Being Neutral is a Terrible Choice

[Kaitzilla]

Neutrality
A mistake.

In almost every sphere of human activity, there will be a conflict.
Those who refuse to pick a side are doomed.

Good says "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"
Bad says "You are either with me, or against me"

Being neutral just means you are hated and mistrusted by both sides.
There will be no friends to help when the attack comes.

• Independents in Congress?

Loathed
Does anyone on either side really like Joe Lieberman?
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2009/11/26/loathing-joe-lieberman

• Doctors that refuse to pick a side during war?

Blown to bits by both sides.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_neutrality


Neutrals just can't be trusted.
There's no telling where they stand.
The fate of those who oppose Good are especially stark.

Spoiler :

"No war! No war! No war!" the people shouted as Richard led the men up the street at a dead run.

"Out of the way!" Richard yelled as he closed the distance. This was no time for subtlety or discussions: the success of their attack depended in large part on speed. "Get out of the way! This is your only warning! Get out of the way or die!"

"Stop the hate! Stop the hate!" the people chanted as they locked arms.

They had no idea how much hate was raging through Richard. He drew the Sword of Truth. The wrath of its magic didn't come out with it, but he had enough of his own. He slowed to a trot.

"Move!" Richard called as he bore down on the people.

A plump, curly-haired woman took a step out from the others. Her round face was red with anger as she screamed. "Stop the hate! No war! Stop the hate! No war!"

"Move or die!" Richard yelled as he picked up speed.

The red-faced woman shook her fleshy fist at Richard and his men, leading an angry chant. "Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!"

On his way past her, gritting his teeth as he screamed with the fury of the attack begun, Richard took a powerful swing, lopping off the woman's head and upraised arm. Strings of blood and gore splashed across the faces behind her even as some still chanted their empty words. The head and loose arm tumbled through the crowd. A man mad the mistake of reaching for Richard's weapon, and took the full weight of a charging thrust.

Men behind Richard hit the line of evil's guardians with unrestrained violence. People armed only with their hatred for moral clarity fell bloodied, terribly injured, and dead. The line of people collapsed before the merciless charge. Some of the people, screaming their contempt, used their fists to attack Richard's men. They were met with swift and deadly steel.

At the realization that their defense of the Imperial Order's brutality would actually result in consequences to themselves, the crowd began scattering in fright, screaming curses back at Richard and his men.

Pacifists

Now if neutrals do the smart thing and pick a side, there is only endless praise.
Look at the ACLU when they abandoned due process and political neutrality.
Their donations skyrocketed in the last 2 years!
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brie...ks-its-own-policy-comes-out-against-kavanaugh

“As a matter of organizational policy, the ACLU does not support or oppose candidates for political or judicial office,” the statement said. “In this instance, the national board held an extraordinary meeting, and has chosen to make an exception to that policy.”

Spending $1 million to oppose Kavanaugh will generate countless donations to the nonpartisan legal rights group.
Giant win.

Taylor Swift
Annoyingly politically neutral for years, she finally picked a side.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...esen-endorsement-marsha-blackburn/1563958002/

It seems nobody expected Taylor Swift to ever get political, and her Sunday night post on the upcoming Tennessee Senate race sent shock waves through social media.

Hell ya, shockwaves baby!, exactly what celebrities want.

Jimmy Fallon refuses to get political.
He just tries to broadcast endless fun with bright people and offends no one.
This strategy has let Colbert exceed him by far in late-night comic ratings.

Neutrality is why CNN is getting the stuffings beaten out of it by Fox News and MSNBC.


To all the fence sitters out there:
Why torture yourself trying to walk a tightrope that is constantly moving?
Stop bending yourself into a pretzel and become someones' friend or enemy today.
You will feel much better, and once you're dead, both your friends AND enemies will be there to send you off.
Because you wisely picked a side.

 

[Farm Boy]

I have a side. It's not in the D R continuum despite my state requiring me to register as one to vote primaries.

Simplicity is for violent fools and children.

 

[HoloDoc]

I came to this thread specifically to post that Zapp Brannigan video, and I'm deeply offended that you beat me to it.

 

[Kaitzilla]

Simplicity is for violent fools and children.

I bow before the decadent zeitgeist.

I came to this thread specifically to post that Zapp Brannigan video, and I'm deeply offended that you beat me to it.

Futurama was created by geniuses.
To praise all their wit would require a longer thread.

 

[Berzerker]

your side, my side, neutral is just another side

 

[BenitoChavez]

This LOTR quote comes to mind.

Side? I am on nobody's side, because nobody is on my side, little orc.

Of course the Ents then promptly tore Isengard a new one...so...

 

[HoloDoc]

This LOTR quote comes to mind.



Of course the Ents then promptly tore Isengard a new one...so...

Thus proving that the environment acts according to a biased left-wing agenda. No wonder the right is actively trying to destroy it; simple self-preservation.

 

[Hygro]

CHAOTIC GOOD
but not the meme kind

 

[Hehehe]

Neutrality
A mistake.

In almost every sphere of human activity, there will be a conflict.
Those who refuse to pick a side are doomed.

