This is an interesting point, that one about the left being more homogeneous than the right. I am not sure whether to believe it, so let me present some objections that I can think of, without evaluating their merit.
A) Assuming the left is indeed more homogeneous, isn’t it true just because of greater variability of right between different countries, with a typical single country’s right being as homogeneous as the same country’s left? (The objection hasn’t a particularly strong bearing on the perceived LW left/right imbalance, but may be relevant to the more general question of how the categories of left and right are defined.)
The left generally means socialist(-ish), and the right generally means non-socialist.
B) This may not be accurate; beware availability heuristics.
Environmentalists aren’t necessarily socialists as their opinions about the optimal economic order aren’t the defining part of their ideology and may differ. Yet the environmentalists are usually classified on the left. Anarchists aren’t necessarily socialists; many of them oppose any form of organised society, while archetypal socialism is a very organised society, from many points of view more than market capitalism. Feminists rarely dream about socialist utopias as they have a different fish to fry. Yet both feminists and anarchists are usually considered standing on the left. In fact I could use the examples of these groups to make a mirror argument of yours, namely, that the right is capitalist(-ish) while the left is everything opposed to capitalism. I don’t think this is a good definition since there are counter-examples to it too (e.g. the nazis who are against capitalism but still “right-wing”) but at least I don’t immediately see this description being less reasonable than yours.
Of course this all hinges on the definitions of socialism or capitalism, discussions about which might better be avoided for their pointlessness. It is not clear whether there is a sensible definition of left and right other than “arbitrary convention set up by historical accident”, but if there is, I suppose it would go along the lines of social status: the right are those who side with the elites and wish the present distribution of power preserved, the left are those who side with the underclasses and therefore wish to shift the balance towards more egalitarianism, from which would the lower status people profit (in terms of relative status increase, not necessarily materially). This definition has several advantages: for one thing, it has no problems with the fact that in the late 18th century the market liberals were considered left.
As an example, both Ayn Rand and Chesterton would be examples of “the right”. What exactly do they have in common?
C) Both Jacques Derrida and Lenin would be examples of “the left”. What do they have in common? Or Pol Pot and Bertrand Russell? Neither of them was a big fan of free markets (or hinduism, for that matter), but that doesn’t guarantee much ideological homogeneity.
I am from eastern Europe, where “the left” basically either wants “what communists did” or “something similar to what communists did, just less, and if possible without all the violence”.
D) When I still thought that “left” and “right” were more than two rather arbitrary labels, I considered myself a leftist and “something similar to what communists did, just less, and if possible without all the violence” wasn’t the way I would summarise my political preferences. Of course, there is a sense in which any government intervention into the markets is “what communists did, just less”, but it is a sense on such a level of vagueness and generality that it lacks significant information value. In any case, for ideologically oriented both social democrats and greens communism is primarily a negative example rather than an attractor. (I don’t claim deep knowledge of the contemporary left in Slovakia, but feel quite certain to object to your statement being formulated as valid for the whole Eastern Europe).
It is not clear whether there is a sensible definition of left and right other than “arbitrary convention set up by historical accident”, but if there is, I suppose it would go along the lines of social status: the right are those who side with the elites and wish the present distribution of power preserved, the left are those who side with the underclasses and therefore wish to shift the balance towards more egalitarianism, from which would the lower status people profit (in terms of relative status increase, not necessarily materially).
I don’t think that quite described the US, or Western Europe—the stereotypical redneck is low-status but on the right (same for ploucs here in France), and buying organic food seems to be more common with the rich, but is associated to the left.
A better description of the left/right gap may be that each represents a status ladder, and that people support the status ladder on which they have the best relative position. The details of what counts tend to vary with time and place, but on the left you tend to get status for being educated, open-minded, environmentally aware, original, etc., and on the right you tend to get status for being rich, responsible, having a family, being loyal to your country, etc.
At least, that angle of approach seems better than looking at policies; if you compare the policies of the French left and the American left, the policies might seem so different that they don’t deserve the same label; but if you compare the kind of people who support either parties, the similarities are much more apparent.
I have a notion that in the US, left-wingers tend to focus on defection by high-status people and right-wingers tend to focus on defection by low-status people.
It is not clear whether there is a sensible definition of left and right other than “arbitrary convention set up by historical accident”, but if there is, I suppose it would go along the lines of social status: the right are those who side with the elites and wish the present distribution of power preserved, the left are those who side with the underclasses and therefore wish to shift the balance towards more egalitarianism, from which would the lower status people profit (in terms of relative status increase, not necessarily materially).
Except where “the left” has become the elites, there the dynamic is reversed.
The key question is not whether leftist politicians have become elites (they do regularly) but whether their agenda supports elites and whether they get support from the elites, which happens very rarely. There is a lot of self-serving political decisions made by both left and right politicians from which politicians benefit, but the left politicians are nevertheless still more connected with lower classes than the right politicians.
Somewhat special example were/are communist countries where the non-political aspects of social status are reduced and the groups of communists and elites have large overlap. These countries, when compared internationally, are “left”, but in the internal politics there is usually little place for using “left” and “right” as the left and right are relative characteristics which are useless when there is only one political party.
The key question is not whether leftist politicians have become elites (they do regularly) but whether their agenda supports elites and whether they get support from the elites, which happens very rarely.
I wasn’t just referring to politicians, but to the liberal intelligentsia.
but the left politicians are nevertheless still more connected with lower classes than the right politicians.
