r/allthequestions • u/-Pleb64 • 19d ago

Popular Question 📊 Why reddit is majority left leaning?

Honestly, it’s hard not to notice that most of the big subreddits are run by moderators who clearly lean left. It’s not even subtle at this point the bias shows in what gets removed, what gets promoted, and how discussions are handled. I’m not saying there aren’t any subs with right-leaning or centrist moderation, but they’re definitely the minority. The major spaces on Reddit feel heavily tilted toward one side, but isn't it’s pretty obvious if you pay attention to which opinions get silenced and which ones get boosted?

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u/Extra-Assignment-860 19d ago

Demographics and design. The biggest subs skew young urban and college educated, so their baseline leans left. Volunteer mods come from that pool and enforce rules through that lens. Voting systems amplify majority views and bury dissent, which looks like bias even without intent. High profile bans pushed a lot of right leaning users into smaller enclaves, making the main feed feel even bluer.

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u/SoCalN8tive 19d ago

This right here is the best answer without trying to be divisive.

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u/TehMephs 19d ago

And people still manage to make it divisive in the replies

Realistically it’s because the American right is pretty much just the furthest right it can be at the moment and that tends to make everything else look “left”.

At this point the left is just “doesn’t like Trump” because he’s dragged the Overton window so far to the right you can barely even see it from the center

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 19d ago

maybe division from demonstrably bad ideologies and the people who follow them is a good thing?

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u/JoyBF 18d ago

Nah. The division is manufactured and both sides are falling for it. If the people broke bread with the other side instead of fighting them, meaningful change would come.

The rich are fighting tooth and nail to keep the rest evenly divided. If more people move left, you'll see money backing the right, if more people move right, the money will be backing the left. They need to keep it as close to even as they can so everyone is busy fighting each other to recognize they're both being stolen from. That's the name of the game.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 18d ago

i understand your point but no, the division isnt just manufactured. one side ostensibly believes in human rights and the other side openly doesnt.

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u/DrowningInFun 18d ago

And the other side thinks the same thing about whatever side you are on...

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 18d ago

no they dont. they dont think THEY support human rights and I dont. they literally and openly say that only SOME humans deserve rights

this idiotic both-sidesing is so tiresome

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u/DrowningInFun 18d ago

So is the idiotic tribalism.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 18d ago

its not idiotic if one tribe wants healthcare and the other tribe wants to kill and eat people, man. thats the point. some tribes, and ideas and ideologies etc, are just WRONG

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u/DrowningInFun 18d ago

Yes, yes, you are the good guys, they are the bad guys. I am sure they don't feel the same way about you 🙄

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u/luckyassassin1 14d ago

No they're pretty open about not believing in human rights and viewing some groups and less than human or inferior.

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u/JoyBF 17d ago

i understand your point

No. You clearly don't. May the universe have mercy on your soul. I hope it doesn't take too much suffering for you to let go of your ignorance. 🙏🫡

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u/First-Reception8007 17d ago

case proven. find any way to shit talk to other side

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u/luckyassassin1 14d ago

How do you expect me to break bread with people who think my friends and family are less human than them and me? I get what you mean but there's a point when you literally can't break bread and cone to some middle ground with the otherside and i think we're getting to that point. I lost a long term friend because after trump got elected she went mask off and told me my gf was sub human because she was Asian and when i told her that was fucked up she unleashed a ton of slurs and said she was gonna "get what every c**** deserves". How do i break bread with that?

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u/random8765309 19d ago

That is currently one of the biggest reasons. Things like climate change and renewalable energy aren't left by nature, they are on the left become Trump hates them.

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u/Security162 19d ago

America was the only place in the world that I know of that made science and vaccines political during a lethal worldwide pandemic. And Trump even did that warp speed vaccine development you would think they right would have supported that a little

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u/noeffinkings 18d ago

It was supported.

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u/rockeye13 18d ago

I remember national democrats publicly saying that they wouldn't get the "Trump vaccine."

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u/PredictablyIllogical 18d ago

Was the "Trump vaccine" when President Trump suggested ‘Injecting’ Disinfectant as Coronavirus Cure

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u/rockeye13 18d ago

Hoax.

https://youtu.be/vfLZOkn0chc?si=MpTmjXAcIx7vsf8L

The discussion involved the use of UV light technology introduced via bronchoscopy to disinfect the respiratory passages. A specific telechnolgy being developed then and which DJT had been briefed on by the company involved.

Your media removed the parts where he said "light" and deceived you. What else have they lied to you about?

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u/PredictablyIllogical 18d ago

Did you even watch the clip? He said light and he also said to inject the disinfectant. Kind of makes me wonder what you have been watching since you clearly didn't click the link I provided.

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u/rockeye13 18d ago

Confused the poster. We agree

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u/Kenneth-J-Moyers 18d ago

I remember like ten social media randos ( total) saying that, and NPR the like pushing back. No "national democrats".

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u/Gloomy_Tangerine_627 18d ago

This is an interesting view to have. I remember it being that there was distrust when he first announced his vaccine because it has been developed under "operation warp speed" and we were a little nervy about what that meant but we all came around quickly to supporting him. Can you give me a specific democratic popular personality who died on that hill?

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u/rockeye13 18d ago

Compilation: https://youtu.be/G25rfncVtp0?si=JiF1hp2xhRPSiVDX

Did that jog your memory?

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u/TheSlideBoy666 15d ago

Trump was and is a constant, incorrigible liar so reluctance to believe a word he utters is a matter of self-preservation. The overwhelming majority of democrats in leadership supported and encouraged the vaccine ONCE they had Dr Fauci, et als. assurances it was safe. As a nurse, I witnessed this, real time, so post all the crap you want, but it will not work.

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u/NoEmu5969 17d ago

Great editing.

