WholesomeAsFuck
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Nov 10, 2025 6:42 AM
WholesomeAsFuck
25487
843
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peedrinkingcrapface
when viewed through the lens of democracy, the American political spectrum appears skewed and confusing. but view it through the lens of oligarchy and it comes into clear focus: The Right represents the conservative interests of the billionaire class, The Left represents the liberal interests of the billionaire class.
Necrothean
Schumer runs your party playbook.
He's the most Moderate (read: centrist) Dem of all time, just barely ahead of your other leadership, Pelosi.
Imgurians: "DAMN CENTRISTS!"
AoC and the Squad went to war with the party (and lost) to expose that to you and you still can't utter the truth out loud. Fetterman is Charles Stenholm for a new generation. The party continually has its mouthpieces say "we must slide Right to capture more votes".
Seriously, do you people listen to yourselves?
TheNotGreatDane
And you don't see how you believing this is a problem?
Niagaran
Centrists are on the right but they don't like being grouped in with people who share the same views.
SJBSavageInk
Every time!
zylokun
"Neither left nor right" meaning they're the most racist piece of shit you will ever know and they have a chart for why they aren't.
MidnaDS
GiantShortstacks
Liberalism isn't leftism any more than mayonnaise is an instrument. No more centrism, no more half measures. You can have socialism or barbarism, take your pick.
DianNaoChong
theres democrats, republicans and temporarily embarrassed republicans(These go by a lot of names)
leonaNoodleBreaker
I consider myself middle ground and yet have voted only Democrat for many elections now. I don't agree with everything on either side but I prefer the side that tries to actually take care of people.
idiotsonfire
Centrists are just Republicans from 1999. They are not in the center. They are open to extremism. Centrism means you have decided you do not have a responsibility to uphold ideals and ethics, that they are okay with being complicit in high crimes.
archon325
If you happen to fall into the center because that's where your principles have landed you, that's one thing. If your principles ARE to be in the center, that's fucking stupid. "Good" doesn't equal the average of all other opinions, you're just trying not to think for yourself or to avoid conflict. I hate them.
kostoglotov
Oh hey, yet another imgur post which perfectly embodies how the side that backed Harris alienated just enough people to hand the election to the fascists by default. No no no, keep feeling that moral superiority, you're entitled to it. You're so fucking right. And I'm so glad I'm not an American right now.
twinkletinkle
I’m a no party affiliate because anarcho-socialist isn’t a party choice here
TheDoctorCrankenstein
Being left wing isn't about what party you support but the political ideology you adhere to. Anarchism and Communism/Socialism are inherently left wing political ideologies.
GandalfTheGhey
idk I consider myself "moderate" or "centrist", but ever since Trump appeared 10 years ago I've been voting straight Democratic ticket on absolutely everything
defaultname365
Why can't both sides worth together for the betterment of the people of the country? Does it have to be left and right? The right (at the moment) is clearly doing a disaster of a job but I still can't understand the feeling of many when Kamala took over Biden, that's like what they call, the rug being pulled or something... I don't know, I feel that contributed to the loss as well. Not saying it is a good thing, but sometimes I feel those who voted "had to do it".
EverNotRelevant
Why can't two groups with conflicting ideologies and opposing methods work together? Gee, that is a puzzler
cbale2000
IlsPls
Ah yes, the party of free speech, the constitution, law & order, and small government not impinging on the people's freedoms, which is now fine with taking away citizenship and visas for criticizing the president, ignoring constitutional limits on power and letting the president gut independent agencies and attack foreign countries with no oversight from congress, ignoring court orders, and having military stationed in US cities, hasn't moved at all further right.
cbale2000
When the left is in power, they censor conservative US citizens for normal conservative beliefs, when the right is in power they deport foreigners (who are guests and have no right to be here at all) for anti-American beliefs. They are not the same. Also, SCOTUS has ruled that any agency that is part of the executive branch cannot be independent of the executive.
IlsPls
Beautiful, excusing the gov persecuting thought crimes bc of the spectre of being "anti-american".
