And it seems like we say many things that broadly mean the same but we are saying them from a different direction as though in opposition to each other. Where I generalise, I am usually referring to established evidence that shows how proportionally one group may be more likely to experience a certain type of disadvantage than another. That proportionality is an important thing. It doesn't mean that I make assumptions but I seek to deconstruct and find a cause if there is one. And where inequalities are concerned, societal attitudes, institutional discrimination, gender roles etc are frequently shown to be part of the cause. That doesn't mean there is no element of genuine choice on the part of some of that group but we can't just assume that this is what women generally prefer to do and that is ok, we won't look any further into it.
It is not irrelevant to ask you what your personal understanding through experience of a situation is because I know from experience that even if people try to understand, there are some things you have to experience to really 'get'. I'm not trying to be patronising or dismissive when I say that. And if I am trying to get my message over to you then I need to tap into something you can identify with and if I don't know what that might be, then I'm never going to be able to show you what I mean so that you 'get' it.
You think the left generalises, but the right does, with no evidence very often. This is where prejudice stems from - reinforcing stereotypes about groups whether they are true or not. Are all young black boys vicious thugs? No, but the media likes to portray them that way, and when that is the dominant message about young black boys, the drip drip drip effect really takes hold. And nobody is saying where is all the evidence that makes it ok to hold these negative attitudes about black boys and young men?
The left have to provide the evidence to prove what they are trying to raise awareness of, all the right ever seem to need to do is keep saying it and if they say it often enough it becomes the truth.
You also demonstrate some misconceptions about where some of these opinions of the 'left' come from and why we discuss them with the framing that we do and that is why I've tried to break things down in my discussions with you.
I've always been well aware that my personal experiences do not represent any whole group but they do provide insight and anecdotes are a really powerful way of demonstrating the real life impact of inequality on people. There is plenty in my experiences that can be translated across to highlight key points about discrimination and inequality in wider society. Ad astra per aspera
Btw I do think the right exaggerates just the same, my post on ideology was giving examples from all directions, from left to right to neoconservatories and economical libertarians. My whole point was that all ideologies tend to behave a bit like religion, and rational debate (fueled by a search for the factual truth) and pragmatic measures (for the debate to not go sterile, but to end by addressing the real life situation) seem to impose themselves today. Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (Martin Luther King)