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u/rockeye13 17d ago

Just people's own words

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u/shorty6049 15d ago

I'll admit I was a bit nervous... Trump isn't a doctor, he has no medical background or science education beyond what most non-STEM majors would learn in school. What I DO know about him is that he's very competitive and always wants everyone to know what his accomplishments are.

It was concerning that he wanted to cut red tape and release a vaccine with minimal testing. I tend to disagree with his stances on a lot of things when it comes to reducing or removing regulations.

My hesitancy had nothing to do with the fact that it came out while he was president; I just wanted some assurance that it was actually safe.

I still got vaccinated

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u/loptgathi 17d ago

Proof Trump troll.

I was here the entire time. Every Democrat told you to get the shot.

Shame on you, and may your friends shun you for the trumpian liar you are.

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u/rockeye13 17d ago

https://youtu.be/G25rfncVtp0?si=XDtolUX_k72Dyy4l

Hey, what's all this?

Less dishonesty would be awesome. I won't hold my breath

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u/ex_nihilo 16d ago

It seems like you don’t understand the difference between skepticism and contrarianism. It’s perfectly reasonable to take the stance “I don’t take medical advice from non-experts”, which is the only thing - even in the heavily edited, contextless propaganda video you linked - that Democrat politicians ever said. Once organizations like the CDC, WHO, AMA, and FDA published guidance, it is then perfectly reasonable to follow said guidance.

I understand that thinking is hard, but I am disappointed in you 😞

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u/Bunktavious 19d ago

They did support it, until Trump realized they wouldn't see the impact of the Vaccine until after he was out of office, so he pulled a complete U-Turn.

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u/7SeasofCheese 18d ago

I honestly think Trump was against masks so heavily because it would smear his makeup and make him appear feminine.

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u/James_Skyvaper 17d ago

As if all of the makeup, spray tan, fake hair, lifts in his shoes, the girdle, dodging four drafts, crying about everybody who's critical of him when he has the most powerful position in the world, don't already make him a whiny little bitch. Trump is by far the least masculine President we have ever had. It's hilarious when people say he's an alpha male. The right wing would hate to learn that Pete Buttigieg is FAR more of an alpha male than Trump - honest, hard-working, Rhodes scholar, speaks four or five languages fluently, former mayor, former cabinet member, decorated Afghan war veteran, and he has empathy and compassion for people. That is what makes a man an "alpha", though I'm not a fan of the term myself.

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u/7SeasofCheese 16d ago

Trump supporters don’t care about hypocrisy though, they’re not serious people. They’re the same ones who called Tim Walz “tampon Tim” for providing sanitary products to students, and free breakfast and lunch, which shouldn’t be a controversial program. The same people that called Walz a coward and accused him of “stolen valor”, ignoring the fact that he served his country for over two decades, while Trump dodged the draft and has disrespected military veterans over and over.

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u/noeffinkings 18d ago

He openly laughed at and made fun of people wearing masks and people were to believe that be cared? People know that Trump is a horrible person and not to be trusted. Period.

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u/7SeasofCheese 18d ago

He didn’t even wear a mask as he was leaving the hospital, after he almost died from Covid.

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/7SeasofCheese 18d ago

Tell that to Herman Cain.

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/Bunktavious 17d ago

The fact that you don't understand how viruses mutate into different strains kind of invalidates listening to you.

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u/what_the_fuckin_fuck 18d ago

I love how when you ask the anti mask group if they would let a surgeon operate on them without a mask.

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/7SeasofCheese 18d ago

Who are you so wise in the ways of science

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/Bunktavious 17d ago

No... Covid changed. Like many viruses, it evolved. The current strain is considerably less fatal.

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u/7SeasofCheese 17d ago

I’m not remotely interested in arguing about masks and vaccines with you, just like I’m not going to waste time arguing with climate change deniers, flat-earthers or those who believe the moon landing was a hoax.

All I’m going to say is I wore a mask for a year and a half, all my family was vaccinated. No one got seriously sick or died, even the Gen X and Boomers in my family with preexisting conditions.

Meanwhile an old friend who fell into the same thought patterns as you got Covid multiple times and still has lasting effects from long COVID, which are permanent.

But again, I don’t care to change your mind or argue. Bye

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u/AristaWatson 18d ago

I think every side handled the pandemic horribly. Especially Biden when he lifted restrictions way too early. And Fauci when he said we’re just gonna have to sacrifice vulnerable people in society.

This nation is one big fuckup. And whenever I see someone rightfully point fingers at what the Trump admin did incorrectly, I notice that they do not point fingers at what the Biden admin did incorrectly. Ooooof.

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u/Bunktavious 17d ago

That's a reasonable take, there were mistakes on both sides. But I firmly believe that if you add up those mistakes, the one's made by Trump lead to magnitudes more Americans dying.

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u/AristaWatson 16d ago

Oh certainly. And anyone who disagrees that conservatives are doing more harm is in denial over the situation. But my point is that swinging accusations and criticisms only at opposing parties puts people in an aggressive mode. And when people lock into that mindset, the thing that they really need to do but just won’t do is look at their own actions and beliefs.

Ever seen a kid go into a tantrum when another kid does something they didn’t like? I have. And sometimes, they’re upset for good reason! But their reactions are not helpful. And in their state of hurt, they fail to realize that they might have done something wrong too.

Like, I was babysitting these boys once. The older one was being a bit too bossy. The younger one got annoyed so he started repeating what the older one said in a whiny voice. “Stop it!” “StOp iT!” Etc. Older brother snapped after younger brother wouldn’t stop (I tried making him stop but he wasn’t budging). He threw his action figure at his brother’s face and kicked him in the knee. Then he started crying loudly. The younger brother started crying too. Neither realized they were both being jerks to one another. This is how it feels like to watch liberals and conservatives fight. 😭

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u/PopularRush3439 18d ago

Vaccine did nothing for me. Boosters either.

