The Liberal Politics & Current Events Book Club discussion

Hello and welcome. Please introduce yourself here!

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Hello, everyone. I'm a 22-year-old on again, off again geeky science-lovin' college student (fine arts!) who likes to try to keep on top of things, specifically what's going on in the world.

I started this group because I saw that while there are several conservative-oriented groups with high membership and activity, there are not any such liberal groups. I'm hoping that some day this group will grow to such a stature and that we'll eventually be able to do group reading.

Hi Donegal,
Thanks for starting this! I was so alarmed yesterday when I was shopping on Better World Books, and I clicked on the topic "Politics" and it was full to the brim with books by Glen Beck and Palin and all the crazies! This could be a great forum for discussing political books. I will spread the word among activist circles here in Seattle.
Thanks and best wishes,
Julia D.

Julia wrote: "Hi Donegal,
Thanks for starting this! I was so alarmed yesterday when I was shopping on Better World Books, and I clicked on the topic "Politics" and it was full to the brim with books by Glen Be..."

Welcome and thank you for joining! I hope we'll sooner or later we will be big enough for doing group reads, but even now it's a useful way for spreading news and meeting the like-minded.

Donegal --

I've been meaning to tell you that I really admire what you're doing here (and on your other group). I wish I'd been as clear about my beliefs when I was your age.

Lea wrote: "Donegal --

I've been meaning to tell you that I really admire what you're doing here (and on your other group). I wish I'd been as clear about my beliefs when I was your age."

Thank you! I just hope I'm not overconfident in my beliefs.

I think an abundance of confidence is appropriate for your 20s! Although I do find that I become more "myself" the older I get -- hitting 40 was like a whole new world opening up -- less interested in or needing the approval of others or society in general. It's really nice, LOL. Maybe you've jumped to that POV and skipped all the angsty 20s & 30s BS?

Lea wrote: "I think an abundance of confidence is appropriate for your 20s! Although I do find that I become more "myself" the older I get -- hitting 40 was like a whole new world opening up -- less intereste..."

Gauging what that might be like from pop culture, I really hope so!

Donegal, I gotta agree with my pal Lea - you are amazing! When I was in college, all I thought about was guys (with occasional nods to the subjects I was supposed to be studying.) I'm delighted to find this group!
Lea, for me it was hitting 45 - so liberating! I finally realized that I no longer had to suffer fools gladly! Hence, I've only seen my mother-in-law once since then. Yippee!

Hi all. Ya guys OK with "old people" in your group :-? I'm a 63-year-old public library librarian on the cusp of retirement (May 31, 2011, is my last workday). I've led face-to-face book discussions for the past six years at the library, but (since where I work is a rather conservative community) certainly not liberal-politics discussions. Looking forward to seeing where this group takes us!

Woo-hoo! Happy Retirement to You! Fair warning - most of the retired people I know are busier now than they were when they worked full-time! Welcome aboard and don't be shy! Speak up on any and all topics, or create one of your own!

Welcome Tyne! Very happy you chose to join us. Good luck to you with both your novel AND your job hunt.

Hello and welcome, Tyne. I hope you find us to your liking! :)

Hi,
My name is Joy and I am a total bleeding heart liberal who loves to read!

Hello Joy! Good to have you here.

Hello,
I'm Heather and I am the 41 year-old child of hippies. Which is to say that the only people I know who are more liberal than myself are my parents! My Dad studied political science in college and so my sister and I grew up with dinner table conversation about actual issues. I don't get much of that these days because I travel in some pretty conservative circles. I get most of my news from NPR and The New York Times, but I am not as well-informed as I should be. When everything I hear or read makes me cringe I get depressed. When I get depressed my husband calls a moratorium on all news media. I'm looking forward to some intelligent discussion with like-minded individuals (for a change!).

Hello and welcome, Joy and Heather! I hope you'll enjoy the group :)

Hey Heather! I'm happy you decided to join this group.

Hello all! This is awesome to have found this group! Um, so, about me. My name is James. My reading of liberal works has been mostly from a theoretical perspective (marx, chomsky, alinksy, foucalt, adorno, etc). I've been involved in the more risky liberalness but now that I'm older I watch the news and generally get down about things, haven not taken much action other than general political participation in some time. I suppose I vent by watching John Stewart... kinda lame I guess. I dunno! But I am happy to be here!

Welcome James.

thanks :)

Your book looks interesting and has been added to my list.

oh, hey thanks! It just came out actually. I'm still in the process of getting it on Amazon, etc. But its on Smashwords and Nook.

Hi Everyone, I just joined this group. I am a retired social worker (just retired 2 months ago) and I live in Evanston,just north of Chicago. I write a blog called http://recipesforabetterworld.blogspo... and I'm also writing a book of short stories based on my experiences. It's been difficult for me recently deciding which politics to get involved in. I seem to gravitate between Moveon.com and the Dem. Party of Evanston (the most left wing end of it). My Congresswoman is Jan Schakowsky. I've always tried to be involved in one way or another. Sometimes it seems like there's nothing and sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything.

Welcome Lisa. Your blog looks cool and interesting - food and politics :) I love to cook so I may pick up a recipe or two!


Lisa wrote: "Hi Everyone, I just joined this group. I am a retired social worker (just retired 2 months ago) and I live in Evanston,just north of Chicago. I write a blog called http://recipesforabetterworld.blo..."

Thanks for checking it out.