I don’t know what the situation is in the Czech Republic, but in the US while this was probably somewhat true a generation ago, it’s highly dubious today. (Although of course liberals like to think it’s still true.)
I don’t know what the situation is in the Czech Republic, but in the US while this was probably somewhat true a generation ago, it’s highly dubious today.
I’m reminded of a quote from a hippy band during the Vietnam War. Paraphrased:
We thought we were representing the working class. Then we realized the working class were the ones beating us with nightsticks.
I don’t know what the situation is in the Czech Republic, but in the US while this was probably somewhat true a generation ago, it’s highly dubious today. (Although of course liberals like to think it’s still true.)
Especially when you consider things like gay marriage or free immigration, causes universally approved of (in public, at least) by the liberal intelligentsia, but very unpopular among several core Democratic groups.
This is an interesting point, that one about the left being more homogeneous than the right. I am not sure whether to believe it, so let me present some objections that I can think of, without evaluating their merit.
A) Assuming the left is indeed more homogeneous, isn’t it true just because of greater variability of right between different countries, with a typical single country’s right being as homogeneous as the same country’s left? (The objection hasn’t a particularly strong bearing on the perceived LW left/right imbalance, but may be relevant to the more general question of how the categories of left and right are defined.)
B) This may not be accurate; beware availability heuristics.
Environmentalists aren’t necessarily socialists as their opinions about the optimal economic order aren’t the defining part of their ideology and may differ. Yet the environmentalists are usually classified on the left. Anarchists aren’t necessarily socialists; many of them oppose any form of organised society, while archetypal socialism is a very organised society, from many points of view more than market capitalism. Feminists rarely dream about socialist utopias as they have a different fish to fry. Yet both feminists and anarchists are usually considered standing on the left. In fact I could use the examples of these groups to make a mirror argument of yours, namely, that the right is capitalist(-ish) while the left is everything opposed to capitalism. I don’t think this is a good definition since there are counter-examples to it too (e.g. the nazis who are against capitalism but still “right-wing”) but at least I don’t immediately see this description being less reasonable than yours.
Of course this all hinges on the definitions of socialism or capitalism, discussions about which might better be avoided for their pointlessness. It is not clear whether there is a sensible definition of left and right other than “arbitrary convention set up by historical accident”, but if there is, I suppose it would go along the lines of social status: the right are those who side with the elites and wish the present distribution of power preserved, the left are those who side with the underclasses and therefore wish to shift the balance towards more egalitarianism, from which would the lower status people profit (in terms of relative status increase, not necessarily materially). This definition has several advantages: for one thing, it has no problems with the fact that in the late 18th century the market liberals were considered left.
C) Both Jacques Derrida and Lenin would be examples of “the left”. What do they have in common? Or Pol Pot and Bertrand Russell? Neither of them was a big fan of free markets (or hinduism, for that matter), but that doesn’t guarantee much ideological homogeneity.
D) When I still thought that “left” and “right” were more than two rather arbitrary labels, I considered myself a leftist and “something similar to what communists did, just less, and if possible without all the violence” wasn’t the way I would summarise my political preferences. Of course, there is a sense in which any government intervention into the markets is “what communists did, just less”, but it is a sense on such a level of vagueness and generality that it lacks significant information value. In any case, for ideologically oriented both social democrats and greens communism is primarily a negative example rather than an attractor. (I don’t claim deep knowledge of the contemporary left in Slovakia, but feel quite certain to object to your statement being formulated as valid for the whole Eastern Europe).
I don’t think that quite described the US, or Western Europe—the stereotypical redneck is low-status but on the right (same for ploucs here in France), and buying organic food seems to be more common with the rich, but is associated to the left.
A better description of the left/right gap may be that each represents a status ladder, and that people support the status ladder on which they have the best relative position. The details of what counts tend to vary with time and place, but on the left you tend to get status for being educated, open-minded, environmentally aware, original, etc., and on the right you tend to get status for being rich, responsible, having a family, being loyal to your country, etc.
At least, that angle of approach seems better than looking at policies; if you compare the policies of the French left and the American left, the policies might seem so different that they don’t deserve the same label; but if you compare the kind of people who support either parties, the similarities are much more apparent.
I have a notion that in the US, left-wingers tend to focus on defection by high-status people and right-wingers tend to focus on defection by low-status people.
Except where “the left” has become the elites, there the dynamic is reversed.
The key question is not whether leftist politicians have become elites (they do regularly) but whether their agenda supports elites and whether they get support from the elites, which happens very rarely. There is a lot of self-serving political decisions made by both left and right politicians from which politicians benefit, but the left politicians are nevertheless still more connected with lower classes than the right politicians.
Somewhat special example were/are communist countries where the non-political aspects of social status are reduced and the groups of communists and elites have large overlap. These countries, when compared internationally, are “left”, but in the internal politics there is usually little place for using “left” and “right” as the left and right are relative characteristics which are useless when there is only one political party.
I wasn’t just referring to politicians, but to the liberal intelligentsia.
I don’t know what the situation is in the Czech Republic, but in the US while this was probably somewhat true a generation ago, it’s highly dubious today. (Although of course liberals like to think it’s still true.)
I’m reminded of a quote from a hippy band during the Vietnam War. Paraphrased:
Especially when you consider things like gay marriage or free immigration, causes universally approved of (in public, at least) by the liberal intelligentsia, but very unpopular among several core Democratic groups.