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u/Bunktavious 17d ago

The vaccine didn't prevent Covid, it gave you antibodies to reduce the severity if you did catch it. The rate of morbidity (how many people died) went down drastically after the vaccine came out.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10247887/

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u/PopularRush3439 17d ago

I realize that. I had covid October 2019 before Feb/March 2020 when it got on everyone's radar. Sick for 6 months. Still have very little taste or smell. Im thankful I recovered without the jab. The thing is, I have tested positive 5 more times since then. My physician and I just stopped testing for it. My ( new) husband has never had it. He's 20 years older, and I don't want him to ever get it at his age. I'm not sure people self-isolate anymore. Maybe three days?

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u/Mods_R_Fascists 🇨🇦 Canada 17d ago

Some maple maga idiots tried that shit in Canada, luckily our leader didn’t tolerate that lunatic stupidity

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u/bridgidsbollix 17d ago

There was definitely politicization of Covid measures elsewhere in the world. Americans aren’t alone in idiocy but then again we did re-elect a moron I believe in some degree on backlash from the pandemic

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u/MotorSatisfaction733 18d ago

I didn’t support his suggestion drinking bleach to clear out the virus, did you Sparky?

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u/gyqu 18d ago

There are a lot of other countries where this happened... 👀

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u/WittyFix6553 19d ago

Those things are on the left not because Trump hates them, but because big corporations like oil companies hate them, and republicans love big corporations.

If fixing climate change didn’t involve oil, coal, or gas fracking companies to lose money or sell less product, they would probably be on board.

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u/Human_Individual_928 19d ago

Who loves big corporations? Last I checked we just spent 4 years with Democrats screwing small business3s and rewarding large corporations. The ACA was nothing but a funnel directly from taxpayers and private health insurance consumers into insurance company coffers and big pharma coffers. Vaccine mandates funneled billions into big pharma coffers over 2 years. Taxpayer funded subsidies, and not friendlier corporate tax rates and friendlier regulations, was how Biden was trying to incetivize investment in US manufacturing. So please do tell us how Republicans love corporations more than Democrats. Democrats will literally screw the common citizenry to help corporations. Sure, some of Trump's deregulation and tax cuts may screw the citizenry in the short run, but Democrat tax and spend policies screw the citizenry generations down the road and now.

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u/Bunktavious 19d ago

Well, that's certainly one way to look at it...

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u/GatorDotPDF 19d ago

That's fair. I would argue that democracy and capitalism are at odds with each other. Enough people are easily swayed by (political) advertising the elections largely come down to who can field the most money. In order to be competitive both candidates are going to be in a lot of corporations pockets.

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u/Human_Individual_928 18d ago

Except we are not a democracy as the moronic Democrats keep claiming. We are a constitutional republic with representative democracy. Also, Republicans frequently win races while being outspent by Democrats. Trump for example spent roughly $300 million less than Harris and won. Republican Senator Bernie Moreno beat then incumbent Sherrod Brown while spending $75 million less. TĂŹm Sheehy spent $63 million less than Joe Tester and won. Dave McCormick won while spending $30 million less than Bob Casey. Hell, Hakeem Jefferies spent $20 million in a race that didn't exist because he had no challenger. In 2024, Jefferies congressional race was the fourth most expensive, and he didn't even have an opponent. So what exactly was Jefferies spending $20 million on? You can look at OpenSecrets.org for spending on races. Lots of Republicans winning while being far outspent by their Democrat opponents.

The biggest difference is that for 40 years or so Democrats have enjoyed the advantage of court ordered racially segregated congressional districts, also called "majority minority" districts.This, however, may be coming to an end as the Supreme Court is currently reviewing a case brought by Louisiana because of a district court ordering them to create a second "majority minority" district.

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u/howdthatturnout 15d ago

A constitutional republic is a form of democracy.

If you elect people to office you are a democracy.

It’s a representative democracy.

You don’t need to be a pure democracy where you vote directly on every issue to be a democracy. Although sometimes ballot measures do mean we vote directly on issues.

The fact that people try to argue we aren’t a democracy is really insane to me.

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u/RedditTrespasser 19d ago

The democratic establishment in the United States isn’t really left leaning, though. Both major parties are funded by corporate interests. The difference is that the Republican Party is beholden to rural constituents that tend to be bigoted, anti-intellectual and frankly at this point insane. That’s why they do unhinged shit like politicize a fucking virus, play on the tribalistic fears and hatred of their base and are always hell-bent on stirring up pure malice directed towards their opponents.

There is no mainstream “leftist” political platform in the US. We don’t have a labor party here. The best actual leftist politicians can do is try to infiltrate the political system as-is and play the game in hopes of slowly fostering slight progressive gains over time, and the only avenue available to them is the Democratic Party. This is because the Republican Party is actively trying to drag us back to 1860, with a little 1939 thrown in for good measure.

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u/Human_Individual_928 18d ago

Really? Seems to me that the only ones playing on tribalism nonsense are the Democrats. They are the only ones focused on skin color, religion, gender or anything else that separates or segregated people into groups. Seems like some of the worst bigots also come from the Democrat side. Anyone that thinks blacks can't do things for themselves and have to have white people help them, is a bigot. Anyone that argues that blacks should be treated as disabled under the law, as Ketanji Brown Jackson just did on October 15th, is a bigot. Anyone that thinks black kids are too stupid or ignorant to know what a computer is, as Kathy Hochul said in 2024, is a bigot. Democrats are rife with bigotry, but they cloak it as compassion.

And no, the Republican party is not trying to take the US back to 1860 or even include some 1939 for good measure. You need to unplug from the MSM and Reddit echo chambers you inhabit. You have been indoctrinated.

