Am I a far right extremist?

[Isitme245]

I had a conversation with my best friend of 25 years the other day and she called me a far right extremist and how my views are scary, dangerous and 'nazi coded'
I was really shocked as I didn't think any of what I said was bad. I'm not a particularly avid supporter of any political party and very much keep opinions to myself. She's very supportive of labour and anti trump and always has been. Usually when she asks me my opinions I just don't want to get into it but I did the other night and now I feel bad.

Here's the breakdown:

• she sent me an article and told me that Nigel Farage is going to ban abortion eventually if he wins an election. I read the article and pointed out he only suggested lowering the abortion cut off date to 22 weeks (not 24 as it is now). I told her it wasn't the end of the world and it's reasonable if you read his reasons. I also made the point that men shouldn't really be getting involved in abortion law but that what he said wasn't the end of the world.

• she asked me about immigration and I said that it's great but that we should be prioritising skilled immigrants and have stronger immigration laws. She also asked about asylum seekers and hotels and I said that we should have stronger laws about monitoring people and collecting documentation when people arrive.

• she sent me and asked about Elon Musk's Nazi salute and I said I didn't interpret it that way

• I said that immigrants who rape or murder should be deported.

To me this feels really reasonable and not over the top but she really attacked me for it? Now I feel really awkward and uncomfortable talking to her. Is this far right??

I posted upthread that I saw it only fleetingly and my mind went straight to ‘Usain Bolt victory pose’ instead of Nazi salute.

Now I’ve thought and heard more, that initial reaction has been revised. But our brains naturally make associations based on what’s most relevant/closest to our experience and what we habitually focus on. So don’t assume that somebody not spotting it immediately has nefarious intent.

Extremists are at the further end of the political spectrum on both sides. That’s the very definition of being extreme. It doesn’t only affect one side more than the other. You could say that Nazi Germany teaches us about the extreme right and Stalinist Russia about the extreme left. Both are ghastly, both are oppressive and we should be looking to both as things we should never allow to happen again.

But I can’t see any political figures pushing Stalinist agendas, but I do see a highly influencial political figures promoting Nazi sympathisers and the public excusing it.

So when you say that the extremists are on the left, what do you mean? Who is pushing for Stalinist policies and ideologies online or on the world stage? Because that’s what a left extremist would look like.

Both the extreme left and the extreme right start to merge into the same thing. So if you’re tolerating the extreme right (e.g excusing Nazi salutes or turning a blind eye to a person who is championing a fascist party) then you’re actually closer to the extreme left in your politics than I am in my safe left of centre position.

Honestly what a silly comment. Secretly a Nazi? 😂 Is that the new slogan? Moved on from racist thug etc etc.

It is designed to silence. The name calling is designed to stifle debate. You have no idea who you are talking to on an internet forum, many of whom are likely to be Jewish and will find your comments totally offensive.

The real anti Jewish sentiment lies entirely with the left and the Labour Party in this country, absolutely ironic that you should be attributing this particular foul strand of racism with anyone from the right!! It’s gas lighting of the highest order.

Apologies, I must have got a but lost in the thread.

He danced onto stage, and thanked people in front of him from his heart and then did the same to the people behind him. I assume everyone that genuinely thinks he is a nazi is utterly [redacted] but we're not allowed to generalise on here so I can' say it.

10 days ago he was a Zionist. Fuck me the guy can spin on a dime. What will it be next week?

She sounds ridiculous. You aren't far right, you're just right. This is the wrong website to come to for validation though.

Yes, it is all reasonable. If your friend can not tolerate your viewpoint, this in itself is far right. She is labelling your political position as 'far right' to shame you and disregard a difference of opinion.

Musk's salute was definitely a Nazi salute. He has done a 'throwing his heart out to people' gesture a fair few times in the past - he forms a heart with the thumb and first finger of each hand against his chest, then throws it into the air. That's his established 'my heart is yours' gesture.

He's aligned himself with the far right around the world. He's a menace.

Nope, I very much followed the US election. I have been very aware of legitimate concerns around about fascist flavoured politics surfacing in the US and the conversation around this.

Your comment makes me think you haven’t read my post properly. I said if a public figure or political party even so much as flirts with fascism then we have to stand together against it if we want to protect ourselves from the rise of fascism, regardless of whether we’re leaning to the right or left.

I don’t accept anyone standing on the world stage and doing what EM did and not identifying it as a fascist act. Nothing excuses it.

He danced onto stage, and thanked people in front of him from his heart and then did the same to the people behind him. I assume everyone that genuinely thinks he is a nazi is utterly [redacted] but we're not allowed to generalise on here so I can' say it.

10 days ago he was a Zionist. Fuck me the guy can spin on a dime. What will it be next week?

