Why do you lean left? -

[Guardian G.I.]

My political orientation is "liberal scum", in both American ("communist") and Russian ("anti-communist") sense of the word, while in reality I'm more of a social liberal. Market economy with reasonable government regulations and civil oversight (capitalists can and will screw everyone over for profit if given the opportunity, just look at 19th century Western countries or 1990s Russia), with progressive and egalitarian social policies, without giving in to xenophobic bloodthirsty far-right nuttery or catastrophically inept and often similarly xenophobic bloodthirsty far-left nuttery (looking at you, Stalinists). Eastern Europe has had enough suffering from both.

I've pretty much given up on posting on KF because ever since the Farms have got overrun by rightoid political refugees from Reddit, the dominant ideological positions here piss me off way too much, and I don't feel like arguing with everyone only to get mad, receive negative ratings and ruin my free time.

Spoiler

I particularly dislike the Farms' stupid circlejerk over incredibly horrible evil transes that apparently have an agenda similar to this. Most of the talking points are in reality either rehashed anti-gay bullshit from three decades ago like "trannies are gonna brainwash the kids and rape them" (except this time it's totally real, guys, info 100% true), or people being mad because trans people can be ugly and repulsive. Being ugly and repulsive is not a crime! Also, treating horrible people on a case-by-case basis without putting the blame on the whole social group isn't possible, of course.

From a very cynical Darwinist viewpoint, if you are weak-minded enough to have your hardwired biological imperatives overwritten by someone's persuasion, you probably wouldn't have made a good contribution to the gene pool anyway.

And, of course, the Jews and "Marxist" influence everywhere. Marx and Engels are probably generating enough energy in their graves to power half of Eurasia because of everything right wingers in the SJW threads are always associating with them, like capitalist corporations putting gay scenes into video games.

 

[💗Bitchstopher Columbitch💗]

Antisemitism goes beyond class. People hated Jews when they were barred from the ruling class. That's like saying people hate blacks or Arabs because they're poor.

In the modern West it seems to be mostly a class thing. Lower class gentiles don't like the way things are going, they see there's a bunch of Jews in positions of power so they blame them for what's going on. Ruling class gentiles who are Zionists, friendly with Jews or progressive get called Jew-adjacent or "good goys".

Some gentiles also fear that the Jewish people may be racist supremacist anti-racemixing ethnostatist eugenicists who engage in racial nepotism. That's my conclusion from peeking into the world of antisemites. The biggest issue is that they often treat Jews like a hivemind and attribute the wrongdoings of one to the whole group-- people should really be taught not to do that from a young age, it's crucial to fighting true racism and bigotry.

The famine associated with the Great Leap Forward sucked. Nobody can argue against that. It was also the last famine that China had. India still has cyclical famines and crushing poverty. So it’s like India suffers a new Great Leap Forward every decade.

Economist Amartya Sen describes it as follows: “Despite the gigantic size of excess mortality in the Chinese famine, the extra mortality in India from regular deprivation in normal times vastly overshadows the former. [...] India seems to manage to fill its cupboard with more skeletons every eight years than China put there in its years of shame.”

Living in China might seem shitty to us, but it’s a relative paradise to these guys growing up in starving villages.

In contrast, Hitler went out of his way to kill (all memes aside) six million Jews and others through direct extermination. Through war, 20 million Soviets, and got about 20 million Germans killed. Memes aside, he’s the worst.

Mao went out of his way to kill nearly as many of his own people. India is a mess, but I'm not sure Maoism is the answer.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/08/03/giving-historys-greatest-mass-murderer-his-due/

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/feb/24/cultural-revolution-portraits-xu-weixin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong

Mao himself claimed that a total of 700,000 people were killed in attacks on "counter-revolutionaries" during the years 1950–1952. However, because there was a policy to select "at least one landlord, and usually several, in virtually every village for public execution", the number of deaths range between 2 million and 5 million. In addition, at least 1.5 million people, perhaps as many as 4 to 6 million, were sent to "reform through labour" camps where many perished. Mao played a personal role in organizing the mass repressions and established a system of execution quotas, which were often exceeded.

