To wonder what is so bad about being a 'lefty'?

[imwithspud]

I see it all the time during political discussions on social media. That if you hold certain views you are branded a 'lefty' or 'loony left' like its some sort of insult. I've noticed that it tends to be a stock response by some people when they can't think of something more intelligent to say.

Aibu to wonder what is so 'loony' about holding left wing views, and that actually the world would be a better place if people were more tolerant?

I am sure people will tell you of the many issues that still exist.

I hope they would. They often do on other threads.

The point on this thread is that when I said I am campaigning for more women in politics, I was told I was wrong to do so and should campaign for better policies for women instead - and told I was wrong when I explained my own experience of those policies.

I have never, once on this thread, said that I think women collectively are better or worse off under the Torys. Those words have been put into my mouth and others are arguing something which I never said .

PorfessorPreciseabug, Clinton is hardly left wing. Lol!

And I don't think anyone is espousing communism in the style of North Korea, for example or anywhere.

Mind you, I think the labels LEFT and RIGHT are far too simplistic.

Most people have a variety of opinions for different issues that stretch across the political spectrum.

There are extremists to each "side"; IMO, being a "lefty" to me means my views are progressive as opposed to traditionalist, my ideals are based around equality, equal opportunities and ensuring wealth is distributed where it is needed. My "right wing" friends and family members believe more in survival of the fittest. They don't believe in the redistribution of wealth, believe that too much emphasis is based on supporting those less well off than them, and that left wing governments have bankrupted the country on several occasions. Personally, I believe economic flux is a given in a democracy. To the poster who suggested North Korea is a left wing state, if you believe Communism is left wing, then yes, it is, to an extent. However - these days, left wing politics are much more about societal progression and development, which doesn't seem to be the case in what is effectively a totalarian familial dictatorship.

It's fair milder than the insults used for the right wing voters - Tory scum, fascists, self serving wankers, you name it, I have seen it on here.

The right may mock the left but that's nothing compared to the level of hatred the left has for the right. Just read the posts on here around election time.

So why is it such a shocker that supporters of two different political parties may not see the other's point of view?

And because fundamentally (at the most basic level) left means wanting to look after society even to your own detriment and right means looking after yourself with minimum societal involvement, the two are mutually exclusive.

livia absolutely this. As a "lefty" hate the term I don't feel that "right-bashing" is fair and if soneone has different beliefs to me, surely that's just grounds for healthy debate?! But there will always be bunfights where politics are concerned.

It's the language used in those bun fights that differs depending on political stance, though.

In my experience, both in RL, on Soc Media and here on MN, a common theme from left-wing supporters is that they want to eliminate/remove right-wing people from their lives, and preferably from society. Right wing supporters on the whole are a lot more tolerant of people who don't share their views.

Lefties I know have dumped friends because they have expressed right wing views. I've never known a right wing supporter dump a left wing friend, though.

NN again, depends on their definition of left and right wing. Some people view right wingers as bigoted. Some people view left wingers as terrorist sympathisers. There will always be extremists in both sides. I lean quite a lot to the left, but I don't sympathise with terrorists or believe that we should live in a communist state.

There are definitely faults on both sides. I have a disabled DH, so understandably disability rights and the support, including but not exclusive to benefits, available to the disabled is a subject very close to my heart. In that there is a mix of both self-interest - I don't want my DH to suffer - and a wider principle i.e. anyone with a disability should be able to access, or have someone access on their behalf, whatever support is required to ensure their disability does not cause them to be disadvantaged, discriminated against or demonised. I happen to believe that having a comparatively small number of people 'cheating' the system is an acceptable price to pay to ensure that those who need that support can access it without having to jump through an ever-increasing number of hoops. I also dislike the narrative of the "deserving" v "undeserving" poor, where my view is that if people need help then give them help without placing their life choices under the microscope of value judgement. (Within "help" I include education, support services, opportunities to change lifestyle if that's what they want to do, not just chucking cash at people.) I also believe decent housing is a basic right for all not an investment opportunity for some. That makes me fairly "lefty" on today's political spectrum, and expressing those views in pretty much those terms elsewhere on social media has indeed resulted in me attracting the terms "loony leftie" and the particularly etymologically unedifying "libtard" which seems to be creeping in from the US.