I'm surprised people genuinely think it. I mean I'm not given SM and how people are but still

The far right must be really worried about the overwhelming negative feedback from musks latest performance. So many threads and comments.

I really hope we’re not going to get daily ‘Musk is not a Nazi/ Trump only wants to MAGA/ Starmer is evil and supports rape gangs / climate change is not real/ everything that is bad in Britain, is to do with boat people’ threads.

It’s going to be a long four years…

@BallerinaRadio i would say the data is that The Reform Party has taken over The Labour Party in the polls 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

kamala-harris.png (1200×653)

News from today:

With four weeks to go until Germany heads to the polls for its federal election, Elon Musk has just given his third public endorsement of the country’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party. Beaming into the hall live from the States at the party’s campaign launch in Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt, the tech billionaire appeared to loud whoops and cheers from the crowd.

Musk started by stating he was ‘very excited’ for the party and repeated his belief that the party is ‘the best hope’ for Germany. Praising the country for having a culture that was ‘unique, and special and good’, US President Donald Trump’s new efficiency tsar proclaimed that ‘it’s okay to be proud to be German’. Referencing Germany’s Nazi past, he declared that there is ‘too much of a focus on past guilt and we should move beyond that."

Criticising the EU, Musk stated that there was ‘too much control’ from Brussels and the ‘global elite’ – although he didn’t elaborate on who that ‘global elite’ was.

How does the recognition by the state that the 'thousands of people' you are talking about are, in reality, either men or women, 'deny their existence' or 'put them at risk'?

All it does is say that their 'identification' is their private business, it doesn't need recognition by the state or the rest of society.

The idea that someone's 'identification' means that society should treat them as the opposite sex is batshit. I'm delighted that Trump has said such a strong 'no' to this nonsense. I live in hope that the same will eventually happen here, with the repeal of the GRA, and clear legal guidance that any reference in law to 'men' or 'women' means male or female respectively.

(As that is what the words meant to every lawmaker in the UK, as well as the US, until the onset of this collective madness a few years ago).

Omigod they're everywhere!

Funding anti abortion movements?

Sure.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjmmrwexv4ko

Funding all sorts of movements. Anti abortion is just one of many and is not unique.

The problem with this is that some conditions eg

Anencephaly - where a baby is without parts of the brain and skull at birth. It is fatal and there is no cure or treatment. Anencephaly is a type of neural tube defect (NTD). During early pregnancy, the neural tube develops into the baby's brain and spine.

The most vulnerable women eg young pregnant women eg under 18, women going through 'the change', women who are being controlled by their partners, women forced into prostitution etc etc may find it difficult to accept/ know they are pregnant or make / get to an ante natal appointment etc etc for diagnosis.

If we lower the number of weeks for abortion. under these circumstances eg we are forcing them to continue with the pregnancy knowing that the baby is not viable and never will be. Cases like this occur and are pure torture for the mothers.

Would you be happy with a mother not having autonomy over her own body? You seem to be. So, yes this is a far right political position - 'women do not have the right to control their own bodies' - not so far from the 'Kuche, Kinder, Kirche' limiting their life choices of the Nazis.

I think this is absolutely correct. In fact I would say there’s a complete distortion over the whole of WW2. Many seem to think Churchill was worse than Hitler to hear them speak. I don’t think many know of the absolute evil in Russia and Japan for example. We need to prioritise the teaching of history, history that matters.

We need to look at our education system which for so long has been subsumed by left ideology. We need to deprioritise STEM subjects and push subjects that teach us lessons from history that teach us how to think creatively and how to critically analyse

Please show that data?

😂😂😂
Oh no. We must be

In response to @Isitme245 original question, it’s ok to have differing opinions to your friends.

Based on your original post I think you and I probably have different views and that’s ok, I respect your right to your views and I’m sure you’d respect mine.

Social media has made politics very tribe-like. We all need to get back to peacefully coexisting. The problem is nowadays, divisions have got so extreme that there is a lot of fear about, and not without good reason. It sounds like this is affecting you both. Maybe a good place to start would be to revisit some common ground with her.

What about reaching out to her, checking she’s ok and trying to connect by reminding yourselves that you’re both navigating this ridiculous world together, being bombarded by endless information and trying to make sense of it all. It’s a disorienting time to be alive and you’re both doing the best you can. If she’s scared then try to listen and maybe rather than trying to change her mind, just validate her feelings and show her that you relate to her anxieties, even if it’s for different reasons.

I hope you and your friend figure it out.

Trump was using 'gender' as a synonym for sex, not in its recent meaning of 'undefinable inner essence'. The executive order uses the word 'sex'. There are only two.
I also am a feminist and a socialist.