In the past year or so I've been getting increasingly hostile to some standard progressive issues like Identity politics, I'm now a staunch supporter of gun rights, I oppose income taxes for wage-earners, I oppose welfare states, I'm developing a tough-on-crime mentality, I sigh and roll my eyes at things like that Jesse Williams speech, etc.
Now, I know many of you probably agree with a few of those (particularly guns and idpol) but the truth is that while the theoretical grounds for all of those are socialistic and pro-working class, in practice it means that I wouldn't really find much common ground with 99.5% of the leftists out there. In fact, when discussing mundane, day-to-day policies I'm far more likely to have a cordial conversation with a libertarian or a secularist, moderate conservative than with most socialists. So it's true that I'm left-wing, but my version of being left-wing and most people's version of being left-wing intersect only at a few points.
Am I just becoming something of a conservative myself and not really having the balls to admit it? Is this the first stage for eventually becoming a "I was a socialist once too but then I grew up" cretin?
No, comrade. You're learning that socialism is its own school of thought, not just liberalism with teeth.
Carson Baker
Progressivisim =/= socialism
Charles Gray
Yeah we know.
Xavier Morris
How would we know?
And if you were - what would be your course of action anyway?
Kayden Fisher
Well, most people who consider themselves "left-wing" aren't leftists but just social liberals. Idpol also infests the left today. I have many of the same views as you ans I would also find conflict with many so-called socialists today, but I'm not a right-winger at all.
Jordan Evans
Stay off Holla Forums user.
Nathan Long
Nothing wrong with that. That's good too. Nothing wrong with that considering that you're essentially opposing income taxes on the proles. Welfare is like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound, so nothing wrong with that either. This is good too. Who?
With all of that said, it sounds like you think like me user. I consider myself a fairly conservative socialist.
Samuel Cruz
"9 times Jesse Williams eviscerated racism — from cultural appropriation to white fragility" That's the headline. I'm not going to watch it because I'll probably go full niggerdeath.
That sort of minority pandering annoys me too. So it seems we're in agreement there as well.
Anthony Reed
Yeah I'm not saying the speech isn't fucking shit
Jose Hughes
Fair enough.
Camden Peterson
good.
the proletariat needs to be armed.
just them, right, not wage exploiters?
because it's worse than socialism?
I'm developing a tough-on-crime mentality tough on which crime?
grats on waking up to the dog and pony show of mainstream politics.
left wing means "supports economic equality" and nothing else.
Josiah Nelson
Why and what sort of welfare?
You don't know enough lefties.
Could you tell me if you are from the US of A?
Mason Gray
Congrats OP, you're breaking through the neolib/neocon programming. I had a similar experience last year as GG was switching from a war footing to an occupational one.
As I started feeling like this was a crisis of faith as a leftist, I decided to imagine debating my 2005 self. Thinking over my actual positions then and now, I realized that while the labels had changed, my positions were still the same: I was always for fairness and raising people up rather than forced equality pushing others down, I always loathed insincere gestures of charity or politeness in the face of inadequacy or injustice, and I hated backward attempts from any quarter to chop at the roots of enlightenment philosophy and objective truth that have powered the meteoric advancement of civilization these last few centuries.
Moreso, the foundations of leftism, like class consciousness, collective strength, and individual freedom, remained as strong as ever in me.
It's obvious, isn't it? We haven't changed, we've only become more aware, while the movements we're part of have rotted. Take back what's ours.
Ian Parker
...
Cooper Reed
This.
Evan James
Funny thing is that I can't stand Holla Forums even when I'm technically agreeing with them. Their gun threads for example are an endless display of stupidity.
Levi Gray
If only more socialists would realise that.
Cooper Lee
It's fine OP, Holla Forums is basically alt-left anyways. So you're in good company.
Mason Perry
You'll be a Not Socialist in no time. :)
We've been awaiting your arrival.
Jack Nguyen
*meant to write Nat
Oliver Roberts
I'm way past that phase bro.
Landon Hill
...
Brandon Young
This just means you're not a lib–
Never mind, >>>/gulag/
Isaac Butler
People become Nazis and fascists from the opposite direction, by delving into bizarre narcissism like Evolian alchemic tradition.
Bentley Young
Im emotionally very progressive but have ideoligical dilemmas on egoism and empathy.
