Woke in Plain English: "Alt right" or "Far right"
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Alt Right or Far Right. When the woke say "alt right" or "far right," what they mean is anyone who is not on the far left. Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker's phrase "the left pole" can help make this clear. When one is on the North Pole, every direction leads south. When one is on the far left, every idea that is not from the far left appears to be on the far right. On the left pole, all directions lead to the right. This is why many woke people believe Barack Obama, President Biden and Vice President Harris are on the right. The woke believe these politicians are on the right because the woke are so far to the left that everyone, including Obama, Biden, and Harris, who does not share their beliefs is on the right. Saying someone is alt right is also an excuse to not engage their ideas. By claiming everyone else's political beliefs are on the right, there's no need for the woke to engage or defend different ideas, policies, or political positions. Merely claiming someone is on the right is all the woke need to avoid engaging with disagreement. Deeming something alt right creates a kind of safe space from ideas.
I’ve been trying to get this point across to people. Associating anything with the “alt right” or Trump might be the most effective propaganda trick around. It gets all of the people who consider themselves on the left to reject ideas that have no business even being located on the left-right spectrum. Like what medications are effective against Covid. You simply label something “alt right” and all “educated “ people know to treat whatever it is with unwavering disdain.
Peter, How true, reminds me of me coming to US as refugee from USSR in 1979. We were brought in by our sponsor to Oakland, Ca, so very soon I discovered this tremendous 3 story high Russian library as part of UC Berkeley where I could get all the books forbiden in USSR to read. On a way to Library I would always meet several young people offering what seems to be Communist propaganda newspapers. Assumeng they been naive and poorly informed I would usually stop and say something like "I came from USSR one month ago, I lived there for 32 years, would you be interested to talk to me to learn what life of the average person in Communist USSR is?" Not even once in 4 month I was answered "yes". It was always polite "Thank you, no". When asking my UC Berkeley acqointance what can explain such reluctance on their part to learn from eyewitness I was told that students were told that USSR "isn't really Communist State". I was dumbfounded.
I wonder are those majoring in political sciences, philosophy and such are ever taught how dangerous and in most cases murderous utopian ideas were throughout humen history?
If such courses were indeed taught are "activists" harbouring utopian ideas then and now are the ones who failed those classes? Appreciate if anyone familiar with the subject can comment.