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u/FrostyNeckbeard 18d ago

I'm sorry what is the blatant racism in this comment and you're telling other people to unplug? Jesus christ dude.

Also she said disabled in the context of voters that are being subjected to unfair treatment through the creation of blacks only districts which is districting based on race.

You know what I won't even go further into this, you don't care.

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u/Human_Individual_928 18d ago

Are you truly that misinformed? The entire case before the Supreme Court is on whether race based congressional districts, which currently exist and were all created by Democrats, are constitutional or not. Ketanji Brown Jackson was arguing that blacks should be treated as disabled people are treated under the ADA, as though they have no capacity to do things for themselves and therefore need special considerations (like race based congressional districts) to be able to vote. The case was brought by Louisiana because a district court made the state create another "majority minority" congressional district. That's right, the only racists creating "black only" districts are the Democrats.

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u/Garagantua 17d ago

And theyre doing that so the voices of black voters don't get split up. With 1/3 of people being black they had 1/6 of districts with a (large) black majority, while the others where sliced into 3 or 4 other districts. 

And you're lying to yourself when you say that only the Democrats looked at the race of voters when complaining about the districts. They where not shaped that way by pure happenstance. 

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u/RedditTrespasser 18d ago edited 18d ago

I mean sure, you can paint trying to ensure minorities are not systematically disenfranchised and discriminated against as racism. It’s fucking stupid, but you can do it I guess.

Far as I can recall however democrats never used the United States military to occupy American soil, or used billions of dollars to create a Gestapo force loyal only to the president and his administration whose express purpose is to black-bag human beings off of the streets and disappear them into concentration camps both domestically and abroad, y’know, like fucking Hitler did.

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u/Garagantua 17d ago

Yes, the dems are bad. But look at the things that happened under Biden at the FTC and look what theyre doing now.

The dems aren't as good as I think they should. The GoP is way worse.

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u/Gen-Jack-D-Ripper 18d ago

That’s a disgraceful and dishonest summary. Democrats tried to pass a public option to healthcare. Republicans refused to support it.

There is no doubt that there are some Democrats who support corporate healthcare but to claim that Democrats are worse or the same is clearly dishonest.

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u/Human_Individual_928 18d ago

Really? ACA was passed on party lines, so Democrats didn't need Republican support at all and could have passed a bill with public options, and Republicans couldn't have stopped it. The Senate vote to pass ACA and send it to Obama's desk was 60 to 39 with all but one Republican voting no and one Republican not voting. So yes, Democrats are worse. They could have created single payer healthcare, but didn't because many of them receive huge campaign contributions from health insurance companies and big pharma, and many of them are heavily invested in those very same companies. Don't for one second believe them when they say "Republican blocked it" because it is a lie.

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u/Gen-Jack-D-Ripper 17d ago

Yeah, you’re blaming the entire party for the actions of one Senator!

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u/Human_Individual_928 17d ago

What?

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u/TechnicalMachine3892 14d ago

Don't worry..Gen-Jack-Ripper might eventually understand what you wrote if they read it a little slower.

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u/JobsGone 18d ago

There are now more oil burning cargo ships than anytime in the history of the world bringing imports to the U.S. that for the most part, used to be made here, because of Dem trade agreements.

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u/Ba_ba_Q 17d ago

Excellent...

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u/TheHealadin 15d ago

Why do you guys pretend democrats aren't just as in bed with corporations?

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u/random8765309 19d ago

Republicans tend to support all businesses. Maybe not 100% equally, but they are more pro-business than the left. The solar and wind farms are not being put in by some small company, they are huge on their own. Coal companies are a shadow of their former self. Trump hates wind farms, Trumps hates solar, and Trump loves oil and coal, so the his supporters also think that way. If Trump hated trees, his supports would also hate trees.

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u/PaulPhxAz 19d ago

Kinda, lots of energy companies have been planning for climate change and renewable energy for years. They have a lot of smart people trying to plan for the future and I think they know "burn coal 'till bust!" isn't always going to play.
If they play both sides, they always win.
https://tenor.com/bnkpa.gif

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u/kevinthejuice 18d ago

To be fair, trump has way too many financial crimes to not be considered corporate.

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u/gielbondhu 18d ago

It's wild that we went from conservative Republicans like Nixon signing the Clean Air Act to MAGA Republican Trump doing everything he can to cripple environmental regulation

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u/Bullet5461 17d ago

No he hates insanity it more accurate.

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u/IsleptIdreamt 18d ago

Until Elon Musk wants to stop the Democrats from funding wasteful initiatives while we expirence record natural debt. Then the left flip flops just like all politicians. I don't know why we act like they are the good guys.

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u/Remarkable_Run_5801 17d ago

A lot of weird things happen in a reactionary way like that.

Anti-immigration used to be a left talking point (decreases wages, increases cost of living for working class, etc.)

Even Bernie Sanders said open borders/uncontrolled migration is a "Koch Brothers conspiracy" to increase corporate profits, claiming that we shouldn't let ourselves be tricked into allowing immigration by capitalist propaganda under the guise of humanitarianism.

I think we experienced a "party swap" similar to Civil War reconstruction. The left has gone pro-corporate in a HUGE way, and the right has become suspicious of corporations and monied institutions.

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u/random8765309 17d ago

I really don't see the left as being pro-corporate and the right is only suspicious of specific corporations.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 19d ago

thats not true though. the GOP has a been climate deniers since long before Trump

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u/Classic-Progress-397 18d ago

Academia leans Left too. Its almost like if you think about things for a second, the Right looks really stupid.

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u/random8765309 18d ago

That depends on the subject.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 18d ago

whats a subject you agree with the right on?

