Why do people use Left v Right on international forums?

[Pony Soldier]

I don't even know what left wing and right wing even means. I don't waste my time with political nonsense I just have my certain views on things and that's it. I don't label myself. I just think the whole red vs. blue, left vs right shit is one of the most annoying things.

[Spectral]

Maybe its a very American thing to alienate people based on their political beliefs, or maybe its just internet mentality from anti-social-media bafoons?

Who knows?

Maybe any Americans can tell me if you are as bad as the internet when it comes to politics, are you all so brazen and outspoken about it, is it everywhere you go? Do you speak how people on here speaks when it comes to politics. Would love to know.

My impression is that people are often very self-segregated here socially, not necessarily because of deliberate choices around politics, but because of other cultural norms. Most of my close friends are either academics or spent a lot of time in academia and there's a tendency towards cultural and political homogeneity where "everyone knows" all sorts of things and there isn't much deviation from the accepted norms there. So are people brazen in person? Well, maybe they're loud and obnoxious about things at times, but it's mostly to people who basically share most of the same views and things are shaking out as minor doctrinal differences.

When I visit friends and family in my rural home area, I see much the same for Red Tribe politics.

[Kellhound]

There is the academic definition of Left and Right (i.e. "international definition"), and the local definition of Left and Right. Which standard you use is dependant on the context, and either is correct in context.

[Dezerte]

There's some especially weird misunderstandings to be had due to what the term liberal means in US vs EU. US libertarians are much closer to our liberals in that regard, while the US liberals seem like a very general term that I find difficult to place other than 'somewhere on the left-side'. A spectrum that is already very generalized, even with the authoritarian-liberty axis. Ideologies frequently mix left and right-wing ideas making it more complicated to place them, e.g. Right-wing Socialism (it's real).

[Mittens]

Piketty would be considered centre right in Europe.

[GreenJesus]

What about up and down and sideways? Why always left and right? Politics should be talked about in a 4 quadrant spectrum rather than on a line.

[Dezerte]

What about up and down and sideways? Why always left and right? Politics should be talked about in a 4 quadrant spectrum rather than on a line.

Or depth. And time. And all the other dimensions.

[Nitros14]

Anti government while they voted a right wing autocratic militarist corporate government into office?

They voted for Trump partly because they believe him to be a "political outsider" who will cut through "big government". Trump also is busy cutting tons and tons of government programs and they voted in a Republican congress full of people that love the private sector and hate government.

[Xarkan]

The European left is in a much more intellectually healthy spot.

Depends on which part of the left

Antifa does not seem to be in a particular[ly] healthy spot intellectually. Assuming "me hit face face agree" is not a recognized healthy intellectual debate technique ofcourse.

[Deleted]

They voted for Trump partly because they believe him to be a "political outsider" who will cut through "big government".

While infact he cuts at science costs and invests ten times the money into military. So there is "bigger government" than before. And about being a "political outsider": His government is made out of establishment-people from military and finance, generals and bank-managers, billionaires and ex-lobbyists. He pretends to be an "outsider" just to adress the hillbillies who hate america. While that is nothing but propaganda.

Trump also is busy cutting tons and tons of government programs and they voted in a Republican congress full of people that love the private sector and hate government.

He cuts some few government programs and invests even more money into military.

An autocratic leader is never going to reduce the state, he just moves the money from civil programs into military buffs. Goal is to turn america into a militaristic society.

[Nitros14]

While infact he cuts at science costs and invests ten times the money into military. So there is "bigger government" than before. And about being a "political outsider": His government is made out of establishment-people from military and finance, generals and bank-managers, billionaires and ex-lobbyists. He pretends to be an "outsider" just to adress the hillbillies who hate america. While that is nothing but propaganda.



He cuts some few government programs and invests even more money into military.

An autocratic leader is never going to reduce the state, he just moves the money from civil programs into military buffs. Goal is to turn america into a militaristic society.

Just because the people don't understand what they're voting for doesn't mean they aren't pro private sector and anti-government on the whole.

[Mormolyce]

The terms left and right barely mean the same thing from decade to decade.

Broadly speaking, the more progressive party is the left and the more status quo party is the right. In that sense it's pretty easy to classify across countries even though all the specifics are different.

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The internet is a cancer, no one speaks the way people on here speak in real life about left and right, I got friends on left and right sides of the spectrum but we are still friends who can discuss like normal humans beings. hell we don';t even hardly discuss politics. On the internet however its a frikkin armchair war lol.

Look buddy, it cost a fortune to mount these rocket launchers on my armchair, you want me not to use them???

[Slant]

Depends on which part of the left

Antifa does not seem to be in a particular[ly] healthy spot intellectually. Assuming "me hit face face agree" is not a recognized healthy intellectual debate technique ofcourse.

Antifa is not a political group. They're activists of the extreme nature. But as of now, they don't have a party, don't have any political influence. It's like I said "BLM is part of the political landscape of the US".

[JohnBrown1917]

Piketty would be considered centre right in Europe.

But he is European.
What party is he part off?

[Felya]

Because they have no legitimate argument. When you have self proclaimed independent, thinking that the way to be impartial, is to try and equate actions based on similar actions of party or ideological followers... there is a massive problem. If you cannot make an argument in regards to what is being discussed, without saying democrat, republican, liberal or conservative, you don't actually have a point. It has nothing to do with international, but with the point not being the issue being discussed, but justification of your ability to equate it with others or to generalize.

It seems that currently, an argument that justifies an opinion, is not due to it's merits, but how you can justify it within a political or ideological side. An argument isn't justified in its merits, but how Obama or Bush did it to. At no time recognizing those arguments do not contribute to discussion of issues, but shifting blame.

FYI: Contrarian and independent are not synonymous.

[primalmatter]

People are lazy and they are easy short hands to use that pretty much everyone understands.

[Felya]

People are lazy and they are easy short hands to use that pretty much everyone understands.

But, they are not something everyone understands, but are completely subjective. When one calls liberals responsible for issue, it's impossible to understand what the issue is. It's like saying you call people ass holes, because it's faster than saying 'you are taking the last piece of pizza at the party and I have yet to have slice'.

[Mittens]

But he is European.
What party is he part off?

Its a joke

[Zecora]

The definition of Left and Right Wing differs from country to country that I always find it bizarre when people call each other this on here an international forum. For example in the UK the US seems to be centre-right and right whereas our right is probably considered left by Americans

They do not really vary nearly as much between most countries, as they vary between the US and the rest of the world.

[Berengil]

Mainly because a great many Americans ( like me) do not care for any other definition, spelling, or pronunciation other than the one commonly held in the US. It's kind of the same reason so many Americans don't speak any language other than English: we don't have to.