And then there's excusing the expansion of presidential power now when it was being decried as tyranny during the obama years because SCOTUS decided it was ok. I'm sure you've happily accepted every decision they've made over the years.
cbale2000
See, again though, it doesn't matter the reason, the government doesn't need a reason to deport foreigners, they don't have the right to be here in the first place. We allow them, as a courtesy, to come, because it benefits us, but if the government decides their presence does not benefit us, they can simply be sent home. Every western country has policies like this (as evidenced by the various conservative personalities banned from the UK or Australia, for instance)
IlsPls
You're doing a pretty good job demonstrating the right changing their views, from the gov staying out of people's business and respecting their rights to people not having rights and the gov being able to do whatever it wants. I'll also say this view is very "anti-american" the founding fathers laid out quite clearly that everyone, citizen or not, had the same foundational rights including freedom of speech, because many of them were immigrants to the Americas themselves.
jrntn
Unless it's "I'm neither left nor right, I just want politicians to pass laws that benefit the people", then it's left. That's what the left is.
TheDoctorCrankenstein
No, left is "people organizing to own the means of their own labor" not "government does things"
jrntn
There are plenty of left wing ideologies that have governments. In fact most of them do.
werrywerry
It's an issue if we can't agree on left and right.
Your description of "left = communism" is incorrect.
Is this seriously the state of the conversation?
Go and Google what left and right mean before you say stupid shit like like that. Copy/paste ANY definition you want here, and I will help you through it.
rumandbass
Me as a progressive: lists literally everything leftists want.
Leftists: you're right wing.
GuessMyDickSizeWinAPrize
Yeah, fuck this weird ultra-left slant on Imgur man. Ever since the fall of Tumblr all the communists have come here to espouse propaganda and it's annoying as shit. Banishing people from your friend circle for daring to disagree just makes them go to people you agree even less with. I think a lot of people on here really need to go outside and talk to people for extended periods of time without the use of a computer.
rumandbass
They're literally the same as liberals and progressives but for some reason really don't want to be called that. They aren't even 14 and edgy either, it's people in their 30s and 40s.
somesomebody
"I don't understand what left or progressive means"
Get well soon.
rumandbass
I want my taxes to cover healthcare, education, childcare, safety nets, Internet. I want way less money going to the military and more mental health pros instead of police response, I want billionaires taxed until there are no billionaires, I want equal rights across the board. So please explain how I'm right wing. We got enough of a flight, it's fucking exhausting fighting leftists too when we're on the same side.
Ircy
Leftists literally want to abolish capitalism. Not use taxes from it. Not create a social state within it. Abolish it. Not abolish trade. Abolish stuff like the stock exchange and private ownership (not personal property that is something else to leftists). I wouldn't say you're right wing but hardly leftist. Sanders (for example) is a progressive he's into social stuff, he's maybe center left.
rumandbass
Hate to burst your utopia bubble but the amount of money required to cover services for every person is not going to come from taxing regular people like us. It potentially could if the corporations are persuaded to pay people a lot more in exchange for lowered payroll taxes, and other things like universal healthcare and education are covered by the state. That won't happen over here in reality though. I'm not a leftist, I was just saying we're fighting for a lot of the same things.
Ircy
What? My bubble? What bubble? Where did I say that I want to tax regular people over corporations and what not? Are you sure you're replying to the right person?
rumandbass
Fight*"
BishlamekGurpgork
I mean, I've always considered myself independent. But I vote left across the board, and have for decades, because America itself leans right.
2thless
I only vote independent. Always told i am throwing away my vote but i am the start of a revolution. Get enough of and we can change the bought off 2 party system.
BishlamekGurpgork
Not while there's first-past-the-post voting. The voting system itself incentivizes strategic voting. Voters recognize that successfully influencing the outcome in a winner-takes-all election comes down to the push and pull between two people.
If A and B are the front-runners, and B is more acceptable to you, but you vote C, then A is half a vote closer to winning the election. The impact of an independent vote where they aren't a contender is the same as the impact of abstaining.
