Could you please define exactly what you mean by “left-wing”?
Are most people here left-wing?
Submitted 11 months ago by Hickak@lemmy.world to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
Comments
Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Inaminate_Carbon_Rod@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I simultaneously miss and don’t miss reading posts by Trump Supporters on Reddit.
It’s nice to read comments from the other side, even if those comments are batshit insane.
OpenStars@piefed.social 11 months ago
"Come to Lemmy, we have batshit insanity from more than just the two sides" 🤪
Although on Lemmy.world, you won't see two of the Big Three instances that spread the majority of authoritarian propaganda present on Lemmy, because lemmygrad.ml and Hexbear.net have been defederated.
The conservatives likewise were defederated from, and apparently fell apart internally, presumably moving over to Truth Social.
If you or anyone else truly wants to read every POV though, then you can check out Lemm.ee that aims to defederate from as few instances as possible.
Inaminate_Carbon_Rod@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Cheers!
I do get morbidly curious about politics and will probably check it out.
phoenixz@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Yes
Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Need to count the number of “fascists” per posts to get an accurate determination
Tiger666@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Do you advocate seizing the means of production and are a worker? If not, then you are not a leftist.
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 months ago
You can be “left wing” without being a “leftist”. I wouldn’t classify them as the same, personally. Left wing really includes anyone left of center
Tiger666@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Sounds like a liberal to me. Centrists always think they are leftists because of the guilt of supporting capitalism. You support social programs. You do not support any form of removing capitalism. You are not a leftist, you are a centrist.
imvii@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
I’m Canadian. I support social programs and humanist programs. I support regulation of business so they don’t abuse their positions of power over people and to curb their habit of doing bad things in the name of more profit. I’m for taxing those with hordes of cash and giving the struggling worker a break. I support people to have the freedom to be who they want to be (gay, straight, trans, etc) as long as they aren’t hurting other people (IE pedos don’t get to harm children because they “were born that way” or god said it was cool). I support protecting the land, water and animals. I think Trump is a cunt.
I’m probably pretty left-wing.
octobob@lemmy.ml 11 months ago
Why even lump pedos in the same sentence with the gays
This is an age-old hurtful stereotype. I’m hoping you don’t believe there’s any connection, because I have heard that before from bigots in my life and it just makes me see red. Same as the whole “homophobes are just closeted gays let’s point that out as if it’s a sickness”.
I’m just tryin to exist, not be considered “harmful” to anyone
imvii@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Why even lump pedos in the same sentence with the gays
That’s the new MAGA argument. I was getting in front of it.
They’re basically arguing if gay and trans people are born that way, and that’s fine, then pedos are born that way so why isn’t that fine?
It’s a stupid argument because gay and trans people by default exist without victims.
In my opinion there is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay, bi, trans, asexual, etc.
Cowbee@lemmy.ml 11 months ago
I’m a Marxist-Leninist, so yes. I think you’ll find most people on Lemmy in general fall into the major categories of “Liberal,” as in the US Democrat style, Anarchists, and Marxists. Different instances lean in different directions on this, with overall few outright conservatives.
moakley@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Last time I took the political compass test, I was center-right, firmly in the libertarian quadrant, exactly in the sub-section labeled “libertarian”.
That means my political stances align 100% against the Republican party and authoritarianism in general.
LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee 11 months ago
The actual left wing, the something socialists something are partly on hexbear.org and lemmygrad.ml. And they are called tankies and blocked on lemmy.world. So how left wing can most people here be? The thing is that “left” has become synonymous with (neo)liberal values. Like there doesn’t have to be a free, independent press or social media and them being owned by capitalists is just fine.