I do try - not always successfully, if I'm absolutely honest - to criticise policies rather than people (the glaring exception to my attempts was always IDS, I loathe the man) and to be fair there has been a lot to criticise with regard to welfare and disability benefits recently. What I find frustrating is that criticism of a government policy will almost inevitably result in the assumption that you must not only be a Labour voter but that you therefore automatically agree with and support every policy Labour has ever implemented or suggested, and so you get a load of "whataboutery" highlighting Labour flaws when in government in return. Left/right wing views can and do transcend any one particular political party, and IME a lot of "lefties" felt just as disenfranchised by the centrist Blairite PLP as those further right did.

I'm a socialist, I always have been and I always will be. I despise greed, avarice and rampant self interest. I dont mind sharing, and I put my money where my mouth is.

'Money is like muck, no good unless it be spread'.

"For example you can't tell us proles how wonderful the NHS is and must be privatised while yu skip the que a wonder off to bupa"

Genuine question- i always hoped that one day I would be able to get my own private health insurance, which would not only benefit me but also take some of the burden from the NHS should i need an operation or something. I was of the opinion that if more well-off people did this (of course while still paying national insurance) then waiting times etc would be reduced.

It's doesn't really work like that as many private doctors/surgeons also work for the NHS so is this in their spare time, are they working partime (not that I blame them as it obviously tops their wages up)

So all that would happen is those that have paid get bumped up to the top of the list and get seen quicker unless treatment is an emergency

And who has funded their training

I despise greed, avarice and rampant self interest

So do you despise everyone who supports right wing politics ? Doesn't that make life very stressful?

Would you prefer not to live in a democracy? By definition, a democracy includes opposing views.
Fighting to suppress views that do not accord with you own, you are fighting against democracy.

Some "lefties" are so full of shit you'd want to kick them in the teeth. Those who wave bolshevik flags at demos, worship Putin, etc.

And some "Righties" are racist mysoginistic bigots.

Key is in the pronoun.

The most intolerant people I've ever met are lefties. They go on & on about 'inclusion' 'fairness' bla bla bla, yet fail to acknowledge their inner bigot. Some of them are actually quite scary & the phrase, 'loony left' is an understatement.

misogynistic hides from grammar police and is shamed as is a member of said grammar police

some of the most intolerant people I have met are right wing.

and some of the most closed minded bigoted people I have ever met are Tory voters - good job neither of us assumes they represent everyone of that political persuasion really Surfer

good job neither of us assumes they represent everyone of that political persuasion really

That's true - none of us should. But, when a subSet of left (or right) wing supporters all demonstrate the same attitudes, then it's reasonable to refer to them as a collective, isn't it?

I use the term leftie-loonie in conversation with my DH to refer to people who is left wing and displays other characteristics that are common to a subset of left wing supporters we know.

Similarly, I've heard the term 'right wing bigot' used to describe a subset of right wing voters who all share a common, bigoted PoV.

That doesn't mean I think everyone who votes for a left-wing party are loonies.
But, all too often, the bigoted views of some right wing voters are attributed to me solely because I vote in the same way as them.

I'm very much on the left most of the time, especially when environment, nhs, human rights, equality, etc. is concerned, but when it comes to history of certain parts of the world, i'm very very right-wing.

A lot of lefties are hypocrites. That's it really.
At least with a Tory what you see is what you get

Really, surferjet? When you see the likes of Cameron, Johnson and May spouting forth how much they care about the vulnerable, do you really think that what you see is what you get?

Nataleejah, people who "worship Putin" these days are definitely right wing. Look at Trump and his followers.

It's simple. Lefties care more than anyone else

life.spectator.co.uk/2016/03/a-handy-guide-to-left-wing-people-for-the-under-10s/

Nataleejah, people who "worship Putin" these days are definitely right wing. Look at Trump and his followers.

and UKIP's new leader