BishlamekGurpgork
Besides, there's nothing magical about independents - they can be awful people, too. They aren't fairies.
What we need to support third parties is a whole new voting system; ranked choice would be a good pick. It allows you to place your first pick honestly, and fall back on strategic second or third picks, so that if your primary pick fails, you haven't hurt a second-best candidate's chance to win.
2thless
I don't care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating.
Boss Tweed
BishlamekGurpgork
So I did some digging because this bugged me, and understand that you're saying that as long as they control who's on the ballot, your vote for a mainstream candidate isn't necessarily as 'free' as it seems.
But at the same time, you're still sending the message that the candidate you hate most is not being resisted.
This is one of the reasons we got Trump both times - people protest-voted either via independents or abstaining because dems didn't take a hard enough line on whatever issue.
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werrywerry
A democrat. But a regular democrat... not one of the eight that just gave Rs everything they wanted from the government shutdown. They are right.
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werrywerry
From over here, democrat seems like a VERY broad political spectrum.
You seem to have progressive ones that drum up support to get the no Satan vote. Then you have conservative ones, look them up, that aren't really interested in acknowledging any of the real problems real people face and want to maintain the status quo in favor of the mega-wealthy. That is conservatism, and it is the dominant wing amongst dems. Which is why it's so awesome that Mamdani and NYers stuck it up their asses!
Subsound
An asshole
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Subsound
Yes, an asshole.
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Subsound
Doesn't matter if they call themselves purple monkey dishwashers
TheRealFuckbringer
This response - right here, is why centrist folks end up right.
ChiLLeCheeze
I called someone an asshole. Better vote for starving kids, murders, and imprisoning people. Sounds like someone who was always going to be an asshole.
Overnose
If there's one strategy that has always paid off across history, it's to alienate anyone in the middle and state that "anyone not me is the enemy". This is known to garner support to your cause, always. /s
Btw OP, the world is not just USA. Not every country has a centre-left party and a fascist one. In my country the 2 biggest left-wing (not centre-left) parties are both pro-Russia. Fortunately they tend to think like you in this matter and have successfully alienated everyone in the centre.
ChloePrice
The US has a centre-left party? Since when?
Svartsinn
There is no center position on issues like women's bodily autonomy or universal healthcare. These are basic rights in developed countries. A centrist who prefers some compromise on basic rights is no different than a conservative opposing them. Both are against enshrining these things as basic human rights. Why should anyone have to compromise on their right to bodily autonomy?
Overnose
I support universal healthcare myself (and my country has it), but there can absolutely be a centrist position on it: for example, "public healthcare is not free but those who absolutely cannot afford it are still entitled to it".
And when it comes to reproductive rights, obviously only right-wing people will deny them to women, however a centrist position here (which I personally share) is "both women and men must have reproductive rights".
Dxoh
Wait, what? Do you think left wing people think only women should have reproductive rights?
Overnose
There's no country to my knowledge where men have reproductive rights, even among the most liberal ones when women have had them for a while.
Neither left-wing nor right-wing parties have any desire to touch the subject. For left-wing parties there's the risk of it being seen as an attack on mothers, for right-wing parties there's a risk of it being seen as an attack on families.
Dxoh
I need to ask what your idea of male reproductive rights are. Because from what I know, condoms have been a thing for millenia. Vasectomies have been available for decades, and much easier to get than the female equivalent. Male birth control would be a thing, but society has deemed side effects similar to female birth control as unacceptable when suffered by males. How would you improve upon male reproductive rights that does not infringe upon the more basic right of bodily autonomy?
Svartsinn
I live in a country that does not have universal healthcare and I gotta say that watching people slowly die preventable deaths - it ain't great. Have any friends with $300k in medical debt because a drunk driver injured them? That doesn't seem right to me. A sane society would not allow such things to exist.
Overnose
Absolutely. I have to admit public healthcare over here isn't great (corruption over decades does that) and sometimes preventable deaths happen due to waiting lists, but it still beats the "you're poor? Too bad, you don't get to live" approach.
