Which wing?

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(Breaking my rule about not really discussing politics in depth with people I don't know, but...)

Be glad you don't. There's no such thing as democratic socialism, period. I live in a social democratic country, and if it weren't for the conservatives and liberals (not the same as socialists, but you probably know that), our welfare system wouldn't even be universal. The socialists wanted it to only cover the poor, so if you had money to pay for healthcare, you wouldn't get it covered by welfare until you were poor. Of course they like to cover that up now, since in their arrogance they want people to believe they, not the awful conservatives, created our universal welfare system. In reality, the only thing they contributed except stopping to block the vote for universal welfare, was to bureaucraticize it completely, making it hard to navigate.

So pretty much, Norwegian welfare exists thanks to the conservative party and the liberal party finally managing to get the democratic socialists to come along. If it weren't for them (conservatives/liberals), we'd probably have something like the existing American medicare/aid, which only cover the poorest part of the population. Most people won't believe that, but the ones who've actually read the party declarations/programs from that period, are aware of it.

Regarding the "democratic" thing, socialist politicians keep attacking things like basic freedom of speech, freedom of religion and so on. Usually subtle enough to be able to deny it if anyone confronts them, but clear enough to identify their ideology, at least with a minimal ability of critical thinking. As a "soft conservative" I will of course fight for their right to hold and promote that ideology, but their tendency toward redefining their own anti-democratic tendencies as "true democracy" (you'd be surprised at their ditching of other Western countries, especially the US), their own lack of tolerance as "true tolerance" and so on makes me sick. It's pure newspeak. If you point out these tendencies, you're automatically viewed as "paranoid" - now that's a tyranny of opinion, if you ask me. Many Norwegians agree with me, but few (including me) dare to say anything in public, because it might affect job opportunities and so on. I'm convinced I lost a few potential jobs because my resumé conveys I'm Catholic (and Catholics are automatically bogeymen and terribly conservative, according to the politically correct mass media), but of course that's impossible to prove. Still, when they seem to be positive to your application until they get your resume (even when you told them you studied religion and philosophy, and they said that was a great background to have), you pretty much know their reasons. Now imagine if they googled you and realized you're also a political nonconformist...

Also, their egalitarian crap that caused my hardcore democratic socialist headmaster to take away my higher level grammar and math books in primary school, because "we won't have people being ahead of their peers in this school", literally destroyed my joy of learning. I also never developed the natural study techniques that most people do, because I didn't get true challenges until the latter part of high school. That headmaster vaccinated me against socialism of any form. I'm pretty much vaccinated against far-right ideologies too though, for other reasons. Hence my "soft conservative/moderate" standpoint. And hence my wish to leave this country, preferably even Europe.

But oh well, I have a bad day, in which case I *should* really copy this to a Word document, reread tomorrow and don't bother posting. I'll just hit "submit" anyway, and hope I didn't overstep any boundaries, step on anyone's feet or anything like that

I'm minarchist/libertarian, so as far as I know it comes to right wing

How minarchist/libertarian? There are different degrees of that.

I's something like this:



I think it should be more libertarian (but politicalcompass thinks different), but wing-thing is ok

Republicans have allowed themselves to be overtaken by far-right libertarians and the tea party. Many more mainstream Republicans have either been defeated in primaries or become Democrats.

I don't know if I should shout hallelujah to the defection of mainstream Republicans, or to cry.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

lol, I just think it is an indication of the widening culture wars in the U.S.

Libertarian Socialism

In today’s political lexicon? .....I’m a fire breathing commie.

I've always thought of myself as a "greenie" or a "social democrat", but I don't really know what an American might call me. I suspect they might call me a "progressive".

My instinct is always to fight against entrenched interests, using the government if necessary. I think that "freedom" is a hollow concept unless it includes the freedom to not have your life determined by the circumstances of your birth. I am very worried about climate change. I think that the rise of secularism is the best thing that ever happened.

I'm a libertarian, so I don't consider myself right-winged or left-winged.

Right wing and proud of it.

Right-wing; national conservative; classical liberal; Unionist; anti-EU.

I'm a socialist.

Moderately right wing. I'm somewhat libertarian but full blown libertarianism doesn't quite cut it for me. I believe self-direction is much more reliable than any type of social engineering, but the one thing I fundamentally differ on when it comes to full blown libertarianism is my concept of human nature. I believe us human beings are irrational and shortsighted, so I'm big on environmental regulation for example. On paper, depleting resources would go against rational self-interest, but looking at it from the perspective of irrationality and shortsightedness, it would make more sense that short-term profiteering would take precedence over considering some vague, distant, uncertain future. This is the same reason the death penalty fails in terms of deterrence.

Getting left wing now am I? Not quite. The death penalty is in some vague, distant, and uncertain future while an armed citizen is right here and now. What would deter smokers more, coughing up blood the next morning or knowing that you MIGHT get cancer 30 years down the road? That's my logic when it comes to human nature, and it's not nearly as cut and dried as left wing or right wing. I label myself moderately right wing as a rule of thumb rather than as a rigid characterization.

PS: I'm not trying to soapbox here, I'm just explaining where I'm coming from.

Don't like the use of the word 'moderate' in this context. Centralist would be preferable.

Or the conservative/liberal dichotomy. How horribly American.

I am neither. I am a Technocrat with strong Socialist sympathies.