OpenStars@piefed.social 11 months ago
Mubelotix@jlai.lu 11 months ago
Hexbear isn’t socialist. It’s a group of assholes defending China and Russia, denying the Uyghur genocide and the aggression of Ukraine
LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee 11 months ago
The problem is that over the last decade any nuanced opinions on those topics has become less and less “politically correct”. And that is the correct term, anyone who isn’t politically correct and in line with the liberal mainstream opinion (= imperialist propaganda by the US state department and think tanks) must by definition by a paid shills of Putin, China or Trump. There are those people of course, but the dynamic has become more and more polarized and steeped in conspiratorial thinking. And that is by “design”. It’s profitable and it serves the US imperial agenda and it’s easier to avoids the frustration of talking to trolls and fascists - just paint everyone of a different opinion with the same brush.
I mean you can’t even talk about talking about it, like not seeing those people as anything but “assholes”. The range of allowable opinions has drastically narrowed. It’s not even liberal in the modern sense of the word. People are too scared to be liberal any more.
anachrohack@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I’d call myself a liberal but not left wing
FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yes.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I’m just hungry dude
landflucht@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Some of us are simply europeans.
Technoworcester@lemm.ee 11 months ago
A right wing European is still a little bit too liberal for MAGA
galanthus@lemmy.world 11 months ago
A right wing European is also a little too right wing for Lemmy.
viking@infosec.pub 11 months ago
I’d consider myself liberal, but I embrace some traits considered leftist in some areas (universal healthcare, free education) and right in others (restrict immigration based on key economic and educational indicators, deport criminals).
Agent641@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Lefty Lemmy righty reddit
Vanilla_PuddinFudge@infosec.pub 11 months ago
Ehhh. Eh?
Lefty Lemmy. Liberal Reddit.
Seems more the take. Reddit has a small vocal conservative minority.
AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Slashers slashdot
SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Most people are progressives.
The only disconnect is messaging and image.
RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Most people are progressives where? Im really not sure this is the case when what constitutes a “progressive” view changes from place to place.
SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Literally everywhere
bfg9k@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yes, this site is very left-leaning. I have seem plenty of moderate opinions downvoted because they are centrist or centre-right, and the anti-Trump, anti-Elon and anti-USA sentiment is deservedly heavy right now.
Keep that in mind when reading comments, this place is a bit of an echo chamber at the moment.
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 11 months ago
if by left-wing you mean i think more than 3 months ahead, then yes.
AA5B@lemmy.world 11 months ago
For sure, left wing are most of what I see here, except for trolls and bots
If I needed a label, probably Progressive. I liked Biden’s platform and agreed we needed to try a centrist like him to see if it was possible to start working together again. I also believed he did at least as well as anyone could, and if his legacy hadn’t been torn to bits by turnip would have positioned the US well for decades to come. He could have shifted that Overton window, sowed the seeds that a more Progressive candidate could reap.
But if I try to articulate a common theme for my current beliefs, it is to invest in the future. I’m a strong believer in a good education for all as the foundation of our future. I’m inspired by the possibilities of science and technology.
Earlier in life I thought I was much more Conservative but the twisted thing is I now say the same things from a very different perspective.
- I’m a strong believer in family values: every family member deserves equal respect and human rights, every new parent deserves quality time with a new child without regard for work, every child deserves the best healthcare without regard for their parents income, every child deserves a top notch education and the resources to succeed at it, every elderly or disabled person deserves to have their needs met and continue a decent life.
- I believe in innovation and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. A solid education for all allows each person the opportunity to achieve their potential. A comprehensive safety net lets each person reach for the stars without fear, lets them dare to fail without perishing, allows them to learn from a failure and try again.
- I believe in self-sufficiency and independence. Every person deserves a basic income to survive without burdening anyone else. Every person needs healthcare sufficient to recover without losing their independence, their savings, or their loved ones. People who choose city life should be able to walk out their door with only what they carry, and get anywhere.
- I believe in fiscal responsibility. Every investment to look toward the future, build a better society, a better environment, a better humanity
MoonlightFox@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I believe all life have value, no matter what. I believe in justice and equality. I believe in the rule if law. I believe in democracy. I believe in the freedom of speech. I believe in religious freedom. I believe no one should go hungry. I believe no one should freeze. I believe no one should die from preventable diseases. I believe everyone has a right to education. I believe everyone has a right to healthcare. I believe everyone has a right to participate in society and the internet. I believe everyone should contribute if they can, because that is fair. I believe people should be able to retire. I believe most people are good, and want to do good. I believe in cooperation, and working towards a common goal. I believe that all people should have a minimum set of rights, that are non-negotiable. I trust my neighbours, my family and strangers.
