It’s not gatekeeping to point out that ‘leftist’ historically doesn’t mean ‘left of center’. It’s used as a reductive - but that’s the nature of trying to reduce political ideologies to a single term - label for ideologies that are anti-capitalist. Nothing Linus said in this post points to him being anti-capitalist, he only commented on social issues.
He might still be a leftist, I’ll give you that, but this post doesn’t really show that.
Because the direction “left” doesn’t actually have any inherent relationship to political ideologies, but people strive for some kind of ideological purity, especially to draw a contrast with a fundamentally unjust society?
“As I mentioned before, exposure to true information does not matter anymore,” said Bezmenov. “A person who was demoralized is unable to assess true information. The facts tell nothing to him. Even if I shower him with information, with authentic proof, with documents, with pictures; even if I take him by force to the Soviet Union and show him [a] concentration camp, he will refuse to believe it, until he [receives] a kick in his fan-bottom. When a military boot crashes his balls then he will understand. But not before that. That’s the [tragedy] of the situation of demoralization.”
Chilling is apt. I believe a KGB operative was quoted saying that the leftist is one of their greatest agents - regarding the average leftist’s tendency towards infighting. I didn’t really understand at the time, because I didn’t realize the spectre in the background of this statement is ‘while the leftist is busy fighting his neighbor, someone can step in through the chaos and take advantage’.
Very loose definition of “leftist” there but we take a W where we can.
my first thought exactly, when did Linus became a lefist?
Why are leftists the absolute worse for gatekeeping what makes a true leftist?
It’s not gatekeeping to point out that ‘leftist’ historically doesn’t mean ‘left of center’. It’s used as a reductive - but that’s the nature of trying to reduce political ideologies to a single term - label for ideologies that are anti-capitalist. Nothing Linus said in this post points to him being anti-capitalist, he only commented on social issues.
He might still be a leftist, I’ll give you that, but this post doesn’t really show that.
The revolution eats their own children. No matter how left you are, someone is more left than you.
Because the direction “left” doesn’t actually have any inherent relationship to political ideologies, but people strive for some kind of ideological purity, especially to draw a contrast with a fundamentally unjust society?
The direction left is just an human construct, man.
https://bigthink.com/the-present/yuri-bezmenov/
The answer is that it’s complicated.
That is chilling.
Chilling is apt. I believe a KGB operative was quoted saying that the leftist is one of their greatest agents - regarding the average leftist’s tendency towards infighting. I didn’t really understand at the time, because I didn’t realize the spectre in the background of this statement is ‘while the leftist is busy fighting his neighbor, someone can step in through the chaos and take advantage’.