(Discussing on wether Nazism is left or right wing)
Nazis and communists were every bit as different as Crips and Bloods. They hated each other, but their primary difference was in style. In the end, I think both ideologies defy right-left categorization (as do libertarians and some types of anarchists for the opposite reason) because they both wanted total control over people's actions and their livelihood under the pretence of caring for them.
That said, there are some eerie similarities between Nazis and the modern left (not the old one). The modern leftist is obsessed with race and putting people into groups, often based on race and national origin, but also sex and sexual orientation. While the Nazis had their "Aryan science" and "Jewish science", the modern left has "feminist science" and sciences for every oppressed group, all of which pretty much say logic itself is an invention of whatever oppressor is handy.
24 comments
The first paragraph was doing OK (even though Nazism is far right and communism far left on the political spectrum), but WTF about the second half of this?
For the millionth time, feminism =/= communism.
as others said, 1st paragraph is interesting. I won't say true, but it's an interesting debate.
The obsession for race of some modern leftists does existe, but can't be compared, in intensity, or direction, to nazis.
But the real winner is the quote on feminism. "feminist science" is just , errrrm, somthing invented for the sake of the sentence.
Trash bin! Next!
Now, I don't agree with this in the main. However...
Spend a bit of time in academia. "Studies" departments and subgroups often act similar to what he said, seeing the Study as completely incompatible with the straight while male view. And I have tragically seen folks (typically serious postmodernists who are taken seriously most of the time) arguing that logic and the scientific method are constructs of the white western world, and occasionally they do call those folks oppressors.
Agreed with anon 1st post.
They had it right... until they got to the second paragraph. There is a school of thought within political science that states that the left/right political spectrum is not so much line shaped so much as horse shoe shaped.
Communism is extremist left while Fascism (Nazism) is extremist right. However they are oddly so radicalized that they become somewhat similar. That said, Nazism better describes the tea party while communism describes the radical left.
However, I don't think that the tea party is extreme enough to be considered fascist. The Democrat party, on a global level, is more centrist than leftist. So pretty much nobody in a mainstream party in the states could be described as communist or fascist.
@Gabriel LaVedier
I have spent rather a lot of time in academia. I know a fair few scientists, historians and philosophers of science and a lot of postmodernists. I spend my life studying intellectuals, their social networks and the political consequences of their action which, here in the Balkans, have been very far-reaching. That said, there is a long way between accepting Kuhn's idea of paradigm shift, accepting that logic and the scientific method are social constructs - the history of science shows us how the latter was constructed - or believing that scientists are human beings like everyone else with their own interests and prejudices, and believing that they are ipso facto "oppressors." While we have all read these ideas, I don't know anyone personally who actually subscribes to them, though this sort of idea seems to have been a fashion among some cultural theorists in the US and France. I can only imagine that you have been particularly unlucky, in which case I am sorry for your experience.
@NotaReptile:
I don't think that the tea party is extreme enough to be considered fascist.
I disagree. During the 2012 primaries Rick Santorum said that he believes that people don't have a right to privacy and that government belongs in the bedroom. I shudder to think what many of the teabaggers, if they had dictatorial powers, would do to certain groups in this country.
communists
Hmm... I wonder if you know that communism aims to have no-one in control at all... everyone is utterly equal in that regard...
wanted total control over people's actions and their livelihood
Guess not... I'll pretend to be surprised.
That said, there are some eerie similarities between Nazis and the modern left (not the old one)
No, there aren't. Naziism is and always has been on the extreme right. Communism is on the extreme left and, by the way, doesn't mean what you think it does.
>Doesn't understand difference between Nazism and socialism.
>Doesn't understand difference between socialism and communism
>Doesn't understand difference between communism and Stalinism
>Doesn't understand difference between progressives and socialists
The first paragraph is at least a good premise for an interesting debate. Communism (in practice, not theory) does share some similarities with Naziism. I think that's mostly because they're so far off to their respective sides that they end up looping. Dictatorship sucks just as much whether it's coming from the right or left.
The second paragraph, however, is just pure whargarbl.
"...there are some eerie similarities between Nazis and the modern left..."
Yes, like antisemitism, overbearing authoritarianism, jackboots, the puffery of Bible God, the desire to invade foreign nations, the reliance on torture to satiate demonic lusts, the whole-scale slaughter of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, atheists, communists, mentally deficient people, physically handicapped people, coloured people, etc, sporting a funny moustache, marching about like deranged goons from the Ministry of Funny Walks, war crimes, book burning, being superstitious tosspots, and other similarities too numerous to mention.
I think this guy may have just had a bad prof or two. I know that the women's and native studies departments at my university could easily convince you that the left is the new hard-right.
He's wrong, but I'm not sure he's a fanatical right-winger or any other sort of fundie. He may just be misinformed.
"...their primary difference was in style."
Don't know much about Nazis or communists, eh?
"...there are some eerie similarities between Nazis and the modern left..."
Hmm. Don't know your right from your left either.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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