Based on these values I could be placed anywhere from center-right to far-left in Europe.
In the US I am a filthy commie
jerkface@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
I believe all life have value, no matter what.
I am also vegan.
MoonlightFox@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I am unfortunately not. It was more meant as a way to say that for instance criminals (yes, even the worst ones) have value. That they deserve to live and have a decent life, no matter what.
That immigrants and asylum seekers should be treated with respect and given the help they need.
But also that animals have value. The way a lot of animals are treated is in no way acceptable.
I have tried being a vegetarian in the past, but have failed every time.
Sorry to disappoint. I wish I was better.
NENathaniel@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Yes, seemingly every commenter
emberinmoss@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
I’ve been on Lemmy for about two months and there is a good amount of left-leaning folks here. I definitely consider myself in the left-wing category. I hover somewhere between a bit liberal, a bit socialist, and a bit of a commie, but absolutely no authoritarianism.
piratekaiser@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Funny you had to put a disclaimer for authoritarianism. The world’s history and propaganda have made it synonymous with the far left, where that ideology was never about absolute power, but quite the opposite.
Wilco@lemm.ee 11 months ago
I’m Independent, but cannot support Republicans anymore … so I guess I’m a Democrat that hates gun control.
HasturInYellow@lemmy.world 11 months ago
if you go far enough left, you get your guns back. :)
uuldika@lemmy.ml 11 months ago
I’m a left libertarian. I embrace decentralization, collectivism, freedom from corporate and central government tyranny, and want to maximize individual liberty and progressive values as we ideally move towards a society like the Culture series by Ian M. Banks.
I’m not Anarchist because it’s too chaotic and unrealistic, and I’m not ML because I don’t like State authoritarianism and central planning.
TheDoozer@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Can you give some examples of how that works? Like, who pays for roads, who handles environmental regulations (or are there any), who establishes education standards (or are there any), etc. I’m not trying to argue, it just seems like on the internet people referring to “state authoritarianism” and “central government tyranny” ranges from “adults can’t be transgender” to “I have to pay taxes and the government won’t let me own slaves.”
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 months ago
It doesn’t work.
uuldika@lemmy.ml 11 months ago
There’s a few ways to handle, but for example:
-
Roads: large towns and cities would mostly handle their own road maintenance. Roads connecting towns would probably be joint ventures. Projects would be funded and contracted by the towns and financed by town income tax. Rural areas would be underfunded, but that’s partly intentional - dense population centers are more sustainable.
-
Environmental regulations: handled at the level of impact. for example, water quality standards for a river bind everyone who accesses the river. restrictions (e.g. standards for heavy metal levels) would be passed by minority vote - if 40% want a standard, that’s enough. carbon credits would be administered at the Federal or World levels, by a combination of central government and treaties.
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Education: probably pretty devolved, mostly a choice by municipalities in what they offer/teach. there’d likely be standardized tests that most places agree on for transferability (e.g. how the SAT works today.) religious schools could exist in religious communities, or you could have a Montessori program in your secular socialist Kibbutz.
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Slavery: illegal at the Federal/World level. same with indentured servitude and coercive contracts. one of the most important functions of the central government is to protect the civil liberties of individuals.
So the principles are mostly:
- Externalities are handled at the level of their impact.
- More power locally, less power centrally. City governments are more like micro-nations bound by a sort of EU.
- Cities largely have a lot of direct democracy with some representatives. Critically, city governments wield lots of power over the businesses that operate in the city. This is critical to check corporate power.
- Federal government exists as a backstop to safeguard fundamental rights and for truly national concerns.
