Here’s a question for you: do you know your left from your right, politically, economically? How about your far left from your far right? I suspect there may be some issues, terminological complications, confusion. Maybe we can discuss that a bit this week?
I suppose the most common definition of left and right must involve reference to ethical views on the definition, distribution, use of economic power to resolve interpersonal conflicts of preferences, allocate resources, etc. The exact specifications of the respective views may be a little contentious but generally one is more about defined and unchangeable property laws; labor and capital market, inheritance based distribution of economic power; extensive use of markets; and the other less so. From this perspective on left and right, one can have extreme positions of either left or right involving non-democratic, authoritarian expressions of the relevant ethics on economic power, so right wing authoritarian fascism versus left wing authoritarian communism. This traditional take allows one to easily make sense of the historical deadly animosity between similarly anti-democracy, authoritarian, ostensibly (although not necessarily genuinely) “welfare state” fascism and communism in 20th century Europe especially.
Democracy, from this perspective, is neither inherently right nor left, as voters can voice opinions on the ethics of economic power and can and will revise, amend change those opinions, evolve. Voters often support a “welfare state” stance but they needn’t and sometimes haven’t. It’s rare, but voters in a democracy sometimes support a government that evinces no care or sense of responsibility relating to the welfare or well-being of the citizenry, as in the early years of the Great Depression of the 1930s, for example.
Under this perspective, one may say the USA currently has a very popular, powerful, influential, well-funded, far right political movement in the form of the conservative movement and the Republican Party, but no real far left movement to speak of. That is to say, one can find anti-democracy, authoritarian, violent, political rhetoric from right wing conservatives, Republicans, but no real anti-democracy, authoritarian, violent, political rhetoric from their opponents, liberals, Democrats.
However, there is another version of the left right distinction in which democracy, by casting the ethics of economic power as a matter for voters to address, is inherently leftist, and in which the far left can refer to those who strongly endorse democracy, the US Constitution. This usage appears now quite common in the USA and, as one might suppose, has created some confusion and conflict, including among conservatives, Republicans, about the proposed status of democracy and the US Constitution.
An entirely different take on what puts the “far” into far right and far left is that it is meant simply to indicate relative position from some central position, so as the overall political climate shifts right, “far left” refers to what was formerly the moderate left. In this instance, it’s not the ability of democracy to sustain consideration of the ethics of economic power that makes it inherently leftist to some right wingers, it’s simply that a great many people in the USA no longer support democracy, so supporting it becomes “far left.”
What’s the point? Talk about left and right, far left and far right, all you want, just be aware different people may have in mind different things by those terms, and one may easily end up talking past others due to equivocation on terms, resulting in confusion and conflict. As always in such cases, it’s typically easier, less confusing to just spell things out. Are you talking about the ethics of economic power? Who should decide that? Democracy versus authoritarian government? Welfare state or a state indifferent to citizens’ welfare? Takes a bit longer, of course, but at least people know what you’re talking about. Of course, if you’re not interested in talking sincerely, if you’re more interested in misleading, manipulative rhetoric, word games, then knock yourself out, unless your audience demands better.
Addendum: Forgot the peculiar modern take in which all government, law, is cast as “left,” and “right" either doesn’t exist or becomes lawless, violent anarchism, conventionally neither right nor left. Comical, but likely also causes some terminological confusion and conflict.
