I have always been far to the left both socially and economically, and attended many of the events held by Seattle's socialist party. Nowadays I have come to see the virtues of capitilism with a much more rigid set of rules, an economy that focuses more on ending poverty and working on building a well-skilled workforce where higher education should come by credentials and those who actually have innovative ideas about what to do when they leave school and enter the workforce, rather than basing it on what one was born into. Nowadays that may just seem too elusive but it's in my honest and stubborn opinion a goal that should always be strived for.
I've posted before about how left and right are really just relative terms, evidenced by the fact that people have already felt the need to mention their nationailty when posting, I don't think you could really have an accurate universal measure of this. Also, I think just having the one scale is a pretty clumsy way of measuring it, as you've seen near everyone feel the need to differentiate between their economic and their social positions (not that they can't overlap but it's possible to be 'right' on one and 'left' on the other).
Personally, in the context of UK politics I'd see myself as moderately 'left wing' in my economic position, pretty liberal with my attitudes to social issues _________________ Shut up mate you're boring!
I don't know enough about the extreme left to understand it, and I've yet to see an example of it executed successfully.
My visit to Denmark, which is refreshingly left wing, really proved to me just how effective a left wing nation can be. Taxes are as high as 50%, yet not only is their economy one of the best in the world, but it's people are some of the happiest in the world alongside Norway. I've got a lot to learn about politics, but that compared to the grossly right wing USA being entirely capitalized and commercialized, I can only say Left Wing is the only way forward.
If caring about the environment and improved animal rights is to the left, then I'm to the left, but I feel like those issues are beyond left and right. No parties in Norway seem to care overmuch about them. Sure, some leftist parties say they care, but nothing happens. Politics leaves me more disillusioned for each passing year.
With presupposing many things I voted left, because I hold many views on political theory which may appeal to your average socialist but main grounds for those views have been proposed by major classic liberals like John Stuart Mill and of most basic views on political ethics I hold dear, I regard Rawlsianism to be a term to encompass the most fundamental ones. Economically I've not made up my mind and in fact I'm planning to read many classic books in the next summer although by sporadic readings I have made it clear in my mind to which side I'm leaning and my views on economic theory which can be described to have neo-Ricardian tint (mainly through Sraffa which I became acquainted with through Wittgenstein owing him the stimulus to write his Philosophical Investigation) is mainly post-Keynesian (a book I recently read was An Essay on Marxian Economics by Joan Robinson which is the best book of the field I can recommend to everyone) so I may well describe myself kind of middle but considering stereotypes in American society I mainly prefer to be called moderate left which is kind of fair considering both my particular social views and overall moral-political world-view. (at least it doesn't imply that I'm in favour of bogging down discussion and unconditional thinking).
Last edited by Guest on 04/12/2013 16:51; edited 1 time in total
I'm a moderate who leans towards the right. I do have some leftist views, but yeah. The closest thing to a political party to support for me is the American Libertarian Party.
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