I was gonna ask how the hell did the drunk driver not get forced to pay for it, but then again in my country a politician's driver literally got away with hit and run murder, so...
EverNotRelevant
isucheme11
Put a beanie and spotty beard on the guy
WholesomeAsFuck
Love this one!!
SlyMrFox
My parents and why I haven't talked to them since HE won. We used to talk every Sunday.
7thor8thcaw
Odd, I would consoder myself centrists and am a registered independent, but seemingly mostly support progressive policies. Maybe im not a real center?
wadatahmydamie
ClessAurion
Shit-tier opinion ngl.
This only would apply to the US which even their left parties are center-right lol
FrancsTireur
In years gone by you would have been correct, or at least seemingly correct. Its difficult nowadays not to look at where Germany is today, France, Britain etc and ask yourself is this what all those years of centrism paved the way for.
I think the answer has to be yes.
When you set upon a status quo that isnt fair and you entrench yourself in it, you open up the inevitable rise of figures to your left and right who promise to make the status quo more equal. America went first because 1/
FrancsTireur
America is a land of extremes that does everything bigger and faster. I mean it took less than a hundred years for them to have their first civil war, thats a global record outside of Africa. 2
MisterLemons
Yeah but that doesn't fit the five-words-or-less narrative this particular echo chamber upholds with a religious fervor.
ClessAurion
To be fair, until "recently" our limit of characters was... VERY limited in comments lol
MisterLemons
Yeah, but being more fair, a political stance cannot be fit into 500 words or less. There's a reason the U.S. constitution is as large as it is. Everyone wants everything to be as simple as possible until simplicity conflicts with their narrative at which point they demonstrate that they know exactly why philosophical simplicity is not actually possible.
I.E: Gender identity is identically complex as law enforcement but only one of these two things is dissected to a molecular level at any time.
ChloePrice
This is not an opinion, that's just how it works. Centrists by definition do not push against the powers, which is explicit permission for right-wingers to be vile. Passivity in the face of evil is complicity.
ClessAurion
In a shit system like the US where there is only left and right, your answer makes sense. In real democracies... there are centric parties.
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
BishlamekGurpgork
As a moderator on a few large forums and admin on a couple MMOs, I have some stock responses for things like this.
A) Private platforms aren't obligated to host anybody at all, let alone ideologies that are predictably harmful.
B) We have the right to preserve conditions for good-faith discussion. This isn't censorship, it's maintenance.
C) Ideas defined by dehumanization forfeit the good-faith that open dialogue requires.
BishlamekGurpgork
They need context around them to be useful, of course, but when you ban someone just for KNOWING they're a Nazi, even if nothing they posted suggests it, they're all good starting points against criticisms or the user's protests.
FacelessAce
Okay, and you are right, but "This isn't censorship, it's maintenance" sounds like something a guy in Fallout would say before unloading a machine gun on you and your entire party. Again, all of these are good, it's just that one sounds badass in a way I don't think you intended.
Also, I really love C), so I might steal that one later.
BishlamekGurpgork
B) Works well in the context that you need to maintain a community environment that contains good-faith dialog, and removing bad-faith actors is the way you maintain that.
The hardassedness of it is a feature, sort of. It has a time and place where it's right -- where you need to draw the hard line that "this is not a discussion, this is what we're doing." Phrasing will need to adapt to the situation, though.
BishlamekGurpgork
To elaborate; a lot of time people think if they just explain their position, you'll relent. I think it's useful to have your actions and reasons for action transparent to the community -- but at the same time, you don't want to let them feel like they're participating in negotiating your actions.
HeresYourSauce
I like debating people, it really only works if the person you're debating made their decision through logic, and wants to listen to yours.
For so much of the intolerance of the world it's just not worth trying, kick them out of society.
Hexrowe
The point of formal debates is really not to sway the opponent but the _audience._ Debate also only works as advertised when both parties engage in good faith, which is hardly ever the case with pundits and apologists and NEVER with fascists.
