Political Theory 101 - Or, RW Use of Contraditory Labels Such As "Facism," Socialism," "Liberalism"

[Median Democrat]

The right wing never explains. They just use labels, and say them with a snear in order to impart a perjorative connotation to these labels, without ever explaining what these political terms mean or that the stringing together of labels, such as liberal facist, actually results in an oxymoron. The right wing favorite of the moment, "liberal facist," makes as much literal sense as the phrase "deafening silence." Even more problematic is when Obama is labels as a Facist, Liberal, Socialist, since such a label is internally contradictory on numerous labels. Maybe this is why conservatives are so mad? Perhaps, its because they are so confused due to exposure to right wing media. Anyways, here is some basic non-treatise background on these frequently used political terms:

LIBERALISM AND SOCIALISM ARE NEITHER THE SAME NOR EXTENSIONS OF THE OTHER

http://www.tnr.com/story_print.html?id=e050da85-7d49-46da-80fc-d9168c0faec7

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The word "liberal" was first used in its modern political sense in 1812, when Spaniards wrote a new constitution liberating themselves from monarchical rule. As it happens, the word "socialism" originated in roughly the same period; it came into existence to describe the utopian ideas of the British reformer Robert Owen. Such timing suggests two possibilities: Either the fates of liberalism and socialism are so interlinked that one is all but synonymous with the other--or the two are actually competitors developed to meet similar conditions, in which case victory for one marks the defeat of the other.

These days, one could be forgiven for believing that the former conclusion is correct. It was not so long ago that conservatives were equating liberalism with fascism; today, they have executed a 180-degree swing in order to argue that liberalism is actually synonymous with socialism. "Americans," proclaimed Republican Senator Jim DeMint at the recent meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference, "have gotten a glimpse of the big-government plans of Obama and the Democrats and are ready to stand up, speak out, and, yes, even to take to the streets to stop America's slide into socialism." But it isn't just the right that has worked itself into a frenzy; on the question of whether we are approaching a new age of socialism, there seems to be remarkable political consensus. In recent weeks, the covers of National Review ("OUR SOCIALIST FUTURE"), The Nation ("REINVENTING CAPITALISM, REIMAGINING SOCIALISM"), and Newsweek ("WE ARE ALL SOCIALISTS NOW") have--respectively--lamented, heralded, and observed the coming rise of socialism.

But all these commentators--right, left, and middle--may want to take a deep breath. We aren't headed for an era of socialism at all, since socialism is not a natural outgrowth of liberalism. Liberalism is a political philosophy that seeks to extend personal autonomy to as many people as possible, if necessary through positive government action; socialism, by contrast, seeks as much equality as possible, even if doing so curtails individual liberty. These are differences of kind, not degree-- differences that have historically placed the two philosophies in direct competition. Today, socialism is on the decline, in large part because liberalism has lately been on the rise.

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POLITICAL DEFINITIONS 101

I. Facism

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568245/Fascism.html

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Fascism, modern political ideology that seeks to regenerate the social, economic, and cultural life of a country by basing it on a heightened sense of national belonging or ethnic identity. Fascism rejects liberal ideas such as freedom and individual rights, and often presses for the destruction of elections, legislatures, and other elements of democracy. Despite the idealistic goals of fascism, attempts to build fascist societies have led to wars and persecutions that caused millions of deaths. As a result, fascism is strongly associated with right-wing fanaticism, racism, totalitarianism, and violence.

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Note: Given that the right wing always says that liberals hate America or are unpatriotic, a "liberal facist" should be an oxymoron.

II. Liberalism

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761552311/Liberalism.html

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Liberalism, attitude, philosophy, or movement that has as its basic concern the development of personal freedom and social progress. Liberalism and democracy are now usually thought to have common aims, but in the past many liberals considered democracy unhealthy because it encouraged mass participation in politics. Nevertheless, liberalism eventually became identified with movements to change the social order through the further extension of democracy. A distinction must therefore be made between liberalism, in which social change is conceived of as gradual, flexible, and adaptive; and radicalism, in which social change is seen as fundamental and based on new principles of authority.

The course of liberalism in a given country is usually conditioned by the character of the prevailing form of government. For example, in countries in which the political and religious authorities are separate, liberalism mainly connotes political, economic, and social reform; in countries in which a state church exists or a church is politically influential, liberalism mainly connotes anticlericalism. In domestic politics, liberals have opposed feudal restraints that prevent the individual from rising out of a low social status; barriers such as censorship that limit free expression of opinion; and arbitrary power exercised over the individual by the state.

