Our essential point is that Left and Right, although far from obsolete, are essentially a measure of economics. As political establishments adopt either enthusiastically or reluctantly the prevailing economic orthodoxy — the neo-liberal strain of capitalism — the Left-Right division between mainstream parties becomes increasingly blurred. Instead, party differences tend to be more about identity issues. In the narrowing debate, our social scale is more crucial than ever.
Why stop at arguing whether you are further to the left than your neighbor when you can also argue whether it’s okay to be an authoritarian?
I have always thought I am pretty decently to the left. I have been called a moderate here before. That’s why I put moderate in quotes.
I think the main difference between me and many of this forum is I am willing to bend on my ideals in the name of pragmatism. I also think I am fairly pro-capitalism (under EXTREMELY tight regulation) compared to others here, in a way that probably does not get captured by the questions that were asked in this survey.
For instance, the questions were basically like “do you think companies should be evil?” To which it’s like, lol no. But there is more nuance there to my position that probably gets me called a moderate.
I think it’s good to sometimes point out that we’re all basically on the same side. It’s something that often gets lost, not just among us, but among liberals in general.
I’ve also been a foot soldier for the democrat party so that alone would get me labeled as a filthy moderate, I think. And I volunteered for a congressional candidate that used to be a republican (one who I dont particularly care for that much but for this district he’s got the votes and he reliably votes blue).
This whole X/Y axis quiz is just an interactive version of the stupid,stupid,stupid Libertarian Nolan Chart propaganda. It’s all garbage in, garbage out. It clearly doesn’t make a lick-o-sense.
We should, as well informed UnStuckers, be able to come up with our own visualizations, instead of goofing with this RWNJ crap over and over again.
I’ll submit that an X/Y based on a axis of (attitudes toward hierarchy) -vs- an axis of a (attitudes towards spirituality) while perhaps still stupid, would be orders of magnitude more informative, useful at least to us, and more entertaining.
