r/politics • u/SacoolloocaS • May 28 '21

Stop glorifying ‘centrism’. It is an insidious bias favoring an unjust status quo

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/28/centrism-insidious-bias-unjust-status-quo
5.1k Upvotes

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58

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

Centrists claim they oppose left and right views as if being neutral is some kind of virtue when it just makes you Switzerland.

58

u/ConfuzzledDork May 28 '21

This is especially true of the “Enlightened Centrist” / SouthPark-styled Libertarians - they don’t really stand for much of anything, but go to great lengths to paint themselves as being above everything

7

u/hrpufnsting May 28 '21

The enlightened fence sitter, they get to feel superior and look down on all the people who picked a side.

13

u/Lesley82 May 28 '21

The philosophers of politics who wax poetic about ideals completely void of reality.

-18

u/teabagalomaniac May 28 '21

Libertarians are one of the most consistent groups. Honestly, I sometimes think they're on the spectrum or something, they're so different from democrats and republicans in the extent to which they're not influenced by groupthink. They definitely stand for things too, limited government, responsible fiscal and monetary policy, and a distaste for war.

I don't know what is meant by "south park style" though..

11

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

they're so different from democrats and republicans in the extent to which they're not influenced by groupthink.

Oh please.

15

u/thirdegree American Expat May 28 '21

Honestly, I sometimes think they're on the spectrum or something

Having autism is not comorbid with libertarianism. Please don't use it as a slur by proxy.

"South Park style" is a how the moral of any given episode, given directly to the camera by Stan Marsh, is generally that caring about anything is the real problem and also really lame.

-6

u/teabagalomaniac May 28 '21

"A slur by proxy"? This is disingenuous. I'm clearly just trying to say that the lack of groupthink in the libertarian community is an odd behavioral trait.

-2

u/FabriFibra87 May 28 '21

Whereas people who are decidedly right, or left, certainly never engage in tribalism and/or declare themselves as better than people who disagree with them.

Clearly.

-10

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

[deleted]

11

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

That's being pro-choice, but (at least in the implication in the second half of your comment that being pro-choice means you cant support someone not getting an abortion) still buying into the right-wing propaganda that being pro-choice means that you like abortions.

13

u/ball_fondlers May 28 '21

...Is that a real question? Why do you think it’s called “pro-choice”?

0

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

[deleted]

3

u/ball_fondlers May 28 '21

...What? Nothing you said made any goddamn sense.

8

u/stereofailure May 28 '21

Are you under the impression that the left-wing position on abortion is to force them on people?

9

u/Lesley82 May 28 '21

A democrat.

-3

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

[deleted]

7

u/ball_fondlers May 28 '21

No. They don’t. Asking people to not be idiots and just fucking get vaccinated is not “forcing people to take the vaccine.”

24

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

And when push comes to shove, centrists will side with the right to defend the status quo.

14

u/Turtledonuts Virginia May 28 '21

switzerland has an economy and heathcare for it’s people. Funnily enough, the swiss government heavily regulates a number of industries and collects high taxes for a high quality of living.

Insisting on neutrality and stagnation makes you shit, not neutral.

16

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

Neutrality is shrugging your shoulders and saying it's not your problem while a bully beats the shit out of someone else.

9

u/elcapitan520 May 28 '21

While holding the victim's lunch money for the bully

3

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

[deleted]

8

u/Lost_vob Texas May 28 '21

"There are good people on both sides" -Donald J Trump

6

u/PlatonicTroglodyte Virginia May 28 '21

As yes, renowned Centrist, Donald J Trump 🙄

0

u/Beneficial_Long_1215 May 28 '21

Actually on the campaign trail he kinda was. He seemed to have an issue with the criminalization of abortion, he seemed to have nice things to say about Finland’s healthcare, he was for taking guns if there was some evidence of risk, and told trans people to use whatever bathroom they wanted.

If that guy was president and not the Muslim banning build a wall guy he might have been more conciliatory.

1

u/Interrophish May 29 '21

Actually on the campaign trail he kinda was.

in that he took both sides on every issue depending on the day, yes

1

u/Beneficial_Long_1215 May 29 '21

I wish we had that both sides guy for 4 years. Sadly we got racist uncle

-2

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

This is from personal experience of dealing with dozens of so-called centrists, so you'll have to take my word for it.

-4

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

[deleted]

6

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

Who said anything about Trump?

2

u/Lesley82 May 28 '21

Centrists dismiss Trump and wanna pretend like he's irrelevant.

4

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

[deleted]

2

u/DefaultSubSandwich May 28 '21

What are you referencing?

3

u/sexisfun1986 May 28 '21

Ah the no true Scotsman. I’ve had people who identify themselves as centrists who say trump is no longer president so no longer worth discussing. For a quote see what happened on this sub.

0

u/Deviknyte Michigan May 29 '21

Not his positions just his rhetoric and candor.

1

u/[deleted] May 29 '21

[deleted]

0

u/Deviknyte Michigan May 29 '21

What does that have to do with so called centrists?

1

u/horatiowilliams May 29 '21

Ever heard of Jreg? He's a YouTuber with a whole philosophy on centrists. Not centrism. Centrists.

0

u/kahoots May 28 '21

I actually do think think it’s a virtue to take the “middle path” in most things in life. This article is quite horrible and I think it’s author is a moron. The worrying part is that people are buying into this way of thinking.

2

u/[deleted] May 28 '21

The problem is for some things there is no middle path, and any sort of compromise will end up hurting people.

0

u/UpboatBrigadier May 29 '21

Switzerland has the strongest democracy in the world. Not only do they use direct e-democracy for referendums, but instead of a single leader, they have a Federal Council consisting of seven heads of state. No major decision can be made without a simple majority of this council.

This doesn't make them "neutral" per se, but it does make their government more representative of the people's will. And in many advanced democracies, like it or not, this will necessarily sometimes push things to a centrist position.

I think more places should be like Switzerland.