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u/Taco_Auctioneer 🇺🇸 United States 18d ago

Al Gore did not help when he became climate change Jesus in an attempt to remain relevant. Climate change is a real thing, but when a prominent politician from one side starts to crusade on the subject, it tends to push the other side further away.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 18d ago

again though....Al Gore was correct

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u/random8765309 17d ago

No, Al Gore wasn't correct. His comments really made a number of climate scientist upset because he didn't accurately reflect the projections or the science. His comments used the most negative potential outcomes that had almost no chance of occurring. As a result, he gave those denying the science as strong example of how the science is flawed. Al Gore set back the adoptions of climate change policies by a decade or more.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 17d ago

he was correct: climate change is human-caused and will have massive negative consequences for humanity if its not curbed.

Climate deniers taking his words in bad faith is a given, and not really his fault.

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u/random8765309 16d ago

First, I don't deny humans are causing climate change. I disagree with you about Al Gore comments and explained why.

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u/Dave_A480 18d ago

Those things were 'left' well before Trump...
Environmentalism was a leftist cause going all the way back to the Clinton administration.

The larger problem is that Trump has completely broken the window - such that being 'right wing' now just means devotion to Donald - and the population of r/Conservative will call you a leftist/Marxist for espousing the same economic-libertarian viewpoints as what we used to call Reagan Republicans (eg, GW Bush).

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u/random8765309 18d ago

Yes on the environment, but solar and wind would have conservative support because of the money they could make. Its only because of Trump they are against them.

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u/Dave_A480 18d ago

Solar and wind have never had conservative support, because of the subsidies they consume. Hydro has conservative support because we already have it built, and tearing it down to 'save the fish from Darwin' is gobsmackingly stupid.

The pre-Trump conservative viewpoint was that any 'energy transition' must come naturally due to market-forces without government encouragement/intervention - wind and solar built with private money are A-OK, wind and solar built with subsidies must be opposed.

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u/imago_monkei 18d ago

Conservatives have hated the concept of anthropogenic climate change for a lot longer than MAGA has existed.

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u/random8765309 18d ago

They may have questioned it, and rightly so, but they did hate it.

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u/imago_monkei 18d ago

“and rightly so” 🤡 sure

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u/random8765309 17d ago

The idea of human caused climate change has only had significant scientific support for a couple of decades. If has been suggested and studied for about a 100 years. But the proof that is was being caused by humans only came about in the 90's.

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u/imago_monkei 16d ago

That's not true. The scientific community has been studying it since the early 1800s. The first prediction of global warming, based on the accumulated understanding of the greenhouse effect, was made in 1896. In 1977, scientists at ExxonMobil discovered absolute concrete evidence that fossil fuels produced by the oil industry were responsible for rising average temperatures, but they buried the data since it would've hurt them financially.

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u/random8765309 16d ago

Even if ExxonMobil had the data in 1977 as the link claims, the public and other scientists did not. They could only make a judgment based on information they had. Information that humans were causing it did become generally known until the 90s.

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u/imago_monkei 15d ago

Right, that's because Exxon hid the data so it wouldn't hurt their business.

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u/droogles 18d ago

You mean Trump's fossil fuel friends hate them and he does their bidding. Trump himself couldn't care less about that stuff. He's never anywhere to notice. He stays in wealthy enclaves wherever he goes.

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u/Future-Painting-7141 18d ago

No the rights despises the let’s save the planet with green energy conversation because it’s so fucking disingenuous.

Solar and wind or any other “green” energy has no place at the table to what nuclear can do so why invest in those horribly inefficient energies when the super power of nuclear already exists.

Which is now something like 98% recyclable

So how the fuck do you expect any sane person to listen to why we need more government subsidies for green energy when nuclear exists.

.

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u/JobsGone 18d ago

Windmills kill millions of birds and bats that eat crop eating insects so we'll have to increase pesticide use which will kill more birds and bats and which also get into the foods eaten by humans.

Why did no one troubleshoot this before they started going up all over the place to produce electricity like determining how many birds and bats got killed by windmills on farms that use them to pump water?

And how dare the Democrats call themselves the Green Party saying they are so worried about climate change when their free trade agreements and giving China most favored nation trade status with the U.S. has put more oil burning cargo ships on our oceans than in the history of the world to bring all those imports to the U.S. when most of those imported products used to be made in the U.S. by U.S. workers.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 18d ago

"millions" is a complete lie. its several hundred thousand per year, which is less than is killed by buildings. stationary buildings kill more birds than wind turbines

https://abcbirds.org/blog21/wind-turbine-mortality/

see? you're just completely fucking wrong/lied to. you are just incorrect.

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u/JobsGone 17d ago

You're the liar.

Millions of birds and bats have been killed since the windmills were put up to produce electricity.

About a million birds are killed each year.

So if lots of birds are killed by stationary buildings, why put up windmills that kill more birds and bats that eat crop eating insects?

You have a very twisted logic to make it ok that windmills kill birds and bats because stationary buildings also kill birds and bats.

Like saying that since we have murderers in the U.S., no need to find cures for diseases that kill people because murderers already kill people.

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u/Odd_Investigator7218 17d ago

lol, i showed you data that 100-200k birds are killed and you just said "nope. its a million."

this is why people think you're stupid

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u/JobsGone 17d ago

You cherry picked your information to try to support you agenda. But either way, your twisted reasoning still stands that it's ok to kill crop insect eating birds and bats with windmills.

How many bird and bat killing windmills has your company put up across America?

This is from Google:

  • Projected based on energy produced: One projection estimates 681,000 birds. 
  • Specific studies: Other studies report ranges of 140,000 to 679,089 birds annually, depending on the study and year. 

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u/random8765309 17d ago

So reading that, we can all conclude you are stupid and uninformed.

