Post by Souriquois on Jun 10, 2017 11:43:58 GMT -4
It sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but it exists.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_socialism
It's a political ideology I find very interesting, namely because of its strong influence on Canadian political culture.
In Canada, right-wing socialists are often referred to as "Red Tories" (Their opposite would be "Blue Grits", people who support leftist parties but are generally not skeptical of capitalism). These are people who generally support the welfare state, and are socially liberal on issues such as gay rights. They differ from their counterparts on the left in that they support more localist policies, and they differ from other people on the right in that they are more pro-small business, while remaining skeptical of large corporations and the excesses of capitalism.
They also believe that people's rights and freedoms are better preserved on a collective level, rather than an individualist level. They generally only support policies if they have a net benefit for the whole community, rather than a few select individuals. This explains their skepticism about excess capitalism, which benefits some individuals, but has a net negative impact on the community (and they also believe capitalism kills traditions, as people abandon their culture in the pursuit of money).
Their social liberalism (being pro-gay rights, having a strong distaste for racism, etc.) also stems from this belief on the collective: oppressing some people harms the community as a whole. Red Tories, for example, advocate strong laws on racist speech, because allowing it could fan racial tensions and make communities less safe, less orderly, and by extension, less free. Yes, law and order is a big deal for them as well, but their approach to achieving law and order is different from the stereotypical "law and order" politicians.
I will post more on it later. I am heading out for a few hours. I just thought I'd start a discussion.
What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree with them?
Are they really right-wing?
Conservative or right-wing socialism[1][2]:80 is a term used by some right-wing movements and politicians to describe support for social solidarity as opposed to individualism, commercialism, and laissez-faire economics.[3][2]:79-80 According to the Austrian School economist Jesús Huerta de Soto, the fundamental objective of "right-wing socialism" is to maintain the status quo by preventing the free exercise of entrepreneurship and creative human action from disrupting the pre-established framework of social organization[2]:98 It supports state promoted social hierarchy and certain people and groups to hold higher status in such a hierarchy.[2]:79
The term is also used, more commonly but distinctly, to refer to moderate, social democratic forms of socialism when contrasted with Marxism–Leninism and other more radical left-wing alternatives. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels criticised the Philosophy of Poverty by the anarchist writer and theorist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon as representing "Conservative or Bourgeois Socialism". Military socialism, guild socialism, agrarian socialism, and some forms of Christian socialism are also termed "right-wing socialism" by various authors.
The term is also used, more commonly but distinctly, to refer to moderate, social democratic forms of socialism when contrasted with Marxism–Leninism and other more radical left-wing alternatives. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels criticised the Philosophy of Poverty by the anarchist writer and theorist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon as representing "Conservative or Bourgeois Socialism". Military socialism, guild socialism, agrarian socialism, and some forms of Christian socialism are also termed "right-wing socialism" by various authors.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_socialism
It's a political ideology I find very interesting, namely because of its strong influence on Canadian political culture.
In Canada, right-wing socialists are often referred to as "Red Tories" (Their opposite would be "Blue Grits", people who support leftist parties but are generally not skeptical of capitalism). These are people who generally support the welfare state, and are socially liberal on issues such as gay rights. They differ from their counterparts on the left in that they support more localist policies, and they differ from other people on the right in that they are more pro-small business, while remaining skeptical of large corporations and the excesses of capitalism.
They also believe that people's rights and freedoms are better preserved on a collective level, rather than an individualist level. They generally only support policies if they have a net benefit for the whole community, rather than a few select individuals. This explains their skepticism about excess capitalism, which benefits some individuals, but has a net negative impact on the community (and they also believe capitalism kills traditions, as people abandon their culture in the pursuit of money).
Their social liberalism (being pro-gay rights, having a strong distaste for racism, etc.) also stems from this belief on the collective: oppressing some people harms the community as a whole. Red Tories, for example, advocate strong laws on racist speech, because allowing it could fan racial tensions and make communities less safe, less orderly, and by extension, less free. Yes, law and order is a big deal for them as well, but their approach to achieving law and order is different from the stereotypical "law and order" politicians.
I will post more on it later. I am heading out for a few hours. I just thought I'd start a discussion.
What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree with them?
Are they really right-wing?