FiveShiftOne
I dunno why you're grtting downvoted, the internet as a whole does *not* understand what "debate" is or when "debate fallacies" can and cannot be applied.
Hexrowe
Yeah, a handful of DVs just seems to come guaranteed lately on every comment on anything politics related or even adjacent.
NonstopRampage
I'm all for outlawing these bastards- and for clarity, I don't mean making their stupid crap illegal. I mean exempting them from protection under the law, and revoking their right to representation in a court of law.
There shouldn't be consequences, for making sure these assholes' actions and intentions have consequences.
BishlamekGurpgork
Unfortunately, they must be granted due process to protect people who aren't them. Even as an outcome of due process, the law has been wrong often enough to make the outcome of a mistake in that process a chilling prospect.
wandermanspacebot
It's kind of amazing how you haven't considered the myriad of ways in which this stupid idea could backfire.
FacelessAce
Yeah, that's because the point of the idea wasn't logical efficiency, it was emotional catharsis, like Hamlet. There is a difference between ideas that are good, and ideas that feel good, and we shouldn't judge one on the grounds of the other. But we should differentiate them.
wandermanspacebot
Maybe, but that's on the speaker to clarify, not for others to claim on their behalf.
Dawgsarethebestpeople
Even the left is right in USA though
Svartsinn
Case in point: Pete Buttigieg campaigned on an opt-out, single-payer universal healthcare system. Meaning universal healthcare except the wealthy don't have to contribute a dime. Brilliant. You aren't supposed to compromise on basic human rights.
CobainsSarcoma
"left" even sanders is center right in the rest of the world
WholesomeAsFuck
Luckily there’s other countries out there!
Psionickitten
Sadly the means to live in another nation is not something everyone can afford.
WholesomeAsFuck
Not what I meant. I mean the meme is not necessarily about the US. I’m not American, thankfully
Dawgsarethebestpeople
Yeah It's the same here (Sweden). At least the center here doesn't want to work with the nazi party like the rest of the right.
Dawgsarethebestpeople
Well, technically they are wrong but you get what I mean.
HeresYourSauce
Some of the left is, but we do have people like Bernie Sanders. Some of his policies are pretty left leaning even by European standards.
But yeah, I get what you mean.
BishlamekGurpgork
A few policies are on the left, but not far left. What the right calls social are really just normal democratic social policies. On the balance, he's right-of-center.
Dawgsarethebestpeople
Bernie would be about where the largest "left-wing" party is in Sweden now, they are more like Center today. We have a left wing party too, they are not extreme by any means but several other parties refuse to cooperate with them just like with the fascist party on the right.
HeresYourSauce
I hear people say stuff like this, and I wonder how much more left you can be.
Maybe I'm just unimaginative, but it feels like there's a limit to leftness.
Dawgsarethebestpeople
You can go pretty wild on taxes and high earners for starters, he's targeting billionaires and multimillionaires but there are layers
drGrafenberg
Bernie, as a whole, would be centrist-right/right here.
WholesomeAsFuck
Not really. More social democratic
drGrafenberg
In certain policies, yes.
TheDoctorCrankenstein
Which is still a center right position that wishes to maintain the capitalist structure through the inclusion of a robust welfare state. That's not left wing. You can't be a capitalist and be left wing. To be left wing, you fundamentally want to break the private property system of ownership in favor of a communal system of ownership.
Being left wing doesn't just mean "government does things". Being left wing means "people have ownership over the means of their labor"
HeresYourSauce
The overton window has kind of made all american centrists incredibly right leaning.
Don't confuse centrist with independent though. I say this as an independent. I don't like any of the political parties, and don't think we should restrict our views to our team being good or bad. However if you add up the policies I want I think I'm about Bernie Sanders left.
myth1250
If you consider yourself around Bernie left, you may be interested in my 2028 POTUS campaign. Please take a peak, leak in my bio. Patsy 2028, Dealing in Hope!
