What Am I?

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I find this an odd view of ideology. To me, 'ideology' is just the name given to a coherent worldview. I don't look at an issue and ask myself what the correct view might be according to my chosen ideology. Rather, I hold a set of general views, and find myself taking positions on matters as they arise, which indicate to me that my views seem to fit with an existing ideology. I therefore identify myself as being 'leftwing' or 'socialist'.

I don't look at an issue and think, right, what is the Socialist response to this? I respond to things and it so happens that many of those responses can be deemed socialist. There are times when my view does not correspond to what is understood as socialist ideology. But I categorise myself as socialist because my views broadly correspond to a socialist worldview.

'Ideology' isn't a crutch.

I have no problem with ideology in general. Most of us have one whether it is completely independent of anyone else's or the stereotypical conservative or liberal in the US. What I disagree with is how labels affect us. You mentioned this and it does not apply to everyone, but once people label themselves as "whatever", they have a tendency to lean towards their label on new issues.

I understand that you don't give yourself the definite label of socialist, your views just tend to fall under that category, and you will still look at the world unbiasedly, as many people probably do, but it's a slippery slope that many people do fall down.