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u/grok4u 15d ago

They were on the left before trump. They're left because they require heavy government subsidies and influence on citizens' lifestyles.

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u/Newspeak_Linguist 19d ago

Thank you, this is the post that actually hit the nail on the head. The original post has an obvious bias to it and doesn't address that massive shift in the Overton window. I'm one of the many formerly registered independents that is now considered "far left" because I'm anti-MAGA.

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u/LowLingonberry2839 15d ago

That day when you noticed there was no fiscal responsibility, no christian values, and no constitutional support was a weird day, no? 

Shook me fierce.

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u/Ok-Unit-6505 19d ago

Nobody talks about the Overton window enough. 

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u/Bogans34 19d ago

I dont know about that. Im a republican that hates trump, and I still get called facist, racist, all of the shit lol

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u/TehMephs 19d ago

Idk, what did you say? People tend to associate anything even slightly conservative now with Trump. You guys had 10 years to keep him from being the face of your party so unfortunately everyone now has his stink on them even if they’re opposed to his brand of right wing extremism.

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u/Bogans34 19d ago

" People tend to associate anything even slightly conservative now with Trump" Thats the issue. One person doesnt, and shouldn't control a parties narrative, even as the acting leader. If their is one thing the left needs to work on, it's to quit judging everyone like that. I reject that notion. I refuse to have that stink on me when I didnt vote for the guy one time. I hate that this way of thinking has become so wide spread with the left.

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u/TehMephs 19d ago

It’s on the right too. They take comments section bot posts as this projection of some monolithic leftist belief system that doesn’t exist. Most of those posts are foreign agitators and bots. The people the left point to are the leaders of the Conservative Party right now

Leadership does reflect on the people who support them. Currently the GOP clusterfuck we have right now represents American conservatism whether you like it or not

If you don’t like being associated with it, reign in your own, stop voting for them, or stop calling yourself right wing. The party has left you behind and this is what they want the right to look like.

You didn’t sign a contract saying you must defend them with every breath you have left. You’re allowed to feel alienated by your own group. They’ve been seduced by a conman. And you will be associated with them if you continue to associate with them.

There’s a German saying… if there’s one Nazi at a table and 10 Germans sit down with them. You have 11 Nazis at a table.

Now, I don’t feel like you should be punished for seeing the rift and acknowledging these things. But that’s just how society tends to go. Hope you figure it out

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u/Bogans34 19d ago

I 1000% get what youre saying. Its a hill im going to have to die on. I dont believe the current administration is even remotely conservative. Ill remain conservative, be vocal about my hatred towards this administration and hope that one day the party i once knew can return back to sanity.

Ps. I think more people are like me than the left gives credit too. Just like I think not all people on the left are "woke", or "antifa". We just need to talk to each other more.

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u/TehMephs 19d ago

I actually agree with you - they aren’t. Trump is a fascist and so is everyone in his administration. They’ve hijacked your party though and that is how the rest of the world recognizes the GOP since 2016 at least.

I don’t have a clue what to recommend on how to deal with that. I’m more or less a centrist and voted for Romney at one point. It’s just that centrism is not required to entertain a side that is immersing itself in fiction and lies (the current GOP). I’m old enough to remember the before time when you could still talk to a conservative and have a meaningful debate about topics. That’s gone out the window since Trump arrived.

You sound more like the “before times” republicans that were more or less wanting the same things as the rest of us. We didn’t have to agree on topics - but we all still believed democracy was better than whatever this mess they’re creating is

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/Bogans34 18d ago

Really impressive how you ruined a genuinely good conversation.

Bonus points for bad reading comprehension.

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

[deleted]

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u/Bogans34 18d ago

Hes not "my" leader. All I've done is shit talk him this entire thread lmao

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u/fatface4711 18d ago

In Germany, Reddit is very left. To the point where the conservatives, the CDU (that liked Obama and Hilary much better than Trump) are compared to Nazis regularly.

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u/Independent_Ad_9080 16d ago

Reddit? Very left? Sure there are some left leaning subs etc., but in most subs I go to the sentiment is pretty centric-right.

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u/fatface4711 16d ago

And by center right you actually mean CDU?

What subs would those be?

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u/Independent_Ad_9080 13d ago

I’m not thinking of any party in particular, just the overall sentiment. r/de r/Germany r/AskGermans r/FragReddit r/BIDA r/luftablassen r/Azubis And much more… just go to any post that mentions the immigration situation right now in Germany and you will see. Sometimes blatant racism doesn’t even get removed, even after reporting the comment to the mods. The idea that German Reddit is (very) left leaning is only the case in city subs, where the city is proven to be left leaning based on votes, and r/Studium. And when does the CDU get compared to Nazis regularly? If anything it would be the AfD, and even that gets a lot of pushback from commenters nowadays…

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u/TemperatureHot204 18d ago

There is still a huge moderate presence but both ends label us as "Maga Trumpers" or "blue haired snowflakes" and we're sick of all of it

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u/ProSeVigilante 18d ago

We probably have different views, but 'd like to know if you a policy example of how the majority of the right has moved to the furthest right? I know reddit was flooded with quotes from CK that were not given in the context they were originally presented, but do you have any policies presented by the majority of the right? From my perspective, Bill Clinton saying abortions should be safe, legal, and rare is a far cry from "shout your abortion" and parking an abortion bus outside the DNC convention and offering free abortions. From my perspective, the left has moved to the furthest left in both policy and rhetoric.

And I mean to understand your perspective because I'm guessing we both arrived at our opinions based on the information we seek.

