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So extremism side in terms of politics is easy to Identify... If someone has a set of ideologies where anything that is even slightly different, introducing nuance, is "the enemy" then you are dealing with someone on the extreme end.
If you are on the left and see centrists as evil as the right, and even the moderate left as evil, then you are probably an extremist.
Basically you just need to look at how well defined the walls of the silo is.
So yea extremism is easy to identify... now right vs left I think that is harder because you can be right and left in different categories its not an all or nothing thing.
For example communists, socialists.anarchists, progressives. are all generally agreed to as "left" though having quite a bit of ideological difference. Generally I'd say the common denominator of the left vs right is the left focuses on ensuring individuals power is mitigated (to some extent) and that the power and resources need to be spread out and not allow the natural processes of of concentration of power in a small group of individuals.
Therefore common themes among the left are redistreibution of power and wealth and/or the prevention of centralized power (as is the case of anarchism, which even sees the government as bad).
the right on the other hand seems to see a strong centralized power as ok, so long as it comes about through natural power-dynamics. Generally prefering free-markets and seeing accumlated power in a central place as both natural and good.
@toiletpaper @admitsWrongIfProven
I dont think that was much of a change at all. The spectrum remained the same, free-market proponents are certainly more left than dictators or monarchs.. it was true then as it is true now to say, from the perspective of a dictator free-market supporters are left of them.
@freemo @admitsWrongIfProven Regarding centralized power, I don't think of left–right this way. (I'm in US, FWIW) Here, at least, the "right" party, Republicans, are the party of deregulation and lower taxes – at least that's the brand: I know a lot of times they vote for higher taxes and control, but to the point here it's what they talk about and sell themselves as. I know, we want to think of Trump as "authoritarian" because of his statements about controlling media and so on, but even his administration is known for focusing on deregulation. (Whether they did so successfully is an interesting question, but not the point here.) The "left" party, Democrats, have instead branding about more about sensible government doing sensible things, yes? Regulating where needed and so on.
Of course, we think of right-authoritarians like fascists etc. Worth noting though even those often keep businesses privatized at least (Pinochet, Hitler, etc)
Additionally, as noted here, left-anarchists are anti-statist as well, so clearly correlation between what people talk about as left-right and being statist/anti-statist is not so great.
>deregulation and lower taxes
Im not sure thats really saying anything different. Deregulation is a way of basically saying "We wont try to manipulate who has power and who doesnt, we will let natural processes define that and if power accumulates in a central place, so be it"...
Taxes are a bit more nuanced, generally a progressive tax structure where the rich are more taxed than the poor/middle class is about wealth redistribution. Therefore lower taxes, particularly when we talk about taxes closer to being flat, then that too is about "let power distribute where it naturally will".
@freemo @admitsWrongIfProven Oh I assumed "centralized power" meant centralized into the hands of the state. I see your point.
Well no, it may mean that... the right isnt limited to republicans.. different groups ont he right manifest the principles in different ways. Right-libertarians generally dont want any power to be centralized in the state but are ok if natrual processes cause centralization of power among people (in other words they are ok with monopolies forming in an unregulated market), republicans are generally ok with some level of governance.