Switzerland begs to differ

 

[Commodore]

In almost every sphere of human activity, there will be a conflict.
Those who refuse to pick a side are doomed

Being neutral does not mean you are conflict-averse. It just means you aren't picking a side and not picking a side can certainly come with the message of "if you try to force me to pick a side, I'll bloody your nose."

 

[FriendlyFire]

Being neutral does not mean you are conflict-averse. It just means you aren't picking a side and not picking a side can certainly come with the message of "if you try to force me to pick a side, I'll bloody your nose."

You can always change sides ? (Italy style)

 

[HoloDoc]

You can always change sides ? (Italy style)

I just played a game of EU III where Albania changed sides three times in one war.

 

[Live trash can]

Sometimes though, you will not pick any side, because your side is not involved. You see the competing parts as either foolish or just outside of your interest.

 

[HoloDoc]

Sometimes though, you will not pick any side, because your side is not involved. You see the competing parts as either foolish or just outside of your interest.

You just described most of the arguments in this board.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Being neutral just means you are hated and mistrusted by both sides.
There will be no friends to help when the attack comes.

It certainly works this way in Civ IV Multiplayer Diplogames and I have written treatises on these threads about this phenomenon. People try to play against humans like they play against the AI, and they just end up being fodder in the wars of the competing alliances.

Independents in Congress?
Loathed
Does anyone on either side really like Joe Lieberman?

Meh... the "independents" in Congress are mostly just caucusing with the Democrats. And while my loathing of Joe Sleazeberman is well documented on these threads, calling him "loathed" in general is... well... innacurate. He was McCain's preferred pick for VP, he was Gore's actual pick for VP and he won re-election to US Senator for Connecticut while running as a bona-fide independent... so in short, he was quite popular, not generally "loathed" by any stretch of the imagination.

You know what this is really about... who is truly mocked, ridiculed, criticized ... whatever you want to call it? The folks who claim to be "independent", when they are clearly Conservative and/or Republican voters. Just own up to your squeeze. Be proud. Be you, and people will give you less squeeze about it.

 

[Grisu]

my swiss sense was tingling when this thread was opened

Anyway, like with everything there's a good dose that's healthy beyond it it isn't. Being neutral when both sides are being stupid is not only smart, it's the only real option left. On the other hand, being neutral for neutrality's sake (like the swiss peoples party demands) won't help anybody - least of all ourselves - and should be ditched ASAP.

 

[Berzerker]

You know what this is really about... who is truly mocked, ridiculed, criticized ... whatever you want to call it? The folks who claim to be "independent", when they are clearly Conservative and/or Republican voters. Just own up to your squeeze. Be proud. Be you, and people will give you less squeeze about it.

What independent in Congress is clearly conservative? Dont derail the thread with your pet peeve and trolling people who dont like the Dems and Repubs with accusations of lying.

Being neutral just means you are hated and mistrusted by both sides.

Bad says "You are either with me, or against me"

 

[Gori the Grey]

As Dante (the pilgrim) enters Dante (the author)'s Inferno, the first people he meets are the uncommitted, who live this shadowy limbo existence, neither here nor there, because in life they wouldn't take a stand. Dante (the pilgrim) reacts with horror at these people who have effectively made themselves nobodies because Dante (the real life person) was deeply committed to political causes in his day.

 

[Berzerker]

how dare you not care about what I care about!

 

[Patine]

Neutrality
A mistake.

In almost every sphere of human activity, there will be a conflict.
Those who refuse to pick a side are doomed.

Good says "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"
Bad says "You are either with me, or against me"

Being neutral just means you are hated and mistrusted by both sides.
There will be no friends to help when the attack comes.

• Independents in Congress?

Loathed
Does anyone on either side really like Joe Lieberman?
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2009/11/26/loathing-joe-lieberman

• Doctors that refuse to pick a side during war?

Blown to bits by both sides.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_neutrality


Neutrals just can't be trusted.
There's no telling where they stand.
The fate of those who oppose Good are especially stark.

Spoiler :

Pacifists

Now if neutrals do the smart thing and pick a side, there is only endless praise.
Look at the ACLU when they abandoned due process and political neutrality.
Their donations skyrocketed in the last 2 years!
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brie...ks-its-own-policy-comes-out-against-kavanaugh

Spending $1 million to oppose Kavanaugh will generate countless donations to the nonpartisan legal rights group.
Giant win.

Taylor Swift
Annoyingly politically neutral for years, she finally picked a side.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...esen-endorsement-marsha-blackburn/1563958002/

Hell ya, shockwaves baby!, exactly what celebrities want.

Jimmy Fallon refuses to get political.
He just tries to broadcast endless fun with bright people and offends no one.
This strategy has let Colbert exceed him by far in late-night comic ratings.

Neutrality is why CNN is getting the stuffings beaten out of it by Fox News and MSNBC.


To all the fence sitters out there:
Why torture yourself trying to walk a tightrope that is constantly moving?
Stop bending yourself into a pretzel and become someones' friend or enemy today.
You will feel much better, and once you're dead, both your friends AND enemies will be there to send you off.
Because you wisely picked a side.

I think one of the biggest problems in the modern zeitgeist and socio-political and cultural viewpoint is that every issue, question, and stance only has two "sides" to choose from. The "neo-Manichaeist" thinking is really a huge part of the problem, and is certainly not helping anything, only harming.