False Equivalence Between “Right” and “Left” Politics
(currently being edited)
For anyone falling victim to the notion that left and right politics are equal in flaw, here are a few critical points to consider. Now, not to fall into some false dichotomy that all ideology and policy must always be framed as either right and left. But in so far as we have the two party system, a framework which the great majority understands to place their ideas within, we must understand it and draw the necessary lines in the sand. And whether you reject the two parties, or reject politics, your ideas for how to organize and run human society still far somewhere on the spectrum of left and right. Regardless if you ascribe or reject the labels or not, ideas and worldviews still fall somewhere on the spectrum.
False Equivocation
When two very different things are illogically equated, through oversimplification and ignoring differences.
Examples
Celebrating Halloween is the same as participating in a satanic ritual because both involve costumes and dark themes.
Jaywalking is just as bad as stealing because both break the law.
If you don't recycle you're destroying the environment.
Wearing a mask is like living under a dictatorship.
Being critical of an idea is the same as cancelling and censoring
Rule of Law is the same as Authoritarian practices because our legal system is guilty of mass incarceration, war on drugs, and punitive bias against certain races. This is a false equivalence since Rule of Law with all its current flaws still serves fundamentally different goals than Authoritarianism which is about control and suppression.
Protest is just like rioting.
Some things are more equal in life, and deserve to be equated, like polluting fossil fuel companies, or . But in the case of the left and right political spectrum, the differences are not subtle and indiscernible, they are glaring. And to be tasked with having to clarify it is like arguing the sky is blue, it feels futile. But that is the state of human thinking right now, as right wing thinking and power are on the rise across the world.
People will say, “Both parties are corrupt, what’s the difference? Doesn't matter who's in power.”
They say, "People on the left are just as biased as people on the right."
Where one side adheres to facts and evidence, explores the counter arguments, holds their leaders accountable, wants acceptance, tolerance, and equal rights extended to all people, including ignorant racists, wants to protect the environment, and wants to radically change the system for the better… The other does the opposite, trolls, lies, uses ad hom attack, gaslights, changes the goal posts when proven wrong, etc... wants to radically change the system for the worst, moving the system backwards, reversing hard won policy progress, taking away basic rights, cut social welfare programs, shamelessly engages in cult loyalty to their establishment leaders, and foments partisan support on the back of divisive culture war nonsense. The right has bigots, racists, and neo nazis on its side. The left preaches universal acceptance of all people.
In our world of profit driven algorithm bias… one side are honest actors, or at least attempting to be, and one side is not. One side has sane and rational policy, based on social and environmental concern, that's scientifically and sociologically supported. The other's policy is based in Christian religious nonsense, through porn bans, book bans, abortion bans, etc., and sees no issue with Free Markets and preserving trickle down Capitalist hierarchy, a provably destructive and untenable economic system for humans to be living under.
Where there's stark difference between the Democratic establishment and the grassroots “left/progressives” who want to fundamentally change the system... there is no difference between the “right” and Republican Party Establishment, which are one and the same in policy and worldview, and which both endorse the established system hand in hand.
Where right wing media is entirely bought and sold by Republican billionaire power, and ideologically parallels mainstream right wing Media... progressive/leftist media is independent, and distinct from the bias of mainstream Democratic-Establishment narratives, in which it heavily and justly criticizes.
Where big money donors buying politicians are criticized on the left as it causes politicians to serve their donors and ignore the will of the people... the right is fine with it, as long as it's their big money donor, ie: Elon Musk. Where the left is about policy and moral principle, the right is about building republican power by any means. It's a power game to them.
Where the left is on the side of science, the right operates through religion and conspiracy
People say "Democratic establishment politicians are just as guilty of spreading misinformation as Republican extremists because both sides manipulate facts."
Although politicians across the spectrum may selectively use facts to support their policies, Republican extremism has involved high-profile cases of spreading widely debunked conspiracy theories or making false claims that have been proven incorrect. Democratic establishment communication tends to stay closer to mainstream, evidence-based narratives, even if selectively presented.
"Democratic establishment policies are as extreme as those of Republican extremists because both sides want to fundamentally change America."
Democratic establishment policies generally focus on moderate reforms (like gradual changes to healthcare or tax policy), while Republican extremists have pushed for more radical changes, such as dismantling entire government agencies or overturning long-standing rights. The nature and scope of the changes proposed are different.
"The Democratic establishment's legislative strategy is just as authoritarian as the actions of Republican extremists because both seek to consolidate power."