SteveTheEgg
Nah, independents are cowards that take what they are given. They get no vote in the primaries, then bitch that neither candidate is what they want.
peedrinkingcrapface
when viewed through the lens of democracy, the American political spectrum appears skewed and confusing. but view it through the lens of oligarchy and it comes into clear focus: The Right represents the conservative interests of the billionaire class, The Left represents the liberal interests of the billionaire class.
imeatingpizzaandfuckit
Yes, but HOW did the Overton window move? Because of decades of pressure and incrementalism from the right. We’re 50 years in on the southern strategy. The left in this country is unwilling or unable to do this, then mostly just complains the system is against them. It’s maddening. Of course the system is against you. That’s how changing a system works.
Datsinginguy
As an American who lived abroad for thirty years, Bernie would be a centrist in Europe. Here in the US everyone thinks he's extreme left. Sigh...
satanslittleposter
It does depend upon which European country you're referring to. If you're talking about western / northern, sure (possibly excepting the UK now). If you're talking about eastern / southern (Spain excepted) he would be considered leftish to fairly left (even almost far left in places like Hungary). Europe is not one country or state and the political views vary wildly from country to country.
GoldenSun3DS
The way that I'd put it is that I'm not a Democrat: I'm an anti-Republican. I'm a single issue voter and my single issue is that I don't want to vote for a party with an infestation of Nazis. We can have left/right arguments when the right isn't infested with Nazis trying to take away human rights.
If you live in Nazi Germany, you don't argue about the politics of the other side, you vote out the Nazis now.
GoldenSun3DS
But to be clear, even if the Right roots out its Nazi problem, I'd still be Left and pro-socialist programs and such.
Right now, all Republicans are Nazis in the way that all of the people in Nazi Germany that supported the Nazis or voted for the Nazis were Nazis. The average pro-Nazi citizen may not have directly participated in the evil deeds or sometimes disagreed with those actions, but by supporting the Nazi party, they were still Nazis. Their reasons for why is irrelevant: they were Nazis
Svartsinn
The difference between democrats and republicans is crystal clear if you look at the voting records of elected politicians at the state or federal level.
TheVoidFrog
Compared to other democratic countries, the USA ranks centrist (dem) - far-right (rep). They would need a third-party just to be able to claim they have a choice to vote left and right. It would likely take decades for that party to gain any sort of traction because they will be seen as "extreme"
OrificeAndEurydice
Yeah, in BE, for instance, Zohran Mamdami’s affordability agenda could also come from the center (Christian Democrats, lead by an agnostic)
DrOsmium
Dems are honestly center-right for the most part. The only things they've actually been left on have been social issues like LGBTQ and racial equality, but lately they've even been backsliding on THOSE issues. They're too controlled by big business and their consultants.
BishlamekGurpgork
Third parties are near-impossible in a first-past-the-post voting system. Occasional independents gain traction, but established parties with established money have a huge advantage because voters often consider a vote for an independent wasted. If they lean left and vote independent, they may actually help a right-leaning candidate win.
As long as strategic voting is incentivized, we'll have no major third party.
HeresYourSauce
Independent voters is great. Independent politicians are heavily penalized and we should be weary voting for them.
emu314159127001
Having a team and a person is the problem. I was glad Biden was president (at first), but when the Hunter stuff came up, i was "Bring the proof, and I'll gas up the bus they get thrown under. Whoever is guilty." I love Bernie and his policies, but if he'd been committing tax fraud all along, I'd tell him to have a nice time in Leavenworth
EnigmaticEmpress
I think this particular meme is commenting on people who claim they're neither left 'nor right either:
1) Actually just being right and saying it as cover.
2) In the current environment being 'neither left 'nor right' just makes you right because the right has power and is overthrowing everything.
BishlamekGurpgork
Probably. But that's also why it's important to hear from people who truly consider themselves independent, but also vote against right-wing extremism.
It's good to know this isn't a right-vs-left thing, that there are a lot of people in the middle that also lean hard left because of the current state of the country.
