What are some contradictions or hypocrisies you know you partake in?

I consider myself a huge liberal/democrat etc.

But I love guns lol.

I am a green party voter, and I am for pipelines.

I am from Alberta, and I would vote for the Block Quebec party if they ran candidates outside of Quebec.

I eat meat, but often It’s not sourced from perfectly humane producers. I’m also pretty confident that eating meat is amoral from a philosophical perspective when acceptable alternatives exist. But it’s so damn delicious…

I tell everyone the importance of reaching out when you are struggling, and to not stuff down all the bad feelings. I advocate for therapy.

I never talk about my feelings in real life, I stuff everything down, and for the first time in my life I am willingly getting help from a therapist, rather than it being forced.

I just saw a meme on FB that summed me up. It was concerning not being able to watch a movie where the animal dies but yet watching true crime and serial killer documentaries for fun.

I love animals and hate when they suffer, but also I hate commercials that raise funds for suffering animals.

@JLeslie I agree with you about cheese, melted vs. cold. I like cheese on some sandwiches (i.e. ham and cheese) and chopped up on top of salad, and I like it melted on pizza and Italian foods, but not melted on top of meat like cheeseburgers or Philly cheese steak. I say hold the cheese on a burger, and Philly cheese steak is very unappealing to me.

I am a hard skeptic atheist but I am a firm believer in Oliver’s Woofing Theorem.

What is that? I googled it and I got woofing during sports events?

Nevermind I understand. I thought his name was Oliver Woofing. Thought it was dog woofing.

But isn’t that superstition, not religion?

@gorillapaws and I can talk about the morality of vegetarianism while tucking into our roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. I like to say I’m a non-practicing vegetarian.

@Blackberry That’s one of the my least favorite features of political labels and binary US parties: there is no reason why a notion like “liberal” should determine a person’s opinion on any particular issue.

Especially with issues that really have very literal to do with the label. In the case you mentioned (gun rights) there’s no particular reason why that should correspond to a political leaning or a party (except where something like the NRA gets involved, or a party tries to make it a pet issue).

We’re supposed to be able to discuss and decide issues on their merits, and labels and parties interfere with that, and in this case can even induce someone to consider themself hypocritical, when really it’s just a US association with meaningless labels and notions of identity.

@MakeItSo1701 It’s not superstition. It’s proven fact. Thou Shalt Not Anger the Woofing Gods. Thus sayeth the prophet Oliver.

@gorillapaws I’m similar on the meat front, plus it would be much healthier for me to be vegan, but I’ve never stuck with it for any length of time.

Another vote for meat-eating. I eat beef, pork, chicken and fish. But I couldn’t kill a mammal or bird with my hands unless for survival. I fish but sometimes I stop because I’m torturing them.

Same. I’m a meat eater who hates the idea that animals have to die for me to eat them. I actually didn’t like meat at all as a kid but after becoming anemic, I had to learn to eat liver and from there, I just developed a love of meat.
I also try to eat as healthy as possible, but I make exceptions for certain sweets, like Devil Dogs.

^^ Devil Dogs!! My mom sent those in my lunchbox for school. Still love them, and Ding Dongs!

I know exercising is healthy, but I am a recliner potato.

I’m supposedly an adult but I watch various cartoons.

@smudges Who doesn’t like cartoons?

^^ Well since I’m guessing you do, I’ll work on not being embarrassed anymore. There’s an R-rated one on Netflix called Big Mouth that’s pretty funny. (I don’t know if it’s actually R-rated, but some parts should be X) I also love Family Guy and Alvin and the Chipmunks. :D

I love Bob’s Burgers.

@Caravanfan I don’t like most cartoons.

@YARNLADY Not even Bugs Bunny?

I play the game of religion. I know that there is no scientific evidence that there’s a bearded old man up in the sky that watches everything we do. Yet I tell people that I thank Jesus for my life. I do it to go along so I can get along. I justify that by thinking of Jesus as a spirit that may or may not exist. I don’t absolutely know anything. I only know my own personal situation. And I don’t know that very well.

I don’t consider myself an atheist because I don’t go around announcing to the world that I’m a nonbeliever (like atheists do).

@gondwanalon Kind of a generalization there about atheists, isn’t it? I’m one but I have no need to proselytize. I don’t know any who do except for those who write books. I consider one’s beliefs their own business unless they are trying to shove it down my throat.