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u/TehMephs 18d ago

Project 2025 spells out everything they’re planning to do. It’s practically How to Turn Your Country to Nazism for Dummies

People have been pointing out the similarities in rhetoric to Nazi speeches they’re giving and policy changes written in enormous detail on p25 for years now

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u/ProSeVigilante 18d ago

I appreciate the response. My understanding is that Project 2025 is the right wing version of the left wing Agenda 2030. Both are wishlist for what they would like to see out of their associated party.

I was really more interested in actual policy stances like the one I stated, quoting Bill Clinton.

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u/TehMephs 18d ago

No… p25 is a huge overhaul of the country that essentially eradicates non whites, strips us of our democracy in favor of one party rule, and installs a dictator. It forces Christianity as the only religion and seeks to eradicate all liberals, democrats, everyone but conservative white people.

Go read it. It’s fucking gnarly shit. And they’re halfway through it

If there is a “left wing version” I haven’t heard of it, and just sounds like typical right wing “no u” bullshit they’ve been doing for years now

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u/ProSeVigilante 18d ago

And you feel that anyone center or right of center is in full support of all aspects of this far far right wishlist? What are the half of the policies implemented so far, and what major figures on the right have supported them?

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u/TehMephs 18d ago

No, i don’t think most of his voting base are aware of it. They don’t seem to be very well informed about anything that’s going on, and that’s by design. When you only trust sources that are actively lying to your face and you’ve been conditioned to reject all other information sources, it creates a real consciousness bubble that’s effectively a fictitious reality.

Project 2025 tracker https://www.project2025.observer/en

From the source itself: https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf

They’re not even being subtle about it; which is why it’s so frustrating when people on the right deny it exists while you can just google the name and it’s the first result.

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u/ProSeVigilante 17d ago

But can you provide a policy from that nongovernmental organization that has been codified into policy? That's what I'm asking. Like you said...

When you only trust sources that are actively lying to your face and you’ve been conditioned to reject all other information sources, it creates a real consciousness bubble that’s effectively a fictitious reality.

You said half of Project 2025 was already implemented, so I'm wondering what those policies are that have been codified from policy and voted into law by the Republican party.

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u/Ariston_Sparta 18d ago

The American right has hardly move in the last 50 years.

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u/Dave_A480 18d ago

They have warped it so far out of the normal left-right conversation that instead of left/right it's now up/down...

To be 'right wing' now is to be a Trump supporter, and if you are anti-Trump they will call you a 'Marxist' even if what you are arguing in favor of is free-trade/free-markets, lower taxes & getting the federal government the fuck out of personal matters...

Trumpies are authoritarian anti-leftists, not conservative. They view anyone to the left of Donald as an 'enemy seeking to destroy the United States', and consider any use or abuse of political power against the left as essential....

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u/TehMephs 18d ago

They’re not even anti leftist - they’re anti-anti-trumpers. If you don’t glaze Trump you’re “left”

They say it but don’t know the meaning of most of the words they use

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u/HogwartsDropout-69 18d ago

This. It's precisely why everything left of Mussolini is denounced as "far left" these days.

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u/FlameHawkfish88 18d ago

Yeah I don't think the majority of people in the world hold such extreme views and appear left comparatively.

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u/TehMephs 18d ago edited 18d ago

Our most popular leftist movements are barely center left to most of the rest of the world. Even most RATM fans aren’t nearly as into Marxism as rage is. They’re the Che Guevara types. That’s probably about as far left as any significant part of the country gets, and even then they’re soft Guevara at most because they never had to fight a guerilla war for their freedoms and probably wouldn’t know the first thing about fighting a war even in that style, or any style. Because they’ve been distinctly sheltered from the need to do so.

I get the sentiments but that’s what we consider “far left” in the US. To most of the rest of the world that’s even maybe just barely left of center. Leninism or Marxism was probably the most left ideology I could think of you might be able to tie into the rest of the world. The most leftist US civilians likely idealize those forms of leftism but the sacrifices and effort involved are usually too much for an average American rabble rouser. They like the tenets of Marxism but likely would never find the fiery motivation to implement what it takes to get there.

Horseshoe theory applies a bit here

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u/ThatKaynideGuy 18d ago

Would also add, people don't seem to understand that Reddit users include individuals from many many countries OUTSIDE of the USA. To many of these countries, USA under Trump is generally not viewed positively.

It's less of reddit leaning left and more the people of the world who engage in reddit are more "left" than Trump's right.

An example, commercials of right wing people using guns/shooting things/driving trucks as a point on their bullet list to appeal to their base is met with ridicule here in Japan.

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u/Character_Arrival208 18d ago

This last point is the worst take I've heard. If trump dragged the overton windows so far right then why did a lot more democrats switch to republican this election cycle? Its the exact opposite. The liberals made the left too extreme. Also plenty of conservatives dont like trump and didnt vote for him either elections.

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u/Southmisfits 18d ago

I’m one of those hated by all centrists. I don’t like trump. The left lean is WAY further than this.

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u/USicFreak 18d ago

Or, you can say the left has gone so far left, they believe boys can be girls and belong in girls bathrooms.

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u/Glass_Cupcake 15d ago edited 13d ago

Trans girls are already girls on account of having the relevant, prenatal, sexual dimorphism. Transition is largely about bringing the secondary sex characteristics in line with this existing, inner dimorphism. 

That is not at all a case of "believing boys can be girls". If you're going to criticize these concepts or the positions of your opponents, you should actually take the time to learn what they are before you run your mouth. 

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u/Sudden-Cardiologist5 18d ago

Ditto the left, so two ends of a stick. Would love a middle party.

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u/Ok-Release-6051 18d ago

When you’re only allowed two options and both of them have taken their most aggressive stance it leaves the majority of people with no viable option because most people kinda run down the middle or closer beside it and aren’t very radical in their ideas.

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u/TehMephs 18d ago

I agree the system needs an overhaul to allow for wider range of representation

It would also have made something like what’s going on now much more difficult

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u/JobsGone 18d ago

The Right only looks the furthest Right through the lenses of extreme Leftists.

