Okay, so that last article from earlier kinda got me down, and it really got me thinking about how bland and tasteless modern liberals are. I know on the left being a "liberal" is almost a bad thing these days, because liberal means "right winger" in leftist circles.
And in a sense, they're right. A lot of liberals, on economics at least, but even on social issues, are just a weaker version of the right. The term has been taken over by the third wayers who still have the same fundamental ideas about the economy that the right does, they just believe in making some compromises. It's like dealing with like, episcopalians, methodists, or lutherans or something in comparison to the fundie christians. Like sure, it's a moderate brand of it, but it's still christianity, you know? It's kind of pathetic. Realizing how my ideas are like "the anti reagan" and actually attempt to challenge the right and its narrative in some way seems jarring to a lot of modern liberals, and why they wont accept me, and why i dont get along in their circles. because ultimately, i DO tend to ACTUALLY want something fundamentally different. It's also why i respect bernie sanders, he's one of the only liberals these days who DOES want to offer something different. he offered a bold vision of what america could be, and while i dont think its perfect, he spoke with a conviction that very few liberals do. Yang's ideology also is similar to that, given how that's also my ideology. I mean, human centered capitalism is basically humanism in economic form, challenging all of the assumptions about capitalism, while not advocating for abolishment like socialists do. it's bold, it's aggressive, it's trying to be something that isn't right wing. The right offers supply side economics and trickle down, I offer demand side economics and trickle up. The right circlejerks about work ethic, and I try to abolish work. The right is for the billionaires, and im for the working class, even if im not pro work. I try to be the opposite of the right, without going too far into crazy territory. But again, I just end up looking like a leftist, and agreeing with leftists, when im in liberal circles.
At the same time, yeah, I dont go for leftism. I've explained enough where I'm not a leftist, and dont agree with leftists. Generally speaking, leftists are very dogmatic, take their anti capitalism way too far, and dont have reasonable logistics. I also dont think socialism is this end all be all of what the economy should be. And on social issues, i dont like their anti war extremism or obsession with identity politics.
At the same time, liberals, once again, kinda end up just sounding like weaker conservatives. In a sense, liberals ARE those weaker brands of christianity. I remember in 2016 when I was an atheist I wanted a more humanist direction for the democratic party and despised clinton's moderate christianity and constant lecturing about how we're "well ackshully most of the country is christian so let's pander to that." Uh, no. I mean, for me, religion is a private matter. you wanna believe in that stuff on your own time, i'm not gonna stop you or oppose that, we have freedom of religion and I dont wanna take that away from anyone. I just dont want that stuff forced on me. Can we NOT moderate on gay marriage or abortion or even trans issues specifically to win over weirdo christians? I know the left accuses anyone not "woke" of wanting to throw people under the bus, but um...yeah, sometimes the moderate democratic party liberals seem to wanna go in that direction. I am, alternatively, for solidarity on most progressive causes, just without that obnoxious framing.
And the same on foreign policy. Although, i admit, on the conservative-liberal-leftist spectrum, I'll own being a moderate that is functionally closer to some neocons than leftists. Mainly because my exegesis of world affairs is that it's basically the hobbesian state of nature and that ultimately, whoever has the biggest stick has hegemony, and I believe in us being strong, and working with like minded allies, to maintain the biggest stick in the world. At the same time, i do oppose needless interventions, or interventions that clearly only happen so we can force capitalism on third world people to keep them poor. In some ways I do understand that yeah, we are the bad guy with forcing capitalism on everyone and reducing everyone to wage slaves. But let's be honest, it's not that communists are any better, theyre worse. I just take a middle ground stance of doing what we have to do to protect ourselves, but im not a neocon who wants to impose coups or governments on people.Ya know?
I guess in general, once again, I find myself between liberals and leftists. Leftists are even bolder and crazier than me, and I dont like that. And to leftists, I basically am a craplib. But to the libs, I'm practically a leftist. It's like, it's hard to find a camp of people in that middle ground these days that dont end up adopting crappy beliefs as well. Social democrats are okay, but their exact ideas sometimes are cringe, and they tend to adopt way too much leftist BS for me to really be sympathetic. At the same time, liberals are just...no. Like they're too moderate, especially in the US.
I mean, new deal dems are better, but even then they're not perfect, but I respect their convictions and once again, at least they had balls. But yeah, that's the thing. I want liberalism with a kick. I want liberalism with balls. You can be progressive and anti conservative, without being a leftist. Just because we dont wanna be like "those guys", doesnt mean we have to be these weak right wingers who have the same values and views as the right, just a bit toned down.
If anything, maybe I'm more like the opposite. Could I be considered a toned down "leftist"? Eh...thinking about it, eh...in a way...but not really. Again, Im not fully anti capitalist. I just want a different version of capitalism that's more human centered and doesnt have us working like slaves. Idk. Like, in the david noebel book, we've already established im a full on secular humanist here. Like all of my views come from that worldview, and I live out my convictions to their fullest degree. Humanism doesnt equal leftism, but it also doesnt equal conservatism. It really is its own brand of liberalism, distinct from other brands of liberalism.
Either way, I'll go back to my original point, I hate how most modern liberals like arent even that. It's like, if i had to classify their worldview, it's just....a weaker version of conservatism, it's not even its own thing any more. it's just...full right or diet right. And most of them are just too ignorant to know it. Theyre too indoctinated into third way ideology and dont even know any better. They dont really know how fricking clueless they are. They dont know that we dont have to do this. We dont have to reflect the right's values any more. They dont know that their complicity in the right's ideology sabotages them.
It's like decades of defeatism have stopped liberals from even knowing how to be liberals any more. And to be fair, given the coalitional makeup of the democratic party, im not sure many of them are willing to learn. They just, dont care. Because the coalitions are so fudged the romney conservatives are becoming democrats and the two centers are trying to blend together while MAGA becomes this far right fascist lite movement, and most people left of the liberals end up just being fricking leftists.
Like really, if this is what the seventh party system is, or is going to be, this sucks. Go back. Go back to pre 2016 and start over again. We done screwed up. Well...Hillary did. You guys know how I feel about her.
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