Origin of left and right.

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Origin of Left and Right I have often wondered why it is that Conservatives are called the "right"
and Liberals are called the "left."

By chance I stumbled upon this verse in the Bible:
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)

Thus sayeth the Lord. Amen.

Can't get any simpler than that.

Spelling Lesson

The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican.......I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats

End of lesson. Test to follow in November, 2012

Remember, November is to be set aside as rodent extermination month.

So what you're saying is... you are not an ambiturner?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4yR-JVmGKE[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxJhE3WrRBc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZYP-eQbVV8&feature=related[/youtube]

the left and right thing could be related to this just as easily though

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-hand_ ... -hand_path

It derives from the position of the political factions in the National Assembly during revolutionary France.

Supporters of the King sat to the right of the President of the Assembly; supporters of the Revolution sat to his left.

Thus, Raptor, by your claim, Monarchists are wise and Revolutionaries are fools.

That corresponds somewhat to the modern usage. Those who support the Powers That Be are the Right, and those who oppose are The Left.

The Liberals and the liberals think themselves to be Progressive and Revolutionary. Not so. Currently they are the Establishment and those who support the State that is, by rights ought to be called The Right.

ruveyn

The liberal soul shall be made fat. -- Proverbs 11:25

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree ... they shall be fat and flourishing. -- Psalm 92:12-14

The vile person shall be no more called liberal ... For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy ... to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. -- Isaiah 32:5-6

It appears that God really has a problem with the Republican Party, calling them vile and not letting them flourish and all.

Nah. The ideals of the right are hierarchy and subservience. Right-wing "fiscal conservatism" and social regressivism both fit squarely into this framework.

^ this plus it links into the historical meanings and associations with both directions.
Right: as right, skilful, correct, good and proper.
Left: as in sinister, evil, unlucky, clumsy, graceless, awkward and weak.

Advocating that people live their lives free of entangling laws and regulation and live lives unregulated by the State is socially regressive?

If this is how you think, then you must believe the Nanny State inserting itself in the minute corners of everyone's life is the last word in Progessivity.

ruveyn

I think that you will find that this is a liberal proposition.

Who is it who seeks to use the coercive power of the state to interfere with women's reproductive freedom? Who is it who seeks to use the law to prohibit people from forming the families of their choice?



So far as my life is concerned, the minute corners of my life are threatened far more by social conservatives than they are by progressives. Progressives want me to cut a bigger cheque at tax time, and leave me free to live my life as I choose. Conservatives, on the other hand, want to interfere with my freedom and liberty to marry another man.

Southpaw baseball pitchers everywhere would like a word with you. Their words are inscribed on their bats.

You know why the right is called that? Because they are.
You know why the left is called "the left"? Because they should have done so years ago.

On a more serious note, anyone who is completely to the right or completely to the left is an extremist. A reasonable person is a mix of the two based on each issue.

For instance, I'm for the death penalty (right) and I'm pro-choice (left), I'm a fiscal conservative (right), but I also believe in a limited social safety net and government healthcare (left).

If your thinking am attacking left handed people then got another thing coming, I use to be left handed before been forced in school to write with my right hand. I can draw with both hands plus I'm ambidextrous in cricket batting and ten pin bowling. My own uncle is fully ambidextrous.

That's what I meant by "regressivism".