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III. Socialism

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761577990/Socialism.html

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Economic and social system under which essential industries and social services are publicly and cooperatively owned and democratically controlled with a view to equal opportunity and equal benefit for all. The term socialism also refers to the doctrine behind this system and the political movement inspired by it.

Socialism was originally based in the working class and has generally been opposed to capitalism, which is based on private ownership and a free-market economy. Socialists have advocated nationalization (government ownership and control) of natural resources, basic industries, banking and credit institutions, and public utilities. Although the ultimate aim of early socialists was a communist or classless society (see Communism), later socialists have increasingly concentrated on social reforms within capitalism.

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[Webster Green]

1. Remember the outrage if anyone called the chimp a nazi..

..or a fascist...."Oh, you can't say that! It automatically negates any argument you might have if you call the president a nazi. That is so over the top! Blah, blah, blah..."

The fucking chimp really was a fucking nazi, and a fascist! :wtf:

[rasputin1952]

2. You left out Conservatism...

:hi:

Conservatism

Conservatism, a state of mind and political philosophy that is generally averse to rapid change and innovation and strives for balance and order, while avoiding extremes. Originally conservatism arose as a reaction against the Age of Enlightenment. Conservatives advocated belief in faith over reason, tradition over free inquiry, hierarchy over equality, collective values over individualism, and divine or natural law over secular law.

At a given time in a given society, conservatism emphasizes the merits of the status quo and endorses the prevailing distribution of power, wealth, and social standing. Political conservative thought, however, has reconciled itself with constitutional democracy and individual rights, as well as with prudent and orderly social and economic change.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573099/Conservatism.html

[lunatica]

3. The Right Wing aren't there anymore, thus they aren't labeling anything

What's left is the Reactionary wannabe top dog struggle for power. Limbaugh, Steel, Vitters, and Gingrich, et al as well as Sarah Palin all trying to fill the void left by all the old guard GOP members leaving. There's definitely been a brain drain from the GOP. Notice I didn't say a talent drain.

[AllieB]

4. The ability to be a communist and a fascist-not to mention an elitist-all at the same time

only exists in the idiotic mind of a freeper. :crazy:

[Median Democrat]

5. True, A Communist Elitist Is Like A Fat Anorexic...

The fact of the matter is that for anyone who has the slightest understanding of the actual meaning of the labels used by the right wing, what the right wing pundits say is absolute gibberish:

COMMUNISM

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572241/Communism.html

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Communism, a theory and system of social and political organization that was a major force in world politics for much of the 20th century. As a political movement, communism sought to overthrow capitalism through a workers’ revolution and establish a system in which property is owned by the community as a whole rather than by individuals. In theory, communism would create a classless society of abundance and freedom, in which all people enjoy equal social and economic status. In practice, communist regimes have taken the form of coercive, authoritarian governments that cared little for the plight of the working class and sought above all else to preserve their own hold on power.

The idea of a society based on common ownership of property and wealth stretches far back in Western thought. In its modern form, communism grew out of the socialist movement of 19th-century Europe (see Socialism). At that time, Europe was undergoing rapid industrialization and social change. As the Industrial Revolution advanced, socialist critics blamed capitalism for creating a new class of poor, urban factory workers who labored under harsh conditions, and for widening the gulf between rich and poor. Foremost among these critics were the German philosopher Karl Marx and his associate Friedrich Engels. Like other socialists, they sought an end to capitalism and the exploitation of workers. But whereas some reformers favored peaceful, longer-term social transformation, Marx and Engels believed that violent revolution was all but inevitable; in fact, they thought it was predicted by the scientific laws of history. They called their theory “scientific socialism,” or communism. In the last half of the 19th century the terms socialism and communism were often used interchangeably. However, Marx and Engels came to see socialism as merely an intermediate stage of society in which most industry and property were owned in common but some class differences remained. They reserved the term communism for a final stage of society in which class differences had disappeared, people lived in harmony, and government was no longer needed.

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ELITISM

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761585643/Elitism.html

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Elitism, restricting powers and privileges in a society to members of one small, favored group, and the belief that this arrangement is justified by their superiority.

/SNIP