Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
When all else fails, you start quoting Lenin, I have noticed Maybe you you have a soft spot for him after all, or why do you quote someone you don't like? Got 'ya Croc!
You know me for so long and you don't know me at all! I can agree with and quote whoever I think has a good point. I do not support any specific ideology. Some of my views are right, some of them are left. Sometimes, I totally agree with the foreign US policy, sometimes I throw my hands in despair by a mere look at it. To sum it up, I'm not an ideologist of any kind, but just a person crocodile. Also, it's very important HOW the opinion was acquired, because it makes a tremendous implications for the bottom line. For example, let's take your view on Esperanto as a fair international language. Your opinion on that matter is very solid as you were practically engaged in many situations around the foreign languages and learned different aspects of it. As a result, your opinion is solid, you can defend it with a phrase or two to the very point and be very convincing. You don't need some lengthy essays to defend it. On the other hand, unfortunately, you are unable to demonstrate that property with respect to the other issues, like the Socialism, or the party system. That clearly indicates that your opinion on those issues was formed arbitrarily, without much thinking and weighing the alternatives. So, when you face a need to defend it, you simply can't so you choose to reply with untrustworthy arguments, and when it doesn't work, you let your mind to comfortably rest into the ignorance. Earlier, you mentioned you definitely are not brain-washed, and that, I think, creates some kind of disconnect with the reality. I'm not urging you to believe in the US-style capitalism, the Sweden-style socialism, or the Antarctic-style anarchy. The only think I'm urging you to do is to wake up.

Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
And PS; I did not always hold the opinions I do now - I have already thought about it and come full circle.
Yes, I'm pretty sure you have. At that time you haven't had any opinion yet. But as soon as you formed your opinion based on your experience that was at hand at that time, it's now rock and solid. Nothing could ever shatter that. Alas, that's not the way a scientist (Political or otherwise) should approach the reality. Ask it-ogo.