Vivat Libertas

I have come to the conclusion that the terms "left" and "right" are so broad as to be meaningless. Half of you are probably rejoicing that I've finally seen the light, and the other half of you are probably wondering why I would say this. After all, one of the reasons we stick with these terms is that they provide some kind of way to group some ideologies together and differentiate others. My argument is that these labels don't even do that - and here's why. The classic idea is that the Left argues for big government, nanny states, and the rights of the oppressed; frequently they object to capitalism. They are unwilling to go to war, either. Meanwhile, the Right argues for a small state and the power of business, and is unafraid to bomb other countries to get what they want. I'm not even going to go into liberty, because it's become such a loaded and meaningless term that both sides could justify a claim and chances are neither would actual...

Those who know me will know that, to keep myself in order and to let off steam, I frequently poke fun at, mock, and yell at the Right depending on my mood and how eloquent I feel. I don't really have much respect for it. Why not? Shouldn't I respect tradition? Didn't they come up with some good ideas? Nope. I cannot and will not respect an ideology, or loose collection of ideologies (names like Left and Right are hugely misleading and downright wrong, but easy to use and I generally take pot-shots at everything anyway), that is bigoted (witness the misogyny, racism, homophobia and xenophobia of, say, the Republicans) and appears to have no idea of what logic is (denying global warming and failing economics). I cannot respect an ideology that wants its presence in my uterus and presumes to tell me what to think and feel, then says it's providing me with greater liberty and shows this by privatising the fuck out of everything and removing my safety net. Ideologies sho...