Dogma, far right militism, and 'civility politics'

Page 1 of 1 [ 7 posts ] 

FlaminPika
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 12 Feb 2021
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 74
Location: New Jersey

03 Mar 2021, 5:24 pm

So this is a take that I've been interested in expressing for a while now. It's based off of a perceived insidious phenomenon I've noticed mainly regarding the right. I feel that the right is far more militant, far more galvanized, far more viscous, and far more dogmatic (detached from reality) in fulfilling their agendas than the left is. I notice this especially while reading Youtube comments and talking to the right on Discord servers.

For example, the election fraud narrative and other conspiracies, Republican's ability to flagrantly cheat through voter suppression, gerrymandering, etc while spreading the lie (and actually foolheartedly believing it) that it's actually the left that's cheating while they're (the right) the good guys... the way they bash democrats relentlessly and refer to progressive policy as communism.

It's this harshness and militant aggression and this appearance of fighting some sort of 'holy war' against an evil misplaced establishment that the right has been able to express that the left would never be able to replicate. We also see with the right this devout loyalty to Donald Trump, which is something the left cannot replicate. Many of the left will rally behind a politician like Bernie, but if Bernie would not be able to get away with half of what Trump gets away with without being scrutinized by his constituents.

Meanwhile there are democrat politicians like Joe Biden who are willing to compromise with Republicans and play civility politics. You don't see Republicans who are willing to compromise with democrats very often. The true progressives seem to be far less likely to enter high positions of power than true conservatives, even though the majority of the country leans less to the right. I think this is because Republicans are more closely tied to big business, while leftists are the true 'anti establishment' candidates.

I am curious what people's opinion is on this. Do you agree that the right comes off as increasingly militant and dogmatic, and willing to believe anything that serves their agenda, while the left isn't nearly as fervent and militant? What am I missing from my picture here? Leave your thoughts if you'd be so kind.

I would also like to share this video because these two exemplify exactly how I believe about all of this pretty well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFV7Gcd0asY



Fnord
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 May 2008
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 59,881
Location: Stendec

03 Mar 2021, 5:39 pm

FlaminPika wrote:
... For example, the election fraud narrative and other conspiracies, Republican's ability to flagrantly cheat through voter suppression, gerrymandering, etc while spreading the lie (and actually foolheartedly believing it) that it's actually the left that's cheating while they're (the right) the good guys...
This is called "Gaslighting", and is commonly used by those who enjoy abusing and manipulating others.


_________________
 
No love for Hamas, Hezbollah, Iranian Leadership, Islamic Jihad, other Islamic terrorist groups, OR their supporters and sympathizers.


shlaifu
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 May 2014
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,659

03 Mar 2021, 9:41 pm

Both Republicans and Democrats - I'd even go as far as saying: Americans - have been happily losing any grip on reality during the cold war, it got worse in the 90s and in the 2000s, until 2008, which could have been a wake-up call. But the Republicans decided to go further down the rabbit hole, all the way back to fuse conspiracy theories with a modern red scare.
The Democrat establishment is similarly delusional, thinking going back to Obama's period would be getting back on track - as if Trump hadn't been a logical consequence.
But as long as Americans believe in American exceptionalism, they will keep telling themselves a fairytale which will often be out of sync with reality and they will keep making decisions that will appear bizarre to snooty foreigners like me who think they've got it all figured out


_________________
I can read facial expressions. I did the test.


funeralxempire
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 39
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 25,502
Location: Right over your left shoulder

04 Mar 2021, 12:50 am

Yes, I'd agree the right comes off as cultish and utterly disconnected from reality. It's like a significant part of the American (and broader Western) Right has started to suffer from psychotic delusions.



roronoa79
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Jan 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,205
Location: Indiana

04 Mar 2021, 4:56 pm

When you're in a right-of-center country and Both Sides (tm) move away from the center, the right is going to be the one to adopt extremism first.

Mainstream Democrats are still further to the right (at least on economic issues) than most of their European counterparts. But Republicans have been spoon fed such a steady diet of capitalist, anti-worker propaganda that to them anyone to the left of Ronald Reagan is treated as a liberty-hating stalinist.

'Both sides' is a cliche that opened the door to right wing extremists entering the mainstream. It's based on sparing the feelings of rhetorical losers. As much as they complain about the younger generation and their participation trophies, 'both sides' is essentially telling both sides that they're valid winners when they most definitely are not. Republicans lose on the debate stage and they lose at the ballot box, so naturally they demand to be told that 'both sides' are equal and winners to spare their feelings.

Both Sides are not equal. Both Sides are not forming radical militias in the countryside. Both Sides are not undermining the 2nd amendment by shooting up schools and places of worship. Both Sides are not inciting mobs to seize the seat of government and lynch political opponents. Both Sides are not full of radicals plotting political assassinations and intimidation of political opponents.

Both Sides have not increasingly built their worldviews around antisemitic conspiracy theories, anti-scientific thinking, paranoia, American-special-snowflake-ism, the Christian victim complex, and living in denial about bigotry.

Any Trump supporter who says both sides are equally uncivil is gaslighting you or deluded.


_________________
Diagnoses: AS, Depression, General & Social Anxiety
I guess I just wasn't made for these times.
- Brian Wilson

Δυνατὰ δὲ οἱ προύχοντες πράσσουσι καὶ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ξυγχωροῦσιν.
Those with power do what their power permits, and the weak can only acquiesce.

- Thucydides


Mr Reynholm
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Feb 2019
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,363
Location: Tulsa, OK

04 Mar 2021, 6:42 pm

You might want to look into some alternative sources of news and information.



roronoa79
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Jan 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,205
Location: Indiana

04 Mar 2021, 8:45 pm

As someone who listens to right wing talk radio almost every single day, I can tell you it does not make them seem more reasonable when you step into their echo chamber. (It does help my self esteem a little).

Fox News is about as bad, as is National Review. American Conservative is the most decent self-described conservative news outlets I've found, but they probably are losing readers these days since they don't treat Trump as infallible.

People on the left usually do not dislike the right because of a lack of awareness of their beliefs. Unless you grew up in the city, there were no shortage of conservative voices in your life. I grew up with people of all political persuasions. I know the arguments. I've had decades to consider them. The older I get, the less I can take the eight's arguments seriously.


_________________
Diagnoses: AS, Depression, General & Social Anxiety
I guess I just wasn't made for these times.
- Brian Wilson

Δυνατὰ δὲ οἱ προύχοντες πράσσουσι καὶ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ξυγχωροῦσιν.
Those with power do what their power permits, and the weak can only acquiesce.

- Thucydides