Welcome to the group Lisa. Like your blog. I have tons of yellow squash right now and I never thought of using them in quesadillas! Cool!

we get tons of yellow squash from our CSA! I'll take a look too!

Melki wrote: "Welcome to the group Lisa. Like your blog. I have tons of yellow squash right now and I never thought of using them in quesadillas! Cool!"

Thank you both for looking. What's a CSA?

Welcome, James and Lisa! :)

Lisa wrote: "Thank you both for looking. What's a CSA?"

It stands for community supported agriculture. Basically its like a commune. Okay, not really. At the beginning of the growing season, members pay a set fee and receive whatever produce is available from the farm throughout the season. It is a great way to eat locally if you don't have the time or inclination to grow your own garden. Additionally, it helps small farmers because their produce is sold before it is grown. Most CSA's are organic and many grow heirloom vegetables.

Yep! We used to go to a farmer's market where we used to live, but there isn't one nearby. with the CSA you do a weekly pickup. It is all paid in advance. So we get tomatoes, squash, kale, peppers, lettuce, beats, etc., all depends on the season. Ain't cheap though. But the food is very tasty and I am trying to eat healthier so hopefully it is worth it!

We have one of those in Chicago. I just didn't know what it was called.

it is worth checking out if you like to eat organic! it supports local farmers too so that is good for the local economy :)

Lisa wrote: "We have one of those in Chicago. I just didn't know what it was called."

Welcome, Lisa! I look forward to reading your stories. I've been looking for more narratives about activism. I don't think I've really read any fictiony ones - just detailed reports of various campaigns like Streets of Hope; the Rise & Fall of an Urban Neighborhood. I'm looking for more narrative stuff that shows what it's like to be an activist.

Lisa wrote: "Hi Everyone, I just joined this group. I am a retired social worker (just retired 2 months ago) and I live in Evanston,just north of Chicago. I write a blog called http://recipesforabetterworld.blo..."

Has anyone read the article in psychology today about 'liberals being smarter than conservatives'? An interesting hypothesis to explain why. I read it on my ipod so I dont have the link.

@julia I feel uncomfortable giving like a sales pitch. But I thought I'd let you know per your comment above. My eBook novel is about an activist who tries to start a political movement. Its called Discontents and it just came out.

Julia wrote: "Welcome, Lisa! I look forward to reading your stories. I've been looking for more narratives about activism. I don't think I've really read any fictiony ones - just detailed reports of various camp..."

I found the link:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/t...

Goodness knows I've always suspected it - seriously, does any member of the Tea Party look like a rocket scientist? - but it's nice to see it confirmed in print!

haha, yeah. I found the hypothesis pretty interesting and wonder about it. I also wonder, I'm not sure that liberals control institutions such as the media. But, a liberal would be more likely to be an academic because the point is to help others you don't know (goes along w/ their hypothesis) and you get paid crap.

Melki wrote: "I found the link:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/t...

Goodness knows I've always suspected it - seriously, d..."

I knew it!

hahah! well, it is a hypothesis!

There are some intelligent conservatives, but right now the conservative movement is dominated by ignorant extremists. It's hard to find intelligent conservatives to argue with around here (Evanston, Illinois) but I live in what the Tea Party has called "the belly of the beast."

I don't believe intelligence is an issue. I think it is a matter of how people think and what their priorities are in their reasoning.

There are other issues besides intelligence. Do people want to give in to the greed of the wealthiest 2% or are we going to have some concern for one another is a big one. Nevertheless, it's hard to have a rational conversation with people who get their news reports in Comcast and Fox News sound bites.

I agree! I think it is about rationality! People aren't rational and don't think things through. They decide based on emotions - that's my hypothesis at least. :) It is very hard to talk to the other side about politics. Some people in my family bully others who don't agree with them. People are so passionate it clouds their mind I think.

I am so glad to have found this group. My name is Susan and I live in "enemy territory", North Carolina, the US southeast. Although the cities do tend to be more liberal. I have trouble finding like-minded people to discuss politics with. I'm not as well-informed as I should be, but am working on getting there. I'm also glad to see a range of ages here. I'm 54 and can't understand why many of my friends from youth have become so conservative as they've grown older. Glad to be here and look forward to discussions.

Welcome!

Hello Susan. When my liberal sister-in-law moved to Raleigh, I enjoyed teasing her about living in Jesse Helms' Realm - but she's still there - so you're not the ONLY liberal, though I'm sure it seems like it most of the time. Welcome to the group. You should feel at home here.

Hi Susan, Welcome to the group. I just joined it a couple of weeks ago myself. Although I live in Evanston, IL (just north of Chicago in a bastion of liberal thought) I read the NY Times Mon through Friday. They're always offering deals to out of towners. Anyway it's a good way to be more or less informed about what the major events are.

Thanks for the welcome!

Lisa - my main sources of news are NPR and the NY Times which I read on the internet or my Kindle.

I do have one well-read liberal friend and a couple that are not so well-read. Also, my Dad is a thinking conservative who is becoming more and more disgusted with the republican party. Hope there are more like him out there when I look at the Rep. line up for the presidential nomination!!

Hi Susan, Glad to get to know you. Your dad sounds like one of an endangered species these days. I wonder how extreme things have to get before people wake up.

Susan wrote: "I am so glad to have found this group. My name is Susan and I live in "enemy territory", North Carolina, the US southeast. "

Haha, I'm living in rural Missouri so I can sympathize! Welcome to the group :)