cryptoleft

writing stuff about tech + decentralization over on blog.thumbsup.me

When objective truth is derived from what your cult leader says, it's easy to be a centrist 🙃

Software engineer, building decentralized stuff I find cool.

https://t.co/sMjSHV6gXW

I agree it's a matter of definition/perception, but I don't think it's that deep.

In modern politics, being center or apolitical is a virtue signal to being objective and without bias, but in reality is an appeal to not angering either side. In practice, this means forcing yourself to defend views you perceive as being immediately between the two most prominent sides.

As the right becomes more emboldened and extreme, the perceived center moves along with it (see my expertly crafted chart below).

So yes, most people online claiming to be apolitical tend to defend right wing talking points, regardless of how absurd they may be, because they view being in the center to be more virtuous than being correct.

What is a “centrist?” And then once that’s been stated, what are the characteristics that differentiate the right and left? Then once that’s clear, isn’t the “center” as portrayed in modern politics just a more moderate right wing?

After all, even a classical liberal would be somewhat to the right of the spectrum, and a neoliberal is explicitly right wing, then the people we call liberals aren’t really in the supposed center.

And if the social democrats are left of the supposed center then they’re not center neither. 

Just something to think about.

Anyway, wasn’t a meme about centrism, but about people who claim to be apolitical but in their actions are clearly right wing.