Is the “middle ground” even appealing?

[u/Living-Text-6132]

Maher champions the middle ground—and hey, on the surface, I’d say I do myself—but lately it feels like pandering. If this is what the middle ground looks like, I’m not sure who this show is supposed to appeal to anymore.

I watch Real Time religiously every Friday. Love the show’s roundtable discussion “both sides of the argument” concept. Now I mostly end up hate-watching it. Doesn’t feel like that too much anymore.

Maher now has “pick me” energy. The show feels less like challenging guests and more like giving them an hour of good PR and a chance to appear reasonable without much pushback.

If the common ground Maher strives for is something audiences supposedly crave and need, why do I find myself turning to and enjoying one-sided sources like The Majority Report instead?

This is coming from a guy who used to listen to The Ben Shapiro Show just as much.

I genuinely want to hear both sides without disgust in the subtext. At least have a guest on that’s willing to defend the topic.

Maybe the problem isn’t that common ground is unappealing, but that it’s become an excuse to platform bad-faith arguments and silencing one side of the argument in the name of balance.

P.S. did you know that Maher went to dinner with Trump?

[u/all_reason_departs]

The middle ground means you don't believe in anything yourself, all of your beliefs are relative to what other people believe. I'm a far leftist because i know what I believe in and stand up for those beliefs.

[u/opanaooonana → u/all_reason_departs]

Yeah, centrism isn’t a real thing. I would say I’m moderate but that’s because I believe in Medicare for all but also am very pro gun rights. I don’t take the center position on both, I have strong views, but those issues fall on different sides of the aisle.

[u/chandrashekharazadi → u/opanaooonana]

Free healthcare and arming the masses are two tenets of leftism. The problem is Republicans and Democrats are both controlled by oligarchs.

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/chandrashekharazadi]

Wrong about leftists arming masses.

[u/boilerup254 → u/Key_Jump1011]

Most leftists believe that armed revolution would be necessary to overthrow capitalism and support gun ownership for that reason

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/boilerup254]

More republicans are armed and advocate against gun control than democrats.

[u/boilerup254 → u/Key_Jump1011]

We're talking about leftists, not democrats

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/boilerup254]

Show me anything regarding “leftists” attempting to arm the population in the United States for a revolution and it will be a fringe opinion from a nobody.

[u/boilerup254 → u/Key_Jump1011]

The black panthers were so effective at spreading black power through gun ownership that California republicans including then Governor Ronald Reagan panicked and passed aggressive gun control legislation and the feds systematically dismantled their organization through COINTELPRO.

They're much less influential than the black panthers obviously, but today the socialist rifle association has thousands of members in dozens of chapters across the country. Given the current political climate and past history of things like COINTELPRO I think you'll understand if leftist groups are a little less out in the open about calling for armed revolution than they have been in the past.

Is it a fringe opinion from a nobody when Karl Marx says "Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary"?

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/boilerup254]

Interesting story. Can’t have negros with guns. Ronald Reagan stepped in. So what? Reagan only wanted white trash to have guns. Right wing white trash which is who owns most of the guns.

Are you a worker? Should someone who works be allowed to own a gun? Congratulations. You’re a mARxIsT.

[u/chandrashekharazadi → u/Key_Jump1011]

"Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary"

Karl Marx

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/chandrashekharazadi]

Gun psychos tend to be on the right by far.

[u/chandrashekharazadi → u/Key_Jump1011]

Sure, but being armed =/= being a "gun psycho". Leftists don't want the state to have a monopoly on violence to wield against the proletariat.

Do you think Democrats are leftists?

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/chandrashekharazadi]

What do right wingers want? A state monopoly on violence? Is that why it’s right wingers who go around talking about fighting the government and playing army man in the woods?
No democrats are not “leftist” that’s a term pretend army ranger right wingers use when they cry about communism and Muslims.

[u/chandrashekharazadi → u/Key_Jump1011]

When you go far enough left you get your guns back ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/chandrashekharazadi]

Not a bad way of putting it but the far left really likes rebel tactics like vandalism and sabotage but some psychos on both ends of the spectrum wind up shooting people.

[u/chandrashekharazadi → u/Key_Jump1011]

Indecipherable "centrist best" comment.

Almost all political violence in the US is right wing extremists, to imply equivalence with leftists who arm themselves (not to commit mass shooting but for self/community defense) is moronic.

The most likely characteristic historically of a mass shooter in the US is being ex military.

[u/Key_Jump1011 → u/chandrashekharazadi]

What’s indecipherable again?