It is not merely the extent of the catastrophe that dwarfs earlier estimates, but also the manner in which many people died: between two and three million victims were tortured to death or summarily killed, often for the slightest infraction. When a boy stole a handful of grain in a Hunan village, local boss Xiong Dechang forced his father to bury him alive. The father died of grief a few days later. The case of Wang Ziyou was reported to the central leadership: one of his ears was chopped off, his legs were tied with iron wire, a ten kilogram stone was dropped on his back and then he was branded with a sizzling tool – punishment for digging up a potato.

I'll take Hitler over Mao, although both are bad. If Mao had been European, millions of Jews would have suffered under him because he hated intellectuals, landlords and the upper class in general.

 

[furūtsu]

I don't know where on the spectrum I am, honestly.

Anti-censorship, pro-choice (in cases of incest, rape, stillbirths, teen pregnancy, severe congenital defects and nonviable pregnancies), pro-religion, Christian, pro-gun, pro death penalty, anti-transgenders fucking with everything, pro gay marriage, anti (illegal) immigration, anti corporations, pro decriminalization of all drugs, anti prostitution and sex work, anti porn (but pro hentai).

My beliefs are generally shaped around "Is X thing more beneficial or detrimental to society, and can it be prevented or merely substituted with a more palatable alternative?" I'm also human, and selfish, and support policies that personally benefit myself and my family.

I'm also very much live and let live, but I also realistically understand that laws and regulations need to exist for a reason and that they'll inevitably fuck over some minority, but no perfect compromise can be made.

 

[Steely Dan]

I generally consider myself a pretty progressive guy, it's just that the left in America has gone so far left that they've become conservative witch hunters. Corporations and unfettered capitalism need to be controlled and regulated, and when it comes to social issues generally I don't care as long as someone doesn't make their sexuality or their one deviant thing their sole defining characteristic of their personality, because those people are generally annoying narcissists.

One thing that might diverge me from the left a ittle bit although I don't think it should; is that I think the biggest problem the country, and maybe the west at large faces, is that it has lost its soul. What I mean is that during the 20th century after the industrial revolution, and going through two world wars, I think a lot of people gave up on God, or any kind of faith or spirituality. I think within the last couple generations you're really seeing the results of that, with tribalism being at an all-time high, and people picking their political team that they can gather with, have faith in, and worship, and that being politics. This is further exacerbated by social media, which holes you into a hugbox where you can increase your zealotry and religious fervor for your political party. This also has come about in time when NAFTA, and many other pieces of legislation have been passed that put Americans out of jobs, giving them time to be bored, cynical, and sink further into political identity. (See: people LARPing as revolutionaries on the capital). I think gaining some sort of spirituality and laying down your personal ego is a very progressive thing to do these days when it feels like the entire world is being put under the vise of cynical hyper-capitalism, and globalization. That doesn't mean go to church on Sunday, as I kinda pick and choose from all different religions of what their key components are, then base that as my spirituality.

Overall, I think people should stay informed, however getting jammed up to the point where you lose friends or become estranged to relatives is also killing the country, and people should focus on caring about themselves and their family.

 

[Bunny Tracks]

Because I'm pro-choice (within reason), pro-gay marriage, support women's rights, think police brutality is a problem that needs to be addressed, think diversity is usually a good thing, don't hate minorities and want to get rid of them, think corporations needed to be regulated, think healthcare needs to be reformed, support a higher minimum wage, and worker's rights, support environmentalism, and animal rights (within reason), pro-pornography (again, within reason), think mental health is a serious problem, believe we should decriminalize drugs, or at the very least, reform our laws about them, think some sort of welfare should be provided for those that need it, and believe there should be a strong, and distinct separation between church and state.

However, I am also pro-gun (again, within reason), think identity politics are fucking bullshit, think the T in LGBT has gotten way out of control, don't think all men are evil, and should apologize and repent for being born with a dick, think that being a woman, or minority shouldn't absolve you from consequences, am very proud and grateful to be an American and think that you should actually have to work for your money if you are able to.

