The idiot left

This interesting post on an ideology chart by Bill Weinberg at World War 4 Report generated quite an interesting discussion, including my comrade the New Centrist. (While you're there, click on the link to the test to find out if you're a fascist; I'm a "liberal airhead".) It led me on to a whole series of posts there worth reading on the ascendancy of the "idiot left".

(P.S. Did you notice my perfect use of a semi-colon above?)

Previous: trad left, rococo left, leftover left, the left's old neighborhood.

Previous quizzes: Left or right?, Who is your inner humanitarian celebrity?, Are you George Galloway?, What kind of anarchist are you anyway?, Is your world view exactly the opposite of what you think?, Are you middle class?, Love America or leave it?, What on earth is going on in the world today?

Comments

Roland Dodds said…
That was a very good thread. The case New Centrist makes is one I agree with, especially when it comes to getting away form political labels. That is not to say I don’t find value in classifications, just that mangling your personal views to fit them into a convenient ideological package is silly. Like NC, in my more radical youth I would have been terribly offended to be called a NeoCon, Republican, or whatever unsavory political tag a foe could throw at me. I was a Trotskyite/anarchist/socialist/radical damn it!

Now days, I could care less what I am called, as long as my arguments are not misconstrued. And getting out of the leftist ghettos I imposed on myself allowed me to find comrades in places I did not know they existed. When I finally recognized that the fight in Iraq was one for democracy and against theocracy and fanaticism, I found those very NeoCons I had railed against had some good points.

And if one is opposed to the war in Iraq, they can find rational individuals on the right to work with, assuming they don’t mind screwing the ideological purity of their club.
Anonymous said…
"Now days, I could care less what I am called, as long as my arguments are not misconstrued. And getting out of the leftist ghettos I imposed on myself allowed me to find comrades in places I did not know they existed."

Right on, brother. Right on.

Glad to have "met" you, Bob, Noga, Modernity, and the rest of this extended crew. It's great to have an opportunity to discuss these issues with thoughtful people, even when we disagree. It means a great deal to me.
ModernityBlog said…
sob, sob, I am a whining rotter.

sob

:)

cheers NC!
Anonymous said…
Just thought I'd mention, I'm a whining rotter too.
Anonymous said…
What do you know, it seems I am a liberal airhead as well.

So which is more out of favor these days, being liberal, or an airhead?
Liberal airhead. But it's not really me. I'm not at all an airhead.

I had a problem with this question:

"Sex crimes, such as rape and attacks on children, deserve more than mere imprisonment; such criminals ought to be publicly whipped, or worse." At first, I picked: mostly disagree. And then I thought, what if my daughter were the victim. Would I still feel the same? So I decided to split the difference and picked: "somewhat disagree." But it's not at all a good question, nor are the answers adequate.


And to Bob(yes); to your question.
SnoopyTheGoon said…
A librul airhead, me. Go figure...
SnoopyTheGoon said…
MB - doncha worry, a few months in a bootcamp could cure you ;-)
ModernityBlog said…
boot camp indeed, I remember when having new boots was a novelty, ph don't get me talking about the past....and another thing...

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