The discussion can be about the Defense Budget, and you can say "both sides" approved the bloated budget and both should be blamed, and the response is "YEAH?!?!!? But only one side is trying to take away Trans rights! So is it really 'both sides' ?!?!?!?"

And I'm like WTF does that have to do with military spending?

"Both Sides are bad" as a whole is bad faith argument, but you can 100% make the "both sides are bad" argument for specific things.

Nah, both sides ARE bad. One being worse doesn't take away from that. What people do have a right to get upset about is "same thing, both sides." That's a lazy take.

There are parts where "both sides" actually applies like both parties are corrupt and take orders from the rich. It's just that 95% of the time it's just right wingers lying and trying to get people to not vote Democrat.

ArtiRock posted...

Nah, both sides ARE bad. One being worse doesn't take away from that. What people do have a right to get upset about is "same thing, both sides." That's a lazy take.

In this comparison, the left wing stole a slushi.

The right wing is the Zodiac killer and won't ever get caught.

One side could accidentally drown a dozen puppies while trying to give 1000 puppies a bath at once, while the other side can seek out intentionally smothering a dozen puppies to maintain their erections, and certain people would say both are equally bad.

At least it is easy to tag these people.

Raikuro posted...

One side could accidentally drown a dozen puppies while trying to give 1000 puppies a bath at once, while the other side can seek out intentionally smothering a dozen puppies to maintain their erections, and certain people would say both are equally bad.

your comparison is way better than mine

dameon_reaper posted...

In this comparison, the left wing stole a slushi.

The right wing is the Zodiac killer and won't ever get caught.

And I get that. My point is, don't confuse people saying both sides are bad vs they are the same.

Because the problem is that people will be like Dems good. Repubs bad. But it's not that simple. They are both bad. Just one is infinitely worse.

People say both sides when they really mean both parties.

bigblu89 posted...

The discussion can be about the Defense Budget, and you can say "both sides" approved the bloated budget and both should be blamed, and the response is "YEAH?!?!!? But only one side is trying to take away Trans rights! So is it really 'both sides' ?!?!?!?"

This never happens like this, so stop it.

lolife67 posted...

This never happens like this, so stop it.

It 100% does. On this board. On a nearly daily basis.

When youre criticizing both sides from an actual perspective, it is somewhat understandable. A leftist calling out moderates or progressives for siding with fascists in the name of defending capital is one thing. But often its just conservatives posing as centrists who use the both sides stuff as a false equivalence.

And as Adeem the Artist sings it:
Two sides of a coin implies there aint no better side,
It says racism and justice are equally justified

The republican party is literally threatening violence and civil war and is about to shut down the government because they lost an election and their leader won't stop crying about it.

Shadow_Don posted...

The republican party is literally threatening violence and civil war and is about to shut down the government because they lost an election and their leader won't stop crying about it.

But that's always been the argument.

Just because one is worse, doesn't mean both aren't bad.

But when they're the only two options, it's easy to see why the majority side with the left. As they should.

bigblu89 posted...

It 100% does. On this board. On a nearly daily basis.

No it doesn't. But feel free to link to examples.

ArtiRock posted...

And I get that. My point is, don't confuse people saying both sides are bad vs they are the same.

Because the problem is that people will be like Dems good. Repubs bad. But it's not that simple. They are both bad. Just one is infinitely worse.

I agree and we should know the negatives of both sides but there's not much you can do other than have knowledge of both sides. Unless somehow they change the formula, nothing is going to change except everything will go downhill.

bigblu89 posted...

Just because one is worse, doesn't mean both aren't bad.

Congratulations on having eyes and a brain.

Now shut the fuck up and vote out the fascists lunatics who are threatening to murder us.

Because the phrase is dumb as shit

bigblu89 posted...

But that's always been the argument.

Just because one is worse, doesn't mean both aren't bad.

But when they're the only two options, it's easy to see why the majority side with the left. As they should.

Why should we let the facists control the narrative? Both sides are bad is the stupidest thing to say, unless they elaborate and actually point out that one side is literally getting people killed.

Same reason why people get mad when you say the Earth is flat. Hearing stupid shit not based in reality is annoying.