 

[El Sátiro Sordo]

I don't know if I count as a leftist.

I believe in worker's rights as well as welfare; free College and Healthcare, and affordable housing. I also believe in the regulation of key industries, especially when it comes to the protection of the environment. Unregulated capitalism is utterly unequipped to deal with climate change. If we don't do something this entire world is going to hell.

The main reason I don't identify myself as a leftist, at least openly, has to do with the left itself. I am a catholic. I have no problems with LGBT people, but it seems that my lifestyle is constantly ridiculed and demonized by Twitter LARPers. It's weird to be in company of people so weary of you when it comes to basic human decency.

Let's say I don't feel welcomed.

 

[Samson Pumpkin Jr.]

I lean left because I read. Reading is the cure for fascism

 

[Rich Evans Apologist]

I make fun of whoever is the most rump-ravaged at any given point, which means oscillating to take the form of their natural posterior predators.

Spoiler: Do you really want this autism? Do you REALLY?

I have never really gone with the flow on just about anything, and I flirt with almost every political perspective on some point because I enjoy debate and screaming like an autistic retard. I have never really felt the sort of peer pressure that other people have to adhere to certain political lines, as I broadly have no problems with being a loner and don't anyways want to waste my time around people that can't tolerate fundamental differences of opinion in their peers. (Of course, I am also not retarded enough to try to force this to work in professional settings, where adopting a persona to go with the flow is necessary for survival and not uncommon for any age.) I tend to prefer as a result whoever comes up with the best arguments on-average, since everyone is a retard sometimes: and this has meant that I prefer the sort of policies and perspectives prescribed by outlets like the Economist, authors/thinkers like Jonathan Haidt, and monotone rambling fedoras like Sam Harris.

As all young and dumb children are, I was more vehemently progressive when young. Then I kept losing arguments and finding myself rubbing shoulders with the most obviously manipulative and detestable people, and so I turned more towards a libertarian bent thanks to a friend/mentor funneling me that perspective. Yet ideological libertarianism gets wrapped up in completely unrealistic expectations about the way that the world should-be could-be may-be, and it fails on a fundamental level to offer succor to anyone that gets dealt a rough hand; a pragmatic sort of libertarianism is much more attractive to me, which broadly finds itself stapled more to the center, to people who actually aim to influence policy rather than offering "lol just move" as advice.

As I am now, I oscillate between preferring a weak central government if it is to be written with feeble checks & balances and staffed by complete shitheads, but a strong and commanding central government if its institutions are ironclad and it is staffed by technocrats and ideologues of true color -- oscillation being necessary because neither of those are realistically attainable, especially in the united states. At times I can come off as sympathetic to Marxist ideas and arguments, but at others I'll espouse a Schumpeterian critique of capitalism which still fundamentally affirms its use and practicality. I would describe myself as postmodern in the way that Nick Gillespie is - having beliefs, but not really believing them to be an accurate or realistic thing, preferring to try to view the world bereft of its grand narratives. Disco Elysium's writing gave me big cummies for this reason.

While I am put off by the ideologues on the left and find them to be utterly insufferable because they really, really damage any chance of what I want to realize occurring, I never belonged to that group of people and as such don't feel particularly spurned by them. Class animus does infuse me, even if I regard most unions in the modern-day as compromised, self-serving, and an ultimately outdated model that has failed to keep up with the times. That being the case, seeing these bourgie progtard sociopaths clamboring all over each other to pozz the labor and progressive movement on the whole is deeply frustrating, and yet something which simply affirms my stance rather than sends me veering off into nationalistic frenzy.

