# The Far Right, The Far Left, What Do They Have In Common. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 22, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004 "2013-01-22T14:22:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/61 "2013-01-25T03:48:46Z")
You guys are so easily distracted … ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/62 "2013-01-25T03:50:46Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Well, to make noise about it, at any rate. The far-left staged the OWS sit-ins to make noise about it, and the far-right . . . well, actually, you have to go to paleocon **literature** to read or hear much about that, you won’t find it mentioned on Tea Party rally-signs. (Of course the Randroids and Ronulans on the campaign trail were chanting a lot about the banks in 2012 – specifically, chanting “End The Fed!”, which is worse-than-irrelevant to the problem.) woops. let me reset this one. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/63 "2013-01-25T03:55:43Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Well, to make noise about it, at any rate. The far-left staged the OWS sit-ins to make noise about it, and the far-right . . . well, actually, you have to go to paleocon **literature** to read or hear much about that, you won’t find it mentioned on Tea Party rally-signs. (Of course the Randroids and Ronulans on the campaign trail were chanting a lot about the banks in 2012 – specifically, chanting “End The Fed!”, which is worse-than-irrelevant to the problem.) You have a point. The Tea Party has been backing Wall Street big time. I thought they feared power in all its forms, but apparently are blind to the threats posed by corporate power like most of the right wing. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/64 "2013-01-25T04:00:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hunter S Thompson was a pretty big gun advocate. I think it was Larry King who once said he’d like to seat Thompson and Rush Limbaugh next to each other on a long flight, because he thought they’d get along famously. Said that rather than being opposite ends of a linear spectrum, the Far Left and the Far Right actually met each other coming around the corner on a curve. Bill Maher is evidently friends with Ann Coulter, and says they get along fine so long as politics is off the table. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/65 "2013-01-25T04:32:33Z")
[QUOTE=Debaser;15924704 Right wingers think that by spending more than we have and piling on the debt that Obama has we are stifling economic growth. Cutting taxes and spending and letting individuals and businesses have more money in their pockets will lead to economic growth for all. Left wingers think that deficit spending during a recession makes sense, as the government can help keep the economy going during a tough economic time. Injecting cash into the economy by printing money and doing government stimulus will help pull us out of a recession. They can’t both be right.[/QUOTE] History shows us that the right wing concept is the correct one. Every period of major economic boom has come from executing that concept. ---
**Author:** ![Molesworth\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Molesworth\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molesworth_2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/66 "2013-02-19T12:29:50Z")
One thing that the Far Right and the Far Left clearly don’t have in common is a presence in US politics. American politics are unbelievably right-wing when measured by the standards of the rest of the civilized world. There is no “Left” in the US political sphere. It’s kind of adorable when US Right-Wingers claim to be persecuted by something that doesn’t even exist. Takes me back to those halcyon days when the US Right was claiming that Iraq had WMDs. Mind you, they currently claim that Obama has repeatedly raised taxes. They’re clearly absolutely delusional. Seriously, I want the drugs that these people are taking. That must be some seriously good shit. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/67 "2013-02-19T14:59:23Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > History shows us that the right wing concept is the correct one. Every period of major economic boom has come from executing that concept. E.g., the “Hoover Boom” of the 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![austerity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@austerity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/austerity)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/68 "2013-02-20T03:41:59Z")
They both want to redistrubite money, wealth, and property. The far left wants to take money, wealth, and property from the rich and give to the poor (99% vs 1% Occupy argument) The far right wants to take money, wealth, and property from the poor and give to the rich (entitlement/tax cuts tea party argument). both are evil. let people earn their own money and spend it however they want without govt intervention. ---
**Author:** ![Kepler1571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/69 "2013-02-26T16:13:31Z")
The both think their answer is everybody’s answer. Radical left vs radical right is a false opposition. The real opposition is Radical Anything vs tolerance of difference. Steel cage match. Shoot the winner. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/70 "2013-03-03T08:46:08Z")
A member of the Far Right has become a familiar character by now, but to what extent do members of the Far Left --vs the Center-Left–even exist? In other words, how many Americans think we should get rid of everything that smacks of capitalism vs those who think we should get rid of anything that smacks of socialism? ---
**Author:** ![Molesworth\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Molesworth\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molesworth_2)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/71 "2013-03-03T10:41:08Z")
> [@austerity](#): > > They both want to redistrubite money, wealth, and property. > > The far left wants to take money, wealth, and property from the rich and give to the poor (99% vs 1% Occupy argument) > > The far right wants to take money, wealth, and property from the poor and give to the rich (entitlement/tax cuts tea party argument). > > both are evil. > let people earn their own money and spend it however they want without govt intervention. Again, there is no such thing as a “Far Left” in American politics. What you perceive as being an “evil” version of “Far Left” would be seen as a moderately right-wing political stance in any other Western country. Denying your fellow citizens healthcare is what I’d call evil. Locking up you fellow citizens at a greater rate than North Korea is what I’d call evil. There is no “left” in US politics. ---
**Author:** ![Ferengi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Ferengi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferengi)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/72 "2013-03-03T11:06:50Z")
The extreme spectrums of both parties believe in revolution rather than reform. Like many have said, there’s no such leftist party in America, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. At least, none that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/73 "2013-03-03T22:10:00Z")
> [@Ferengi](#): > > The extreme spectrums of both parties believe in revolution rather than reform. Like many have said, there’s no such leftist party in America, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. At least, none that I know of. There are few who do have some representation such as the Left in Germany which consists of an interesting mix of old unreconstructed East German commies and angry Occupy Wall Street types. ---
**Author:** ![Ferengi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Ferengi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferengi)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/74 "2013-03-03T23:44:12Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > There are few who do have some representation such as the Left in Germany which consists of an interesting mix of old unreconstructed East German commies and angry Occupy Wall Street types. I’m not especially familiar with German politics, but are they the equivalent of the Golden Dawn in Greece? The most radical European leftist groups are usually social-democrats, which hardly qualifies them as extremists. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/75 "2013-03-03T23:56:46Z")
> [@Ferengi](#): > > I’m not especially familiar with German politics, but are they the equivalent of the Golden Dawn in Greece? The most radical European leftist groups are usually social-democrats, which hardly qualifies them as extremists. Not really, they are these chaps: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Left\_(Germany)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Left_(Germany)) ---
**Author:** ![Ferengi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Ferengi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferengi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/76 "2013-03-04T00:16:17Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Not really, they are these chaps: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Left\_(Germany)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Left_(Germany)) “The majority of members are aged over 60” 😃 Keynesians, mixed in with some leftover Communists. Hardly strikes me as anything but a typical Green Party, to be quite honest. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004/77 "2013-03-04T01:07:07Z")
> [@Ferengi](#): > > “The majority of members are aged over 60” > > 😃 Don’t trust anybody under fifty! 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-far-right-the-far-left-what-do-they-have-in-common/648004.md?page=3)