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psion1369@lemmy.world 11 months ago
When asked, I usually tell people that I vote Dem because it’s as close to my anarchist ideals as I can get. I would consider myself a social-anarchist, in that I feel laws shouldn’t be written around societal structures and ideals. Society and culture changes, and I shouldn’t be punished because some dude generations ago decided that something was inappropriate back then. It isn’t now, and shouldn’t be codified that way,
arotrios@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Progressive who’s been here for a bit. The fediverse has definitely swung more left-wing recently - when I first started up two years ago there was a fair amount of conservative bs, libertarian tech-bros and russian bots - it was about a 50/50 split depending on what instance you were on.
The bot problem seems to have been largely dealt with now, and conservative voices have been more or less drowned out by the new influx of users fleeing twitter and Reddit crackdowns. Many are agreeing that the current administration is bad for everyone. There are a number of hard auth-left moral purity testers that kind of a pain in the ass that pop up from time to time.
yaroto98@lemmy.org 11 months ago
I don’t consider myself left leaning. Both left and right are corrupt and neither actually practice what they preach. The left is the US is currently the lesser of two evils though. I do consider myself a socialist-libertarian. I think government should be there to keep the populace safe, and provide basic human necessities to all, and no more. The govt should not be able to execute capital punishment nor declare war. Retalitory strikes, defense and supporting allies defending themselves are all fine, but we could get rid of most of the military and funnel that money back to socialist programs and be a MUCH wealthier and happier country.
Letsdothisok@lemmy.world 11 months ago
The only reason the left is the lesser of the 2 evils right now is because they aren’t in power.
daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 months ago
I like to consider myself leftist. But it’s true that I don’t agree in all that most current left wing political parties stand for.
I think all human are born equal, and should have a good life. That politics should be used to improve everyone’s life.
But in the what does this mean or how to do it I feel more and more differences lately.
To give an example, I cannot really stand identity politics. I think that the best course of action is to dissolve identitarian (is that word real?) groups instead of exacerbating their differences. I feel like people should be getting rid of labels instead of having more and more labels every day.
That’s just a personal opinion, based on the idea that if you define different groups the chance of conflict between groups is bigger than if you define only one group. And I do get the idea behind identity politics within the left wing spectrum. I just don’t agree that’s the best course of action.
Triasha@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Minority groups didn’t make up identity politics, majority groups did, when they engaged in oppression of minorities.
Queer people don’t have that much in common. Straight people forced us to band together for our rights.
Gay people don’t have much in common with trans people, but straight people can’t tell us apart/treat us the same so we band together.
Disabled people, people of color, it’s similar stories.
daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 months ago
I don’t see it that way. Speaking as non conforming gender bisexual.
I think I can properly defend my rights without making groups that exclude others from it.
Again, just my opinion, and something that I do not agree not in the final goal (everyone being happy and free) but in the how to achieve it.
Also as an European I think identity politics (in this context) were mostly born in USA and imported here. But we had achieved way more liberties before identity politics than after (we were one of the first countries in the world that legalized gay marriage for instance, and we didn’t need the kind of identity politics that exist today to achieve it). And since identity politics took over I feel like we haven’t be able to achieve much more, because we take a conflicting approach that meets much more resistance from excluded identities than the previous approach.
At least that’s my humble opinion and perception of reality.
RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I also have a hard time with ID politics and the like, but I’m also a privileged white dude so my primary gripe will always be focused around economic disparity. The BLM protests helped me see it this way: There is not war but the class war, but there are multiple fronts. If we don’t at least try a little to protect minority groups, we won’t have any progressives left
AA5B@lemmy.world 11 months ago
While I don’t understand gender politics, alternate pronouns and labels, I long since realized that it doesn’t matter. I’m all for everyone living their lives their way with equal respect. You do you, and be the best you you can, whatever you that may be, and I’ll be happy to call you friend
Randomgal@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Yes. They are fanatics too. Like Twitter but instead of wanting to kill people for profit, IRS wanting to kill people for not being left.
Apepollo11@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Come on, that’s not true. We just want to “re-educate” you guys
untakenusername@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
there’s a few thousand commies too