And all of this could pretty easily point to one landing center-right or center-left; I prefer left simply because the right's pillars of interest have never held much appeal to me. I can regard them as important and inoffensive and even necessary for society to exist and in the same breath prefer the sorts of experiences, life, and belief which comes from hewing closer to the left. A cautious and realist (that is, cynical) approach to idealism most accurately grabs what I desire: use the bounds and limits of today to search for a better tomorrow; don't act as if you're already in a better tomorrow and just hope that everything magically works out.

don't hate minorities, and want to get rid of them,

Watch that comma placement!

 

[Occam's Spork]

Eh. I'm just an old school liberal. Free speech, right to free assembly and protest, all the stuff in the constitution about keeping the govt in check by the people.

I'm pro 2nd, couldn't give a fuck less about abortion, I'm ambivalent on gay rights, and I think transgender people are 99% in need of psychological care.

Any other wedge issues are just fodder for the political machine. Push my button, not theirs, etc.

What concerns me the most is how insidious tribalism has gotten in the last 8 years. It's not so much the left/right dichotomy, it's how the two sides are being groomed into visceral hatred of anyone who so much as questions the narrative or doctrines that have been put forth. I used to be able to have a simple debate over contentious issues, and maybe we don't agree, but you know, that's fine, but now it's simply insane the sheer amount of loathing that seems to be out there from people who cloister themselves in one camp and set their pikes.

I'm not smart enough to even venture a thought as to what the best path forward for the US is, but I can say with absolute certainty that what we have right now is the opposite of what we actually need.

The last thing we need is the civil war that some, here and elsewhere, seem to pine for. Violence will only beget more violence. We need to work the problem, not make more.

 

[The Last Stand]

The key term I'm hearing with this thread is "WITHIN REASON."

Nobody wants to reason with each other any more. Just go off one side and hope for the best.

 

[RMQualtrough]

I thought I was a Nazi because I kept seeing crazy "liberals". Then I saw what true liberals are (e.g. Christopher Hitchens) and realized I agree with them the most.

SJWs made me vote right wing because I figured that's what I am based on their nonsense. But really it's just that the self-centred virtue signalling freaks skewed my perception.

I think I'm considered libertarian in ideals albeit I don't think it could work irl. People IDEALLY should be allowed to do anything to themselves responsibly or use guns responsibly etc. but people simply AREN'T responsible. Most people are in fact retards and would for example drop some Shrooms and sprint off nude with knives yelling about demons.

 

[GHTD]

I used to be more on the right-wing side but I ended up completely breaking myself by doing that. So, I ended up looking at what the right had turned into with a close eye instead of blindly parroting whatever some right wing pundit had to say, and I noticed it's a bunch of people arguing about whether meager shit normal people would find OK is "unconstitutional" or not and shit along those lines. I didn't want to be part of that cancer.

Don't get me wrong, I'm left but I fucking hate our fringes to the core. Bernie bros are some of the most IQ-less people on this planet that totally aren't stuck in some cult world. Fuck them.

 

[TylerDurden11]

All the religious crap is probably scaring many away from the right. The right is too conservative and left is too liberal and many people dont fit in anywhere

 

[💗Bitchstopher Columbitch💗]

I thought I was a Nazi because I kept seeing crazy "liberals". Then I saw what true liberals are (e.g. Christopher Hitchens) and realized I agree with them the most.

SJWs made me vote right wing because I figured that's what I am based on their nonsense. But really it's just that the self-centred virtue signalling freaks skewed my perception.

I think I'm considered libertarian in ideals albeit I don't think it could work irl. People IDEALLY should be allowed to do anything to themselves responsibly or use guns responsibly etc. but people simply AREN'T responsible. Most people are in fact retards and would for example drop some Shrooms and sprint off nude with knives yelling about demons.

The issue is that the lunatic fringe of the left is leaking into the government, the school system, the media and even some workplaces. Biden said he has nothing against 8 year olds transitioning and his team has racebaited and encouraged riots all summer. They shielded antifa as they attacked fellow Americans. It was probably just virtue signaling to get elected, but it's still horrific imo.

There's even some left wing politicians who incited violence against right wingers. I'd probably lean left if it wasn't for all that.