EnigmaticEmpress
I imagine it's probably more about "both sides"ers than people who are at least oting against the authoritarian shit? I guess it could be clearer but it's also a short text meme.
BishlamekGurpgork
Probably. But that's also why it's important to hear from people who truly consider themselves independent, but also vote against right-wing extremism.
HuckNRoll
I disagree
The Overton window has shifted so far to the right, anything to the left looks radical.
sleix
3 steps left of the center on the political compass, you're right, I can't use the term 'centrist' in this country 'cause it's hella right leaning. I'm more closer to the green party than anything, but I've decided to just be a plain frickin' concerned American citizen, no party definition.
aguacatedeldiablo
Yeah, that's basically where I am. I lack deep nuanced opinions about where on the American left I am, because it seems kinda beside the point given how far away we are from any of that, but I'm an independent for much the same reason you are, and I consider myself a moderate, which in America puts me mostly to the left of any actual laws that have been passed going back *before* the ACA, which should have been single payer.
WienerBeener
This. We're going through what we're going through because of the consolidation of power into fewer hands.
Zedrapazia
On your side with this, that statement does nothing but harm.
I am not an American, but I do see myself as a centrist, and every time I see this shit, I just feel offended.
I despise the crowd that parades around fucking Bibles and tells gay people they should go to hell, but I also don't want to have anything to do with people that basically decided if I'm not one of them, I should go fuck myself because that makes me the enemy.
Allrighty
So what was it you said
Zedrapazia
I have no fucking idea, but the downvotes just prove my point.
Athanar
I think they're just disagreeing with the way you label it in this case. As was stated in other replies, centrist and independent are two different things, and centrist specifically is about being in the middle of the parties. Which means if you have two parties, one is 10% left of center and the other is 80% right of center, your personal view goes about 35% right of center. Independent doesn't base its view on the active parties, to contrast.
HeresYourSauce
Centristrism as a philosophy is bad. It's not that "you're not one of us" it's that if you are trying to follow Centrists philosophy, you are hurting things.
Don't be offended, but stop and think what your policies are and what your beliefs are. Centrism defines itself relative to the Overton window. Do you?
You can be in between the left and the right and not be a centrist.
Zedrapazia
Dude. I am Swiss, I can vote for every single political party at the same time if I want that. And I usually also do that, I just decide according to their current goals how many of which side I vote for.
Every party here has something I find good, and plenty of things I find bad.
If I'm not a centrist, what would you call that?
HeresYourSauce
Independent.
A centrists aims for the center. That's their defining trait. An independent is just someone who is independent from any specific party. It's not a party itself.
One of the ideas behind centrism is that collectively we average out to the right idea. So, since most people are too extreme, we should average out their ideas and pick that middle point point. If that's something you believe I'd say you're a centrist. If not, it sounds like you're probably a moderate independent.
Zedrapazia
I do believe the world is fragmenting into two extremes, and I want to stay in the middle of both of them because I can't stand either of them.
So centrist it is.
Camelspotting
You're not American so why are you mad at a statement that doesn't apply to you. That's idiotic.
Zedrapazia
Centrism isn't a phenomenon exclusive to the United States. This post doesn't differentiate between America and not America.
Camelspotting
Have you ever been on this site before?
Zedrapazia
I've literally stated in my initial comment that I'm not an American and not talking from an American perspective.
FlowerIsland
In a world where bullies kick somebody who is down, not stepping in is approving. To not step in would make somebody as bad as the bully.
Zedrapazia
Can you imagine I don't want to be beaten up as well? I don't have a hero complex, and all I see is that the person on the ground would try to beat me up as well if they just could.
FlowerIsland
So you decide to approve? Interesting. I don't give a shit if I get a beating. I will be damned if I let someone get bullied. Standing by and not standing up for the weak and downtrodden is cowardly and weak. Ever read the poem "first they came for..."?
Zedrapazia
I've had too many fights already, I'm done. I will only pick those fights that are really worth it for me and those I care about, not an entire spectrum.
Everyone else can walk the walk on their own, I am too jaded for this shit.