Why must everyone have to be on one side or the other. This bullshit happens all the time.
You can't criticize say, antifa without being deemed to be in the fascist side instead.
I could go to one forum and talk about how I don't believe a collectivist 2nd amendment interpretation is valid, and be deemed to be pro gun.
Then I could go to a different forum. And say I think the 2nd amendment should be changed, and be deemed Antigun.
Believe the collectivist interpretation is bullshit isn't the same as believing the individualist interpretation is right for society.
And believing it should be changed isn't the same as wanting to get rid of gun rights entirely.
In reality I believe both, that collectivist interpretation is horseshit but that individualist interpretation is to societies detriment. But that's not allowed. If I wanna agree with stricter gun control I gotta agree with it in the approved way.
Cause people get driven to such bullshit extremes in such large numbers so much of the time people don't really comprehend nuanced opinions that don't fit into the accepted dichotomy. You're either pro, or your anti. And which ever side you belong to comes with a set of beliefs that you must conform too.
For example. You can't be against abortion but not also believe it should be banned. You can believe the fetus is a human life but if you do, you must believe abortion is murder and a sin too. You can't be want stricter gun control but oppose the assault weapons ban. There is a set template for each side and if you don't conform to people, people will conform you to it for you.
It's infuriating. You can't have your own beliefs, you gotta share one of the two extremes. It doesn't matter what the issue is, every issue is like this. And it's true. Most people don't have a nuanced view. People derive validation for their opinions by seeing others who agree. So they tend to wind up believing in the set template. It starts with a small thing, believing say, that we need stricter gun control. Then the rest of your opinions around that one small belief get shifted to conform to what everyone else who agrees with the central premise agrees with. If you want stricter gun control, you will likely come to believe the answer is the specific kind of gun control every other gun control advocate is advocating.
I know why, it's cause people are sheep, they are psychologically driven to conform through the ways I described above. And in democracies the system drives people to clump together into two opposed sides cause if either side were comprised of more diverse, nuanced views, the side that has a uniform belief template will outnumber them the side that's more diverse and beat them. But it's still bullshit.
It drives me nuts that I can't give an opinion without a dozen other stances coming with it. I can't for example say I don't believe approve of abortion without also becoming religious too. I can't defend the fascists free speech rights without being on their side.
It's maddening.