 

[kiwi-identified cow]

Respectfully, I'll go into why I left the left, as well as some things I do still agree with them about.

I was raised by people who leaned right and I went leftward after high school, probably out of teen angst against family. I spent a few years in a liberal online community and got the ideology ingrained in my head, which actually seemed to build a negative worldview because of how I bought into social justice culture: I began to truly believe that 'less fortunate' people were entitled to resources attained through others' hard work because 'the system' would stop them if they tried to work for themselves, or that western economic and social systems just automatically crush anyone who isn't middle-class, white, straight, cisgender, and 100% free of mental and physical disabilities (in reality most people aren't, as almost everyone has a physical or mental barrier to deal with at some point in their lives).

Spoiler: more paragraphs

Seeing the world as a dangerous place that would oppress and harm me if I didn't find 'safe' spaces and people to surround myself with was a deconstructive, isolating mindset. Almost all people have experienced suffering and trauma of some sort, each person in a way that is unique to them. There is often no 'worse' set of circumstances than another, but when everyone has a victim complex and we all think we got dealt one of the worst hands in life, we subconsciously compete with each other to see who makes the cut to be considered truly oppressed. And once we're there, then what? You're considered by your peers to be one of the Most Oppressed, yet you are still going nowhere in life -- and due to this ideology, you think it's because of who you are (non-white, not straight, whatever) instead of the choices you've made (education, time management and work ethic, passions and interests).

Go out into the world, and defend yourself if you have to -- but spend enough time in the (civilized) world and you'll see that it's actually uncommon to have to. Better-yet, potentially having to defend yourself from something is worth being free. Best-yet is the fact that spending time around people who disagree with you challenges the mind, broadens emotional capacity, and generally brings positivity and balance to your life if you let it; conversely, the concept of 'thought crime' teaches that it's unethical to want to be around people who hold radically different views at all.

While for most of 2020 I felt libertarian, I'm now moving more and more toward the 'libertarian right' every time I see a new side of the western left. As other have said in this thread and elsewhere, the modern 'woke' left truly does not seem to care about oppression unless it fits specific patterns and narratives. All of their 'protect black/queer/etc. people uwu' rhetoric means nothing as soon as the black/whatever person doesn't agree with the narrative at hand. Just take a look at r/asablackman for examples; it's a subreddit originally meant to mock powerleveling and obvious lying, but it's often used to just say "look, this person says he's black, but he doesn't agree with what black people SHOULD agree with" (in the opinions of white liberals, for the most part).

In reading this thread, I'm glad to see that some people who identify as left-wing differentiate between leftism and 'woke culture' -- what I'm describing is probably best defined as the latter as opposed to just 'leftism.' I'm okay with approaches that are considered left-wing when it comes to many social issues, like LGBT+ rights, but I wish we could look at it all through the lense of Constitutional rights to self-expression and privacy as opposed to identity politics. (Along those lines, I truly wish that the woke left would take trans issues more seriously. It's objectively an issue to have a mismatch between one's identity and body -- as traditional transsexual people will tell you -- and whether a person views it as a delusion or not, the answer is not to put all our energy into trans acceptance and no energy into maintaining a consistent, logical definition for what being trans means to begin with. The woke movement is starting to alienate some of the most educated, successful trans people just for acknowledging biology and questioning social trends.)

Then there's the mental health. The average young wokester seems to think that whatever three-letter diagnosis they got -- often from some institution chasing insurance payouts with 'doctors' who 'diagnose' multiple strangers every day before never interacting with the same 'patients' again -- has to control their sense of identity, ability to work, and social standing. They firmly believe that not only are they not physically/mentally capable, but that they're going to be actively stopped by mysterious 'oppressive' forces if they try.

So it's overall a miserable philosophical stance: basically "I can't get anywhere because I'm too retarded/weird to integrate with society" when it's just not true. Woke culture is a philosophy of brainwashing yourself to think you're not capable on your own, that society absolutely must rise up to meet you in some way if you are to succeed at all, that you must measure how much 'privilege' you have and compare yourself to your fellow human beings constantly, and that all the quirks of your brain must be due to Your Assigned Acronyms and not just the fact that each person is a unique individual with a unique past and unique emotions. Combine this with the immense social pressure to behave as the group does in woke circles, and the result is IMO pure stress and instability.

