It isn’t a purity test, it’s a necessary accommodation of the fact that people in the US (and I say this as an American) think that the left ends at progressive liberalism, while everyone else in the world sees progressive liberalism as center-left at best because they acknowledge that ‘the left’ extends quite far past the bounds of Liberalism (the philosophy, not the political leaning), because Liberalism is about individualism and property rights but most people to the left of that are collectivist in some way shape or form.
Comment on Are most people here left-wing?
Forester@pawb.social 1 day agoFrom my perspective I think that that is very silly. I don’t care for purity tests, but what would I know? I’m just a dirty libertarian.
libra00@lemmy.world 1 day ago
immutable@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Liberal policies are an actual thing, a thing that leftists frequently disagree with.
Libertarians are often placed on the right part of the left-right divide. The fact you’ve chosen the label libertarian instead of conservative is animated by the exact same “purity test” that you find so silly.
Purple_drink@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I would like to throw out there that the ACLU is a libertarian organization that would likely line up with the majority of the beliefs of Lemmy users. With that said I understand most people aren’t using libertarian in its ‘correct’ meaning as the ACLU does.
immutable@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Yea I tend to think than when someone identifies as a Libertarian they almost certainly don’t mean a civil libertarian, which is how the aclu actually identifies themselves.
This is literally the only time the word libertarian appears in their own history www.aclu.org/about/aclu-history
Purple_drink@lemmy.world 12 hours ago
I only know because I interned there and it’s something they talked about. Maybe it was always preceded with ‘civil’ I just don’t remember that as well. The big issue amongst the workers when I was there was that in principle they supported Citizens United, and most of the employees did not support it in practice.
Just adding my experience to the topic, not sure why I got down voted for it. I’m not trying to push anyone to be libertarian just pointing out other ways the definition can be used.
Forester@pawb.social 1 day ago
You realize that libertarianism is not a left right spectrum of the political orientation, correct?
Forester@pawb.social 1 day ago
You realize that libertarianism is not a left right spectrum of the political orientation, correct?
For example Stalin was an authoritarian based in leftist ideology. Hitler is an authoritarian based in right-wing ideology.
Notice that while their economic goals are at complete odds with one another, they are both authoritarians.
I’m libertarian because I believe in freedom of choice. I’m not a conservative because the only things I care about conserving are the oceans and the forests.
ObtuseDoorFrame@lemm.ee 1 day ago
You can’t be both a libertarian and pretend to care about parks and forests. Pick one.
freely1333@reddthat.com 1 day ago
You’re about one “and I think healthcare is a human right” from being a progressive/dem soc.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 day ago
you forgot to switch alts to argue with yourself