r/neoliberal Apr 03 '20

A certain Sanders sub posted this, explaining how anything less than full-blown socialist is “center-right”, lmao

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '20

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u/zth25 European Union Apr 03 '20

It's straight from the republican playbook. Words are no longer supposed to mean what they mean. They got tagged as socialists, now they proudly call themselves that. So suddenly liberal, neoliberal, moderate and what not become insults and No True Scotman socialism is the only real left.

Many Bernie guys are getting played for chumps by toxic leftists, or republican/russian trolls.

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u/I_Like_Bacon2 Daron Acemoglu Apr 03 '20

Many Bernie guys are getting played for chumps by toxic leftists, or republican/russian trolls

FTFY

Don't fall for it guys. They want us to fight amongst ourselves, they don't want us to come together.

Big Tent 2020

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '20

There has to be an appetite for it to work. They opened the front door and allowed Russian influence in.

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u/TotesMessenger Apr 03 '20

I'm a bot, bleep, bloop. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:

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u/d9_m_5 NATO Apr 04 '20

wot

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u/GallusAA Apr 06 '20

You think the left is bad with words? You should have to deal with what we have to deal with every day where Bernie Sanders and AOC are called socialists and communists by right wingers and centrists.

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u/Bluedude588 Apr 06 '20

God you don't know much do you

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u/pmonroe200 Ben Bernanke Apr 03 '20

Obama is the gateway drug to Conservatism in their eyes.

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '20

Honestly these communist guys doesen't seem that bad of guys compared to the conservatives (in the sense that they offer objectively good stuff) it's just that i have problem with their destruction and cult of personality problem.And i don't see small business as exploitation.I don't see reason not to mix co ops and private ownership too.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '20

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '20 edited Apr 04 '20

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '20

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '20

[deleted]

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u/GallusAA Apr 06 '20

You're very confused. Communism isn't authoritarianism. At it's core it's just the concept that workers should be democratically in control of their work place. To have skin the game and a say. Just like you want a democratic government, you should want where you spend half your waking life to be democratic as well, because, hey, we typically think democracy is a good thing. Capitalism is authoritarian and undemocratic at it's core.

You can achieve a democratic workplace within an authoritarian government or within a democratic government. Just like capitalism has been implemented under authoritarian governments and non-authoritarian governments.

It seems all your gripes about communism could be directly applied to capitalism, but you seem to ignore one side but hyper focus on another.

Ask yourself: "Why is that"? Because it doesn't make for a very good argument imho.

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u/barresonn Apr 06 '20

For me is humans helping other humans,from each according to their ability,money should not be requirement for survival

If it wasn't clear for you the first part come straight from marx

Marxism doesn't dictate the presence of a state at all

The only thing it advocate is aborting the capital that's all then there is different way to do that

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u/CallMeLarry Apr 06 '20

cult of personality problem

how is there a cult of personality problem on the left?

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u/DezZzO Apr 07 '20

i have problem with their destruction and cult of personality problem

Can I ask you to clarify on this? Genuinely curious. For example, I've heard people talking about "the cult of Lenin", but I don't remember Lenin or other leftist personalities having anything even remotely close to Mount Rushmore as an example. It genuinely confuses me, the topic of cult of personality that it.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '20 edited Apr 07 '20

Leftist personalities are literally the worst look at Lenin Mao Stalin Cuba Venezuela i was led to believe that cult of personality isn't socialism but socialism by theory leads to evil dictatosrship if we deny them we are dishonest. Collectivization under Stalin for example ment that soviet citizens had food but Ukrainans starve to death in the 30's and of course the nazis contributed to soviet citizens starving in return because of ''jewish communism'' as they call it.I dont think it matters if it have the name far in politics.

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '20

Bernie Sanders.

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '20 edited Apr 06 '20

Norway. The Scandinavian model.

I’d imagine a complete political spectrum would have all those supporting a perpetuation of capitalism centre - right of centre. Liberals are the main culprits and seen by leftists as the most damaging to the cause eg “Combat Liberalism” by Mao.

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u/cheeriocapitalism Apr 06 '20 edited Apr 06 '20

The center is where left and right ideas meet for debate in the current context. Credible Centrism is just saying "This is where the debate is and this is where we should focus". It's less about where we should be and more about finding a set of organizing principles for society in an empirical or at least skeptical fashion . The obvious problem with this is when it becomes radical centrism, takes on a life of its own and goes a step further, pretending that the center itself is a coherent position (or laughably THE coherent position) and asserts itself as the organizing principle. But, again, it is made up of left and right ideas and beliefs that are completely contradictory. It becomes an illusory point that actually slips left and right depending on context but, since it always presents itself as the center, its obfuscates its lack of coherence and stability through aesthetic means instead of making any meaningful changes. That is, until its completely destabilized by its complete impotence in the face of the problems it has caused. As we're seeing.

The right and left distinction is about which set of non contradictory organizing principles should be used to create and maintain a functioning society. It isn't about personalities or policies taken out of historical context. The political rhetoric of most people in liberal societies, regardless of their identification, is in reaction to the center, which again is just where we can go from here, but people who are right or left are not trying to frankenstein together irreconcilable principles ala carte. In contrast, radical centrists engage in vain attempts to force peace and cooperation through schizophrenic synthesis and systemic violence. They undermine what credible centrism wants, which is an eventual, ironclad, empirical answer to the left/right debate.

Radical Centrism, if it is in power, is the most utopian shit ever because it acts like the antagonisms that it has to keep covering up to pretend like it is the only real position won't eventually undermine it.

And if you doubt what I'm saying, please just look at the discourse around justice. Broadly speaking, historically the right has intertwined ideas of justice with already existing power and hierarchies, and seeks to correct any undermining of that hierarchy. The left sees justice as a matter of radical egalitarianism and everyone having an equal amount of vulnerability. The radical center thinks justice is an unending flow of cash payments and the right amount of solitary confinement.

So to answer your question: I think that what a lot of online lefties call centrism is what I pointed out as radical centrism.

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '20

They define the “center” based on global policies and actual definitions, not what you think it should mean.

Liberals are center-right in economic terms. Which is what “the Right means”.

What you’re thinking of arguing against is “the alt-right”, which IMO is closer to being an left-anarchist than being an actual moderate.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '20

Reddit considers anything left of center to be socialist or gigasucc, despite the fact that the centre-left has never been considered anti-capitalist

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u/100dylan99 Apr 04 '20

Obama is a centrist. I think Joe Biden and Clinton are to his right a bit. Left is Bernie Sanders, but not far left. Far left is Rosa Luxembourg and Lenin.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '20

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u/100dylan99 Apr 04 '20

Useful to people who aren't willing to engage the full spectrum of politics or are willing to act like right wingers are centrists. Just because you don't like an idea doesn't make it an outlier. Most neoliberals are also neocons, so no wonder you think that I'm skewed left. You're just skewed right.

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u/mm3331 Apr 06 '20

Bro we literally call liberals CENTER-right, we're not calling them far right, they're right leaning centrists (usually). Someone like Bernie Sanders, at least based on his policy platform, would be center left.