| Left, Center, and Right. I am always slightly amused and disgusted about the commonly held conceptions of the political spectrum.
The concepts of Left and Right wings historically come from 18th century French Parliament. The Aristocracy whom represented the current order sat on the right of the speaker, and the Commoners (common as in not noble, not common as in poor which is something people need to remember) sat on the left. Obviously there were class contentions as the Aristocracy (the old order) fought the newcomers who wanted change (the new order). Back then the capitalists were the revolutionaries with their laissez-faire ideas, and the Aristocracy was the entrenched reactionaries defending feudalism against those who thought the system was inherently unfair and therefore could not be reformed.
Today the right wing is composed of capitalists (and their supporters) which would include both Democrats and Republicans. The Left is those who want to overthrow the current order (see the pattern?) and establish a new order. These usually are your various varieties of socialism/communism. While the parties may disagree on this or that they have the common purpose of ensuring capitalism (and their class) stays supreme. They will drop their bickering to counter any real threat to the system. Centrists are those who try to 'stay in the middle' but to most Leftists they are viewed as right wingers who want to fend off revolutions by adopting some of the Left's proposed changes... something of a safety valve to appease the masses.
There is a lot of red-baiting and the Democrats like to pose as the 'party of the people' but it really is a clever ruse to trick the populace into thinking they are the alternative when people become fed up with capitalism's excesses. The important distinction between left and right really boils down to if the view supports or damns the current system. Everything else is simply details. As a side note, should real Socialism supplant Capitalism it would be appropriate to call Socialists Right Wing from there on. |
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| said by runlevelfour:I am always slightly amused and disgusted about the commonly held conceptions of the political spectrum. You're attempted classification of the entire left wing as anti-capitalist is tainted and jaded. While some people exist on the left who do not like capitalism, many support it; moreover, the right wing has its own brand of anti-capitalist as well. In a basic nutshell, both groups have their nutcases.
If socialism supplants capitalism, socialist would still be referred to as liberals. If fascism were to prevail and corporatism installed (something we are close to anyway), fascists would still be referred to as conservatives. |
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| Are you drunk or just trolling? Opposition to the standing eco-political structure is exactly what defines left from right wing political viewpoints. If you are a supporter of capitalism then by definition you stand with the establishment even if you have disagreements. Jaded and tainted? Your response is ignorant and opinionated.
Socialism and Liberalism are a far cry from each other. I am not sure where you received your education, but liberalism is classically laissez-faire capitalism. Which is why it is hilarious to see capitalists throwing the term at each other like an insult. I have no idea where you were trying to go with the fascism... seems like you don't either. It is people like you who spread misinformation based on hearsay, opinions, and personal beliefs rather than analytical perspectives gleaned from a broad education of various theories. You sir, need to read a book or two as your opinions do not even approximate rational argument. |
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| The left and right spectrum is more diverse than one issue. If someone argued for the findings of global warming, they would be considered a part of the left even though they may support capitalism. In addition the ending of slavery, the rights of women, and gay rights are left wing agendas. If I support equality for women, I'm on the left, but I am not against capitalism.
Corporatism is a type of economic structure imposed by a very conservative type of party call fascist. »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatis···poratism |
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| reply to runlevelfour
A good discussion, but not really on topic for this discussion, and I think we all know this ends with partisan fur flying and pouting. |
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