While I've been trying to make a consistent effort not to disrespect people who still have this philosophy (especially if they truly seem happy), I'm very thankful that I was able to move past it personally and I hope others can do the same if it feels right for them.

 

[kelfa]

I just think worker unions and workplace democracy would be better than the corpocratic Hellworld we currently live in. Don't see society achieving any of that in my lifetime, but I can be . The way I see it idpol from either side only serves to distract the masses from the real oppressors. You can fuck whoever can consent and do whatever the hell you want to your own body, just act normal, imo.

 

[The Lizard Queen]

In college I leaned so far left that I had to wear special shoes to keep me from falling over. I went full SJW, with blue hair streeks and boots and everything, and hung out with a bunch of wannabes and genderspecials. God, so thought I was so important. I was gonna go change the world and bring down the system.
Once I got into the workforce and started interacting with people outside of school, I realized just how ridiculously out of touch with reality I had been, and veered right. Now I see the value of moderation in all things, and understand why things are the way they are. I still want to change things, but now I think financially instead of socially.

 

[CreamyHerman’s]

I lean left because I read. Reading is the cure for fascism

Lol you do realize Mussolini surrounded himself with brainlets right?

 

[Slap47]

I was considered anti-gun for a time. That failed Texas church shooting some time ago changed my mind.

The left used to be the main force for gun rights in the country. Some prominent American leftist who's name escapes me cited the gun on the family mantle as the source of America's greatness.

If there's any left leaning users on this site, I'm curious to know why you lean this way. No hatred from me and no I'm not accusing you of any of the actions that have happened recently in America, I'm curious what policies you agree with and why.

Public healthcare: Works better than America's network of private insurance companies. This will lead to govt regulation of things like the amount of sugar in pop/soda, but it is worth the cost. Insurance companies and/or the lack of a safety net already effectively restricts liberties so these types of unnoticed regulations should be less of an issue.

Inequality: Markets are a good idea, but having all of the wealth funneling to the top is dangerous. The left is dominated by the part of the elite that have a paternal mindset and savior complex, but that does not change the fact that they come from the system championed by the right.

Social issues: The Right hate to hear this but they are still dominated by the religious moral majority. American, Canadian and British conservatives would probably ban weed if they could (In the USA they still do). They're anti-gay, anti-trans, and want to regulate areas such as free expression. I'm not hyped about the LGBT subculture, but they should have the right to do their own thing.

Discourse: The left does this but its worth mentioning. The Right are knowingly misinforming people and allying themselves with questionable people. Paul Joseph Watson, Sargon, Ian Miles Cheong, Epoch Times, Falun Gong, the Moonies, OANN, and all that lie or are just simply morally dubious. I know many of them should know better. Some like Cheong admit to lying to further an idea, and others like Sargon should know better than to call Biden a communist. I know that Sargon is aware of the differences between Marxism, Marxist-Leninism, and various types of early socialism. They know better, but yet lie. They embrace anti-intellectualism on issues like climate change, COVID, and race just to support arguments that honestly don't need anti-intellectualism to stand. The rampant conspirism and lying is simply not healthy.

Militarism: Max Boot ("We should patrol the world like we patrolled the wild west") became a Democrat because of Trump, but Trump still greatly increased spending on the military-industrial complex. Conservatives in most every country generally support unnecessary military spending and conflict. In the case of the USA/Canada/Britain this is driven by cultish evangelicals who think supporting Israel will bring on the apocalypse and questionable big business interests.

Racism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_8E3ENrKrQ

Racist Republicans exist and have had racist agendas. Aspiring for equality and meritocracy requires rejecting such ideas. The poster of this video mistakenly frame this as the parties switching on racism. I see it more as the Republicans embracing small government southern whites to finally become a national party as the Dems become more big government. The Dems did not stop being racist, but the Reps sure as hell did become more racist.