@janbb Yes it’s (see above) a general impression that I get from atheists. I’ve seen it announced clearly on fluther and in my other experiences. From what I’ve experienced, an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in God and doesn’t hide it. Not like me. I’m a coward, afraid to offend. I just want to blend into the background and hide.

@gondwanalon and @janbb, I guess this is a bit of a generalization as well, but every single “proclaiming” atheist that I am acquainted with is actually an antitheist, which I find to be a different thing. Atheism, by its very definition, is a null state. You are very likely true atheists if you don’t proclaim. :-)

@canidmajor No, I am not antitheist. I am an atheist, but you are correct, it is a null state. It is a state of not believing in anything, which I do not.

@gondwanolon I think those are usually the formerly extremely religious converted atheists trying to convert others. That’s of course a generalizarion too.

@Caravanfan Were you a “proclaimer” and I missed it? Sorry. I was pretty specific.

For example, mostly I see Christopher Hawkins as an anti-theist.
But a person who, when asked, simply states that they are an atheist, with no added folderol, is probably an actual atheist.

^^ But I think you can be both. You can be an atheist who doesn’t proselytize or you can be an atheist who is actively anti-theist. It’s not binary.

@canidmajor Not sure what you mean by a “proclaimer”. I saw you posted it but I don’t understand what you mean. I don’t wear a sign saying “I’m an atheist”. Interestingly, my daughter is an atheist also but she wears a Star of David.

Too many to list politically.
Religiously, love God but not a fan of organized religion, or witnessing unless asked.

@canidmajor So I guess I “proclaim” myself to be Jewish. I “am” an atheist. Does that help?

I believe in God but I also know that religion is a manmade thing and that the irony is every religion thinks theirs is the “right” religion and all the others are wrong.

I have noticed that atheists on Fluther (some atheists, not all) are very vocal about their dislike of Christianity. In the past (like 15 years ago), there were big discussions here where some belittled Christianity, calling god “Sky Daddy” and stuff like that.

@jca2 I only dislike Christianity when they do stuff like cover up abuse of children by their priests, force their religion down everybody’s throats like requiring Bible in school, or taking away women’s reproductive rights.

I agree with you there, @Caravanfan.

@jca2 I hated that in the past when some atheist jellies were trying to belittle theists and making broad negative generalizations. Some atheist jellies back then I felt gave atheists a bad name and didn’t represent me as an atheist at all.

Have you seen the Ron Reagan commercials where he says he is a proud atheist. I don’t remember the rest of it, but I hate that commercial.

I never quite understood the difference betweeen “hard atheism” and “soft atheism”. My atheism is simply a lack of evidence. Show me indisputable scientific evidence of a deity and I’ll change my mind. I do that all the time in my work—show me the evidence and I will change my practice.

My atheism is I was raised atheist and I believe if there is a God He would be a loving God and not care if someone worshipped Him with prayer or church services, but rather He would care about Tikkun Olam, repairing the world and making it a better place for everyone. That behavior matters more than any specific belief in God, and to be good and care about helping others and society (everything from your immediate family, community, and the greater society of the world). That we all affect each other and the fabric of society is woven by each one of us interacting with the other.

Theists can function the same as atheists regarding doing good behavior, so since that is my priority, and I believe if there is a God that is His priority, I don’t care how people get there, whether it be through a belief in God or not.

“Theists can function the same as atheists regarding doing good behavior”
This is the essence of being Jewish.

@Caravanfan The precision of Earth itself is amazing.

@KNOWITALL So is the precession. (sorry astronomy joke)

@KNOWITALL – the rotation of Earth would have been more constant over the ages if not for the Moon slowing it down. That momentum reduction is being channeled into flinging the Moon so many centimeters further out every year.

@RocketGuy

“That momentum reduction is being channeled into flinging the Moon so many centimeters further out every year.”

Have they been using the elapsed times of lunar laser bounces to determine that?

I saw an episode of the Big Bang Theory, where they were measuring the time it took for a laser beam to travel to the moon and then return to its projector.
So I was wondering if that’s something astronomers actually do to make those calculations.

@Zaku
You are right, wasn’t the best example. Regardless of philosophy, everyone has the right to defend themselves.

@Brian1946 – bouncing laser beams off of the Apollo retroreflectors is a convenient way to measure the distance to the Moon accurately. People have been carefully measuring the distance over time. Go here for more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon

Yep! That reflector was placed by Apollo 11!

That Apollo dude was our best astronut ever! ;-p

Manually piloted the LEM over a field of boulders, had 20 sec of fuel remaining after getting to 0 altitude with 0 horizontal and ~0 vertical speed.