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“You will be more conservative as you grow older” (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/memes@lemmy.ml
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[–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

left-wing populism, which argues for reigning in the excesses of capitalism

Left wing means ending Capitalism, not just "reigning it in," which never works long-term.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    "Left-wing," is a very broad term. In the Weimar Republic, yes, the left-wing alternative to right-wing populism was communism. In America today, Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders are the left-wing alternative. If that doesn't fall in line with your definition of, "left-wing,' that's fine, but it most people wouldn't define it as exclusively anti-capitalist ideologies.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    The Overton Window is relative, sure, but that's only useful in defined constraints, and only for one point in time. Leftism is socialist, rightism is Capitalist.

    Bernie is a Social Democrat as well.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    ...and Sanders himself defines Democratic Socialism as the completion of the New Deal reforms, not a gradual transition to a socialist economic system. There's a difference between the Overton Window shifting and a gradual change in definition over generations, but if you want definitions to remain entirely static, then we're both using left-wing incorrectly, as it's, "real," definition is opposing monarchy's veto power over parliament.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Yes, he calls himself a Democratic Socialist while being a Social Democrat, I'm aware.

    Left wing in the modern context refers to anti-Capitalism.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Left-wing has always had a loose, relative meaning, and arguing otherwise isn't attempting to stop the Overton Window from shifting. It's just an attempt to gatekeep who gets to be a, "real," leftist.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    No, it's getting people aligned on terms so proper organizing can happen. Liberals will never align with anticapitalists, for instance.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Right. So, you want to take the term, "left-wing," which has held different meanings in different contexts over more than two centuries and redefine as exclusively anti-capitalist, so you can tell liberals that they're not actually left-wing. Now that's an attempt to shift the Overton Window.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Leftism is revolutionary, rightism is reactionary. Right now, Capitalism is the dominant system being struggled against by Leftists around the globe. During the French Revolution, the proletariat and bourgeoisie both collaborated to overthrow the monarchy, which is why it was left.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    I've run out of ways to say this, so I'll just reiterate it one more time and be done with it; the meaning of left-wing is not that rigid and will vary based on context. It does not specifically mean revolutionary or anti-capitalist. It generally means a set of social or economic principles aimed at creating a more egalitarian society, but what that means in terms of policy will depend greatly based on the culture and system of government in place. Do I think it sucks ass that the American liberals are considered left-wing in the U.S.? Yeah. Do they meet my definition of left-wing? Fuck no. But I don't get to define that broad term based on my personal standards.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I've run out of ways to say this, so I'll just reiterate it one more time and be done with it

    I understand what you mean, and have since the beginning. I disagree with you on it.

    In a geopolitical context, leftism is socialism and rightism is Capitalism.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    You are welcome to disagree with it, but your definition is not shared by Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, or Wikipedia. The Encyclopedia Britannica comes closest to agreeing with you by saying that, "Socialism is the standard leftist ideology in most countries of the world," but it does not limit its definition of the political left to socialist and communist ideologies, and it certainly doesn't say, "Left wing means ending Capitalism, not just 'reigning it in." So maybe next time, before you jump into someone's comments to tell them they're using a word wrong, check if they're actually using it wrong or simply using it in a way that doesn't align with your personal beliefs.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Wikipedia agrees with me, the others are liberal rags.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago

    You:

    Wikipedia agrees with me

    Wikipedia:

    Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy as a whole or certain social hierarchies...Ideologies considered to be left-wing vary greatly depending on the placement along the political spectrum in a given time and place...In addition, the term left-wing has also been applied to a broad range of culturally liberal social movements, including the civil rights movement, feminist movement, LGBT rights movement, abortion-rights movements, multiculturalism, anti-war movement and environmental movement as well as a wide range of political parties.

    Anyway, we're done here.

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