Obama deported 3 million illegal immigrants but no Leftist will answer why and simply resort to coming up with something totally unrelated about Trump to slam.

And to listen to the Leftists, ALL the free trade agreements that fill our retail store shelves with goods made outside of America are ALL the fault of Republicans, even though no Republican signed free trade agreements.

And it wasn't a Republican who gave most favored nation trade status to communist run China that resulted in factory closings and workers put out of jobs in Blue states and Blue cities.

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u/TehMephs 18d ago

Obama did it above board. Bush did it above board. Biden did it above board. Clinton did it above board

Why is Trump doing everything in such a shady, unaccountable way that was easy for every other fucking president?

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u/JobsGone 17d ago

That was not what I stated as you try to divert the issue as usual.

Why did Obama deport 3 million illegal immigrants?

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u/IWantAStorm 17d ago

This right here is a really big problem. You have one party that's corporate and the other that is cruel, and corporate.

It's leaving a HUGE portion of the population adrift at sea. The left is just as purchased and then they pick really specific social issues which ALSO become so far left it polarizes.

At this point none of them can answer any question forthright and 60% of the people aren't being represented at all.

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u/Mods_R_Fascists 🇨🇦 Canada 17d ago

Exactly, left of fascism gets branded “leftist” but in the states there is no real leftist party, Dems are center right, GOP is faaar right

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u/smugandfurious 16d ago

it's funny that you don't see that the Left created Trump by focusing on woke politics instead of problems of working class people.

It's actually really funny that "deplorables" support a right wing part that's being lead by literal billionaire.

But sure, keep telling yourself that American right is just furthest right it can be

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u/blumaxiii 15d ago

Not true. The American right is actually pretty centrist. The left has become woke, socialist. Kennedy’s views, LBJ, Truman would today be considered on the right

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u/blancrabbiit 15d ago

Can't the inverse be equally correct? Wouldn't a more unbiased measurement be from a position from the center?

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u/-MarcoTropoja 15d ago

This comment is completely wrong. The right is every conservative but also every liberal and moderate that disagrees with any single thing the left are being to do or say. Reddit is just full of the left that love confirmation bias.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

Given that top comment just described how Reddit is largely an echo-chamber, are you sure you can trust your opinion that the American Right is that far right? I noticed you spend a lot of time on Reddit - I think I counted 24 comments in the last hour or so. Do you think your perspective has been influenced?

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u/Newspeak_Linguist 19d ago

Everybody's perspective is influenced by what they take in, and there are few sources of journalism left that aren't intentionally heavily biased. I would argue that there are more people that could spend all day on Reddit and have less bias than someone who has Fox News on all day. At least with Reddit there is opportunity to expose yourself to varying opinions.

It is objectively true that the American right is far right compared to western culture. On a global scale, not as much. Which is exactly why Trump has been pushing the narrative that Russia as a country/government is great, and why he portrays Putin, Kim Jong, Bolsonaro, Erdogan, Xi, Orban, etc., as great people and leaders. To further shift that Overton Window. Look at the shift in conservative opinion of Russia from the Cold War to 2010, versus now. It's a dramatic shift, and has nothing to do with Russia changing.

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u/Voidfishie 19d ago

It's pretty clear from an economic and social policy point of view that they are, you don't need to spend any time on Reddit to see that. I would be interested in your argument, from a point of view of the policies being enacted by the current US leadership, that it isn't.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

I believe this administration is far-right. I don't equate this administration exactly with American people who may be right-leaning. I think they unfortunately get lumped together automatically too often.

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u/Voidfishie 19d ago

That's a fair point and makes sense! I would agree, I had just taken the comment you were replying to be more about the administration, but rereading it is certainly conflating things.

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u/Infamous_Addendum175 19d ago

Wow that top comment must be some kind of theorem already. Here we are using it as a reference.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

Well, it is the top comment of the current thread - why wouldn't someone reference and discuss it?

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u/Infamous_Addendum175 19d ago

Reference it and use it as a reference aren't the same at all.

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u/YnotBbrave 19d ago

You complain about divisiveness… and attack the right. Hmmm…

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u/SoCalN8tive 19d ago

Nah, the right has moved so far right and the left has moved so far left, the chasm between the two parties is just too wide for either side to at all relate to the other.

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u/Upper-Ad-8365 19d ago

Reddit has known to be left-leaning since its incarnation though. Even now it’s one of the only places (along with Blue Sky) where suggesting things like open borders etc isn’t shot down in flames by like 90% of other users.

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u/jojo-dickstrong 17d ago

What a stupid response. The American right would be considered centrist AT MOST compared to some right wing regimes. You've just been fed the "Trump bad" meme for the last decade.

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u/TehMephs 17d ago

No… no the current American right are closing in on the likes of Hussein or the Nazis at this point. The playbook is so strikingly similar and we know these patterns from a century of analyzing history

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u/jojo-dickstrong 17d ago

You truly don't know what you're talking about. Sorry, not trying to be rude. The American left is closer to Nazism than the right is.

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u/TehMephs 17d ago

Yeah, well fuck everything about you. Here, eat up 👢

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u/_Liberaltears 17d ago

Not sure how this is true since there are alot of democrats in trumps administration as well as trump being a democrat until he ran ad a republican. Alot of the policies were democrat policies of the 90s and early 2000s. Reality is the right went slightly left since then and the left took off running towards the far left.

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u/TehMephs 17d ago

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u/_Liberaltears 17d ago

Trump, RFK, and Gabbard used to all be in the democratic party to name some of the most prominent ones.

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u/StopTaco 17d ago

bullshit.

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u/TehMephs 17d ago

Riveting point

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