It has been mentioned on quite a few occasions whilst blogging and littering other sites with comments that i am one of those lefty types.
This may be true, i don't really know, because i'm not completely sure what a lefty or righty type is.
I ask my wife who is much more up on these things but after the fifth time of me asking to dumb it down a tad she is called away by an urgent call on her mobile. Strange how i never actually heard it ring.
As usual, i resort to the internet for answers and what i discover is that the left and right date from the days of the French pre-revolution days where everyone sat to the right of the King wanted to keep things as they were and everyone who sat to the left wanted to change it.
Not sure where i would sit if i was within the vicinity of royalty, probably whichever side gave me the best angle to throw rotten fruit at them.
After much reading my mind finally got to grips with this left and right thing, i think.
Basically, the left want what is best for the whole while the right want what is best for the individual.
The left include environmentalists, pacifists and Guardian readers. The right have royalists, religionists and Daily Mail readers.
The main difference seems to be that the left put down the stick and wave around carrots while the right swing the stick and make juice from the carrots.
The right had Hitler and the left Stalin as the leaders both try and brush under the carpet which makes a mockery of the rights religious credentials and the lefts wanting to do what is best for the majority.
Looking at the evidence i agree that i am easily one of those lefty types. I want to see things change towards a more fairer society and less of this divisive greedy attitude where the individual self gratification comes before everything else.
I am left wondering why would anyone want to be on the right? I am sure there are some well hidden good traits but you right wing guys do seem to come off sounding horribly selfish.
7 comments:
Selfish? Moi?
I would put the selfishness on what you called those "lefty" types, as there has never been a bigger group of busybodies that are so concerned with what other people are doing. Is it selfish to believe in the right of a person to lead their life as they see fit?
I have always thought that the difference between the "left" and the "right" was an argument as to top-down vs bottoms-up solutions. I do realize that both are needed in this world, but I consider bottom-up solutions to be more permanent, albeit more messy as well. My personal ratio would be somewhere in the 80/20 range(in favor of bottoms up). Throw out the intolerant of both sides and maybe a discussion can happen.
I also happen to think that a person that tries to make the world a better place, does a MUCH better job if it is done by their own volition, instead of force.
Huh? Wait... are you left handed and left eyed? What makes one a "lefty"?
For myself, I've become increasingly disillusioned with people who identify with any sort of ideology or dogma. Seems to me it's often used as a prism, to look through in order to' see' your position about any particular issue, without having to think it through independently. Not saying that's happening around here of course! But you must admit you've probably seen this sort of thing too - the internet's full of this sort of sectarianism, which, frankly, I think we need a lot less of. A competition of ideas is fine and dandy of course, but people just lining up with their perceived ideological allies, and against their foes, is tiresome in the extreme... It oversimplifies every issue.
For example, I'd venture to say that there are many, many exceptions to the 'right wingers are selfish' school of thought (some are, some aren't - they just think they're being realistic about man's nature); just as there are to the opinion that 'lefties all believe in bigger government' (some do, some don't - still others believe it should be bigger in some places and smaller in others)... And there'd be even more exceptions if people became more honest with themselves and therefore less adversarial and tribalistic in the way that they form their opinions.
The nuttier people I've encountered on blogs have tended to be the most dogmatic. Two examples from either side of the ideological scale: Mark (remember him? I miss that big lug!) and David.
I'm going to have to give some thought to the top down bottom up thing cody. Makes sense though, changes coming from the top imposed on the many or the many making the changes. Actually that works quite well as a description.
Cheezy - It has always been my defence when i get called one of those lefty types to say 'if you say so, I don't know what that means really' and i still don't really know. I do understand what you mean about people making their views fit their ideology, and blogs are famous for it. Maybe it is not done consciously but it does seem that in the more politically leaning blogs, you have to either be on the left or right. I agree that the more extreme of both sides are laughable though.
hanz,
a very childish and naive view of manipulative political labels.
the u.s. declaration of independence is liberal - people have inherent rights.
the u.s. constitution is conservative - a process for limiting rights of the governed.
anybody that would limit individual rights is acting conservatively whether a traditionally lefty topic (criminalizing racial slurs) or a traditionally righty topic (criminalizing porn).
anybody that would grant individual rights is acting liberally whether a traditionally lefty topic (legalize drugs) or a traditionally righty topic (legalize assult weapons).
q
Q - Not sure about the childish part but naive i can hold my hands up to, and did, right at the very start of the post.
Whether i or anyone else is left or right i don't much care because it means very little to me. I prefer to go on a issue per issue basis as i can understand that. Sort of.
hanz,
if you think that many of today's problems (health care, housing, employment) are solved by using the government to take money from some people and give it to other people, then you are a lefty.
if you think that many of today's problems are solved by empowering the government to deny some people choices (gun ownership, freedom of speech aka michael savage) for the good of all then you are NOT liberal - you are just affiliated with a group of people that call themselves liberal for political purposes.
q
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