john9blue wrote:Woodruff wrote:I don't believe your statement counters her point at all. She could just as easily recognize a shift in the political spectrum whether she were right, left or centrist.
People generally will want to dissociate themselves with any sort of fringe groups. One's opinions are "validated" in a way if they are seen as centrist or neutral. It indicates level-headedness and a lack of bias. That's why people will try to make themselves seem "center-left" or "center-right" by redefining what left and right mean. It's not just Player, lots of people do it.
In theory you are correct, but language is a bitch sometimes.
I see, and just how do you feel I meet the definition of "fringe", particularly the far left fringe?
Because what I see happening is a shift to claim that left-centrist views are "extreme", in order to move very extreme right views into the mainstream.. and to utterly and completely ignore true "leftist" thinking.
The only area where I am very much in the left is regarding the environment, but the thing is that scientific FACTUAL knowledge has grown so that even many conservative people are now firmly in what used to be the "far left". Ideas like recycling, etc are now fully mainstream. The idea that dumping sludge into rivers is not the best idea is similarly pretty mainstream... or even somewhat conservative in that only someone very far to the right would actually oppose that (but how to deal with it, etc differs within the spectrum).
In health care, the trend to "redefine" is very apparent. I grew up in pretty conservative farming communities. No one there would think that healthcare was some kind of luxury. Yet, today, suddenly you see many posters here, many people on Fox, in other media outlets somehow "OK" with the idea that not everyone needs basic healthcare. I mean, I am sorry.. call me "leftist" for that all you want, but those are not the values I have been taught America upholds. (and no, I do NOT believe that thinking is truly in the "far left").