I don't just lean left, I am a socialist. My reasons are simple. Neo-Liberalism is an autistic system that benefits the few through the sweat of the many. Recent events such as COVID-19 has simply exacerbated the growing divide between the ultra-rich and everyone else. Whole cities have become inhospitable or too expensive to live from policies going as far back as Reaganomics, with highly educated people having to two or three jobs just to survive. It's an immoral, unjust and impractical state of affairs that's vindicated only by lib-cucks or the highly privileged whose biggest issues usually revolve around not being able to date Alexa.

My biggest gripe with the mainstream left and self-described socialists is that they are effectively neoliberals.

Their rhetoric is about neoliberalism being a great evil but yet they support neoliberals. Globohomo is a conspiracy buzzword, but it is an apt description of the mainstream left.

Their rejection of free speech and sudden love for giant corporations is the final nail in the coffin for me ever supporting them again.

 

[Dave.]

The left used to be the main force for gun rights in the country. Some prominent American leftist who's name escapes me cited the gun on the family mantle as the source of America's greatness.



Public healthcare: Works better than America's network of private insurance companies. This will lead to govt regulation of things like the amount of sugar in pop/soda, but it is worth the cost. Insurance companies and/or the lack of a safety net already effectively restricts liberties so these types of unnoticed regulations should be less of an issue.

Inequality: Markets are a good idea, but having all of the wealth funneling to the top is dangerous. The left is dominated by the part of the elite that have a paternal mindset and savior complex, but that does not change the fact that they come from the system championed by the right.

Social issues: The Right hate to hear this but they are still dominated by the religious moral majority. American, Canadian and British conservatives would probably ban weed if they could (In the USA they still do). They're anti-gay, anti-trans, and want to regulate areas such as free expression. I'm not hyped about the LGBT subculture, but they should have the right to do their own thing.

Discourse: The left does this but its worth mentioning. The Right are knowingly misinforming people and allying themselves with questionable people. Paul Joseph Watson, Sargon, Ian Miles Cheong, Epoch Times, Falun Gong, the Moonies, OANN, and all that lie or are just simply morally dubious. I know many of them should know better. Some like Cheong admit to lying to further an idea, and others like Sargon should know better than to call Biden a communist. I know that Sargon is aware of the differences between Marxism, Marxist-Leninism, and various types of early socialism. They know better, but yet lie. They embrace anti-intellectualism on issues like climate change, COVID, and race just to support arguments that honestly don't need anti-intellectualism to stand. The rampant conspirism and lying is simply not healthy.

Militarism: Max Boot ("We should patrol the world like we patrolled the wild west") became a Democrat because of Trump, but Trump still greatly increased spending on the military-industrial complex. Conservatives in most every country generally support unnecessary military spending and conflict. In the case of the USA/Canada/Britain this is driven by cultish evangelicals who think supporting Israel will bring on the apocalypse and questionable big business interests.

Racism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_8E3ENrKrQ

Racist Republicans exist and have had racist agendas. Aspiring for equality and meritocracy requires rejecting such ideas. The poster of this video mistakenly frame this as the parties switching on racism. I see it more as the Republicans embracing small government southern whites to finally become a national party as the Dems become more big government. The Dems did not stop being racist, but the Reps sure as hell did become more racist.





My biggest gripe with the mainstream left and self-described socialists is that they are effectively neoliberals.

Their rhetoric is about neoliberalism being a great evil but yet they support neoliberals. Globohomo is a conspiracy buzzword, but it is an apt description of the mainstream left.

View attachment 1855641

Their rejection of free speech and sudden love for giant corporations is the final nail in the coffin for me ever supporting them again.

I mostly align with you, but what about education? Are you for a blend of privatized and public education with more money put towards them? That's how I am and, in response to the corruption of college campuses, they'd also be regulated in terms of infrastructure so they don't intentionally inflate their budgets to ridiculous degrees.