How would you approach persuading a far extreme liberal toward center? What would you set as a realistic goal for a productive discourse? Would it be better attempt to do so in person rather than online?
Accept them. Understand them and what they say and why. Have fun and tell a joke they’ll like. Let go of trying to change them and let it happen naturally over time.
Might be a good idea to define what you consider an “extreme liberal”. Nowadays, an extreme liberal can often times be used as a label for people advocating for human rights and calling out the bad faith actors while a moderate is someone who says “Hold on, let’s hear out why these people are ethnically cleansing a population. Maybe they make good points”.
In other threads on this platform I’ve been called an “Extreme liberal” for wanting free lunch for schoolchildren. So, I think the title is just kind of applied to “anyone who disagrees with me”
Maybe try advocating for free lunch for white kids only in the future? Makes you seem more reasonable.
/s
Well, that obviously calls for deprogramming. All the commercials this month inform me you are a radical socialist trying to feed children who don’t deserve it. I think the correct answer is to throw them in labor camps instead so they can earn bread and water. Serves them right for being born poor.
How are you defining “far extreme liberal”?
Anyone who isn’t in a cult worshipping one of the most overtly corrupt con men the world has ever seen.
Someone who cares about others. It’s a terrible affliction to go through life like that.
I think privatising social security is a terrible idea and medicare for all is a good idea. So I’m basically a communist.
/s
Deprogram them from what, exactly? From not being hateful little shits that wanna get rid of everything and everyone that isn’t exactly like them?
I think giving an example of an extreme liberal would help answer the question. Did you have some public figure in mind? If not, what are some examples of their beliefs that you’re wanting to push them to the center on?
deprogram an extreme liberal
Read Das Kapital to them
towards center
They’re already in the “center”
OP asked the same question about extreme conservatives yesterday but it’s not the same question, and doesn’t have the same answers. Much of the right has gone further right, then looks at the left and says “they are farther away than they used to be”
“Deprogramming” makes sense in the sense for the far right because there is a lot of misinformation and fake news and outrage bait and all that kind of stuff. Getting people out of those trappings is good because it allows them to see how things really are, rather than what people want them to think.
That isn’t really a problem with the left. I mean, I’m sure you could find some extreme subreddit somewhere where people want to bring out the guillotine to kill all capitalists or cut everyone’s genitals off in the name of gender equality… But ultimately they’re much rarer than the equivalent alt right spaces.
Extreme conservatives are very common and an existential threat to many groups. Extreme liberals are a mild curiosity that need to go out and touch grass.
That should hopefully explain the votes, saying that you need to deprogram “extreme liberals” brings up questions about what you actually mean by “extreme liberal” given that it really isn’t that big an issue in society.
… Or maybe all this is just my biases.
It’s just your biases.
That isn’t really a problem with the left
Of course it is. Since the terms left and right were invented (during the French revolution), left-wing extremism has been as much a problem as the right-wing variety. The ideology of equality and fraternity is a story of bloody revolutions, purges, famines, even genocides. Depending on definitions, the body count of left-wingery is arguably even higher than that of fascism.
Of course, what Americans call an “extreme liberal” (i.e. a woke progressive rather than a liberal) is not typically a murderous Stalinist. But the habit of fetishizing abstract ideas, and seeing everything in terms of group power struggles, and the obsession with ideological purity - I hardly need to cite examples, at least from abroad we can see that these things are alive and well in America and having bad outcomes.
Not as bad as the opposite extreme though, on that I will agree.
You can be woke, progressive, and liberal. You’re talking nonsense.
Your tone here is not assisting constructive debate.
Do you Stalin think was an extreme liberal?
Of course not. An extreme liberal would be a neoliberal or ultraliberal, so basically the opposite of Stalin.
This is just America’s weird misuse of the word liberal to mean “progressive” or “socialist” or something.
Neoliberals aren’t liberal though, similar to how neoconservatives aren’t conservative; neoliberalism is an explicitly postliberal ideology that rejects the tenets of Enlightenment liberalism.
Arguably true. But personally I prefer it when words mean something over time. The fundamental concept in liberalism, since the beginning, is a concern for individual rights. That was the revolutionary idea. Looked at this way, the word ultraliberal means exactly what it looks like: an obsession with individual rights taken too far.
The neoliberal etymology is murkier because it’s really an economic term.
In any case the vernacular American usage is of liberal to mean “left-wing” is just wrong, or at least unhelpful. I wish you guys would drop it and find a more appropriate word! Progressive being the obvious candidate.
Didn’t you post a somewhat opposite yesterday using “Republican”?
Those two terms aren’t even close to equivalent in this context.
You need to define what you mean, a LOT. At least start with equivalent labels.
I bet this is going to be some sort of gotcha about how people didn’t feel the need to “deprogram an extremist liberal”, so obviously everyone is out to get the poor poor conservatives who just want to be vile in peace
The title may be edited, idk, but the other post you’re referring to says “conservative” today
Edit:Looking at the profile, the wording of both posts are identical, except “conservative” is swapped for “liberal”
Firstly, I would say, hey, I respect that you don’t think people should die hungry in the streets. Yup, that’s about it.
Hey I notice you have empathy for others. What can we do to get rid of that?
I’m curious as to why someone would want to “deprogram” progresivism. Seems like it would be for the worse.
Eugenics and prohibition were both progressive social movements.
Progressive doesn’t necessarily mean good.
Interesting point.
Haven’t you heard about how the immigrants are shutting down the labor unions and making it rain when you have plans?!?
I wouldn’t.
In fact, I would try to deprogram anyone who thinks anyone should.
hear, hear
Very simple. You just need to explain how guys like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have clearly always had all the best ideas and should be given completely free reign to do anything they want with our country, with no checks whatsoever, for however long they want. This will clearly make all of our lives much, much better in every way.
Wow I did not interpret the term “liberal” at all in the same way that you have. Liberalism as an ideology is centrist at best, right of center at worst if you consider the overton window in developed nations other than the US.
When I encounter an extreme right or left person, I back away slowly and avoid eye contact.
Make them live in Downton Abbey
