this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
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For someone who claims to lean left, I'd expect you to have at least a basic understanding of leftist/progressive values, yet your comment suggests you don't.
I'm guessing you're an American "centrist", meaning you're somewhere between Democrats and Republicans, respectively a center-right to right aligned group and an increasingly far-right group.
Most of my values are leftist and progressive but you trying to nail down my political ideologies based on a single comment is about on par with what I expected as a response to me disagreeing with some of the most radical left positions that exist.
It's because those positions don't actually exist on the "radical left" (which is a term coined by conservatives to discredit moderate left political policy). "Disbanding the police" is a strawman thrown up by the American mid to far right in response to centrist to center left proposed police reforms and supporting the Israeli genocide is antithetical to leftist values. It may be in line with the American Democratic party, but they're quantifiably a conservative party.
You're criticizing non-existent leftist policy and non-leftist values using pejoratives coined by the right while claiming to be progressive. It's just odd.
"Radical left" was coined by conservatives the same way "Radical right" was coined by progressives. You've said absolutely nothing with this line. There are radicals on both ends of the spectrum. Extremists in every group.
"Disbanding the police" is a legitimate position taken by the extreme pockets of the left, some proposing full on anarchy or anarcho-capitalism. I know this because I've had to block the communities where this kind of garbage finds popularity. They don't want a replacement, they don't want a gradual exchange, they want no cops - immediately. I still disagree with it as a concept because training the officers will get you better quality interactions and more professional cops. Make a law that mandates x% of their budget must go to training. Increase it if they fuck up. Don't defund them, that's how you get cheap idiots instead.
I also need you to understand that most people here are talking about American politics and that trying to compare center, left, and right to completely different cultures and political discourse is simply unwise as they're not compatible. Our left support looting stores and burning down cities for the sake of attention while our right create mass disinformation to fear the stupid people into paranoid support. Committing to either side is intellectually bankrupt.
When I say I'm a left leaning centrist I mean I'll vote for Biden and support almost every progressive bill or law but I'm also going to cheer violent protestors being locked up as readily as I will the insurrectionists. People get so caught up in tribalism and looking like an ally they forget their principles or independant thought. I refuse to, even if I'm called a villain, party traitor, whatever else.