While the Democratic establishment does seek to maintain and expand influence within the political system, Republican extremists have at times advocated for actions that challenge democratic norms, such as rejecting judicial authority or calling for martial law in specific scenarios, which are qualitatively different in terms of the threat to democratic governance.
"The Democrats are as undemocratic as Republican extremists. Both are manipulating the system."
The Democratic establishment cancels election primaries, is billionaire funded, and conspires with mainstream media to silence challenging candidates running against their preselected establishment picks. The Republicans do some of the same things, but worse they have actively sought to restrict voting, dispute the validity of election outcomes without substantial evidence, and engaged in insurrection coops against their own government.
"Both the Democratic establishment and Republican extremists are equally corrupt because they rely on big donors."
While both parties receive significant campaign contributions, the Republican extremists often have strong financial backing from specific interest groups with more radical agendas (e.g., fossil fuel interests or anti-government entities). The Democratic establishment tends to have a broader donor base, including corporate donors but also unions and progressive causes, making the motives and influence different.
The Danger of this False Equivalence
The danger of this is it rewards and enables the harmful policies and bad faith arguments of the right, allowing them to sneak by as equal in merit, when they are objectively destructive and dishonest. It lumps honest people seeking positive change, bigoted intolerant extremists, and the political establishment all into one thing; that it all has equal merit or should be equally discredited together. It dumbs down people's thinking, eroding objective truth, blinding our ability to draw lines in the sand and organize. And worst of all it causes people to check out politically and stop voting, since "what's the difference, both parties are the same and equal in consequence". And this all obviously plays right into the hands of the establishment, on both sides actually. They want us divided, not thinking, confused on what's true, and to not vote so as to remove our ideas from changing anything.
It's a lazy, cynical disposition, so people have another excuse to do nothing, and often just a cheap virtue signal that one knows our politics is corrupt and tribal, which the average moron knows.
Thing is, we can know both parties are "corrupt", that both parties fail to deliver positive change, are bought by and serve corporate interests and foreign lobbyists, that both perpetuate the military industrial complex, and that the two party system is flawed, undemocratically suppresses non-establishment candidates and independent/3rd parties, and that we should work to get beyond the two party duality… while still recognizing the Democratic party as the far more workable party for positive change, within the system we have.
“Make words meaningless and people can't think” -Orwell
The right co-opts the terminology of rationality and logical argument to speciously give the appearance they're making sense, and say it often and loud enough, with enough financial backing to dominate media online, and people fall for it. It's ridiculous.
We cannot elevate all perspectives to the detriment of discernment. There are objectively worse or more effective ways of achieving goals.
Everything is not just relative and subjective, based on how you look at it. Everything cannot just be reduced to a belief system or partisan loyalty. There is objective truth, and more sane correct side of things. Not all ideas are operating on equal footing. Political correctness has trained us to treat all ideas with equal weight. Because of the fact our media is corrupt, keeps us in biased echo chambers, and that logical ability is not prioritized, people don't know how to ask the questions that would expose some positions as preposterous, trivial, insulting to the intelligence, and unworthy of repetition.
This appeal to relativism in society and politics is a great evil that must be overcome. The idea that all ideas are equal in worth, everything is just a belief system, or narrative, you have your perspective, I have mine, there's no objective truth, just live and let live, no thinking or battle of ideas require... You're a nazi, I'm a christian, you're a nihilist, he's an activist... hey no big deal and we all just party on.
We can't play nice and just go along with it all, elevating all perspectives to the detriment of discernment. We need to take on the task of argument and discourse to parse out good/bad ideas.
Life is not some trivial partisan game as the right makes it out to be. It involves matters of society, and the lives of millions of people. There are real consequences, real suffering, and real damage.
That people can’t tell the difference in this regard is worrying with respect to people’s ability to grasp truth, basic right and wrong, know what's good/bad faith, and not be manipulated... as well as an ability to operate strategically within the system we have. It's understandable of course, given the corruption and bias of our media not giving people proper facts, information, and objective critique, and because of our tribalistic social/survival nature and need for group inclusion superseding rational objectivity more often than not.
Still, conflating such obvious distinctions that come with such destructive consequences, is unforgivable, if not irresponsible.
More than an honest intellectual mistake, this logical failure is more to do with cynicism.
Republican power is far worse version of the establishment than the Democrats are.
There's no equivocation between the two parties whatsoever. The goals, methods, and impacts of the two parties are by now means the same.