Both sides is not the problem, the implication that it means both sides are equally good and bad is the problem.

As a liberal, the bad part of liberals is the overly offended fake outrage twitter liberals who invent new crusades to be a part of because they push neutral people away from our good team and good messages by calling fucking everything racist, sexist and homophobic, when our side should be so fucking easy to take. But thats it. Thats as bad as our side gets.

The other sides bad part IS racism, sexism, homophobia, greed, corruption, hypocrisy and fucking cancerous poison rhetoric that destroys the world.

So yeah, both sides do have their issues, but the phrase both sides creates a false equivalency that does not exist. One side is WAY fucking worse than the other.

LightHawKnight posted...

Why should we let the fascists control the narrative? Both sides are bad is the stupidest thing to say, unless they elaborate and actually point out that one side is literally getting people killed.

We shouldn't. We should 100% call them out on their BS. No one is arguing that.

There's shitty people in all walks of life. But some are a lot worse than others.

Cephalopods posted...

It's not so much that both sides don't have their bad, I feel like that's generally agreeable. It's that when people try to pull the both sides cards; it's usually in bad faith & leaning more toward one side in particular/acting like they're equally "bad".

It's a trick of the right, to frame the argument of people saying the left is perfect. Now the argument isn't how bad republicans are, it's talking about the bad things democrats do to make them not perfect.

lolife67 posted...

No it doesn't. But feel free to link to examples.

Post #27 in this thread.

You're allowed to recognize that "both sides" are doing things for their own personal and political gain, while also recognizing that one side is a group of rights-removing, anti-trans, anti-POC, anti-poor, pieces of shit.

bigblu89 posted...

You're allowed to recognize that "both sides"

No you aren't allowed to do that - said nobody ever

bigblu89 posted...

We shouldn't. We should 100% call them out on their BS. No one is arguing that.

There's shitty people in all walks of life. But some are a lot worse than others.

I mean you literally are if you think bothsides bullshit is not bullshit.

bigblu89 posted...

Post #27 in this thread.

You're allowed to recognize that "both sides" are doing things for their own personal and political gain, while also recognizing that one side is a group of rights-removing, anti-trans, anti-POC, anti-poor, pieces of s***.

That's not at all the same as what you said previously. We aren't discussing some other action and then people bringing up racism, bigotry, etc. We're directly answering why "both sides" is bad. If you can't see that then no wonder you're confused.

"Both sides" being compared to enabling Hitler and murdering a thousand puppies should tell you about the critical thinking going on on CE.

Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

"Both sides" being compared to enabling Hitler and murdering a thousand puppies should tell you about the critical thinking going on on CE.

That people use analogies to get their point across?

Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

"Both sides" being compared to enabling Hitler and murdering a thousand puppies should tell you about the critical thinking going on on CE.

I mean they are literally flying nazi flags and "trump or death" flags

lolife67 posted...

That's not at all the same as what you said previously. We aren't discussing some other action and then people bringing up racism, bigotry, etc. We're directly answering why "both sides" is bad. If you can't see that then no wonder you're confused.

I guess Im discussing a different topic then.

My general statement is how you cant point out the flaws of one party without someone pointing out how the other partys flaws are worse.

Its like pointing out how one neighbor hasnt mowed their lawn in a month, and the counter argument is that the guy down the street set his lawn on fire and is actively throwing kittens into the fire.

Both are doing a bad job on their law upkeep, but one is doing a MUCH worse job, and actively hurting others by their actions.

Enlighten centrists are the worse

Heineken14 posted...

That people use analogies to get their point across?

The puppy analogy was only about both sides killing a dozen each, so it would take pretty bad reading comprehension to get a thousand dead puppies out of it.

Shadow_Don posted...

I mean they are literally flying nazi flags and "trump or death" flags

I don't think those guys are saying "Both sides", like, ever.

One side would like you to use preferred pronouns, and treat transgender folks like human beings.

The other side wants them rounded up and jailed or stoned to death in The streets.

Isn't America tired of the extremes on both sides?

Majority only care about financial security. To them, neither side looks out for them.

Feels like some "MLK says not to judge by the color of your skin!" type of shit.