Don’t buy into the right/left political divide.

~ Roger JG Albert

My next blog post will be a follow-up of my last one about what a post-capitalist world would look like. Before I undertake that one, however, I need to get this off my chest.

There’s lately been a move among ‘leftists’ to describe themselves as progressives. That’s all fine and dandy, but the left/right distinction is still in common use. I’ve always thought it stank of conservative righteousness.

We know that right is generally associated with correct. Going back to biblical references there’s the whole right hand of God thing which implies the correct side of God. On the left side of God is nothing good and that’s in fact where we first find Lucifer. It seems that right is always associated with correct and with conservative politics. The left, as we all know, is sinister. The technical term for left-handedness is sinistral. Well, I’m left-handed and that designation, frankly, pisses me off. The left is generally associated with clumsiness, ineptitude and political parties like the social democrats (New Democrats in Canada). I know some of my more conservative friends would think that was just fine, but I think it is a complete distortion of reality and panders to the powers that be.

Moreover, man has long been associated with right and woman with left. Man with the sun, woman with the moon. That should piss women off too.

So, in future blog posts, I will not use a left/right model of political discourse. I suppose they can be useful shorthand terms, but I  think they profoundly prejudice, distort, and colour our thoughts about politics. Enough of that.

 

 

 

4 thoughts on “Don’t buy into the right/left political divide.”

    1. And it does! Yay. Now, if people can read my posts and the comments, that would be great. Thanks, anonymous Bette. I’m assuming you had to leave your email address. Is that correct?

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  2. Perhaps majoring on the minor aspect of this post, I just wonder if you were actually told that you were sinister because you were left-handed (by the priests, not your parents). Unfortunately, there is error in all denominations. It might be a failing on my part, but I prefer not to attend church anymore because I have witnessed harm done to children by ignorant adults. In fact, on more than one occasion, the hurt was so bad that I confronted the adults concerned. When they refused to take my correction, I stopped attending. (I think the woman involved actually was in need of professional therapy, but I doubt she ever got it. She broke down and cried and whined that people were always out to “get” her.) A sorry situation indeed.

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    1. I was never told I was sinister because I am left-handed. The term ‘sinistral’ to designate a left-handed person is a technical term you can find in the dictionary. The concept is deeply cultural.

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