8 ms·

Esperanto is not really politically neutral. Like other such projects for world peace and understanding, its proponents tend to be overwhelmingly on the left, e

Esperanto is not really politically neutral. Like other such projects for world peace and understanding, its proponents tend to be overwhelmingly on the left, even if disputes might occasionally arise within it between leftist factions. I spent some years in the Esperanto movement and attended a large number of Esperanto congresses and meetups, and I worked with the main organization representing Esperanto (UEA). In this community, advocacy for world federalism or closer EU integration was heard extremely frequently and such ideas were a common theme for conventions. On one hand, I thought that was cool, because I myself was sympathetic to such causes, but at the same time it was obvious that there was a strong enmity towards any ideas associated with the right and that this "neutral" movement was not as open to just any man off the street around the world as it wanted to seem.

em-bee 8y ago
sorry, i used the wrong term, i didn't mean 'political' in terms of political factions or streams, but in terms of nations. (like it is used in political map vs geographical map) i edited my post to clarify.
em-bee 8y ago
you make a fair argument, but i think it is worth distinguishing esperanto the language, and and the community of esperanto speakers. there is nothing in the language itself that enforces these political views. it is for example conceivable that people could use esperanto as a communication language with foreigners to avoid english domination out of a conservative isolationist motivation.
- Mediterraneo10 8y ago
  As things stand, your theoretical conservative isolationist is unlikely to even meet a fellow Esperanto speaker outside of the community of Esperanto speakers. There are so few Esperanto speakers that if one wanted to actively use the language in any way, one would have to engage with its community. Some Esperantists do keep their distance from the core, rather fanatic community and they try to use the language purely as a means of communication or as a game. However, the actual organizations that provide most of the infrastructure to actively use the language are bound quite closely with the community, and a certain set of shared cultural behaviours and acceptable political boundaries has now arisen within that community.

em-bee 8y ago

sorry, i used the wrong term, i didn't mean 'political' in terms of political factions or streams, but in terms of nations. (like it is used in political map vs geographical map) i edited my post to clarify.

em-bee 8y ago

you make a fair argument, but i think it is worth distinguishing esperanto the language, and and the community of esperanto speakers. there is nothing in the language itself that enforces these political views. it is for example conceivable that people could use esperanto as a communication language with foreigners to avoid english domination out of a conservative isolationist motivation.

Mediterraneo10 8y ago
As things stand, your theoretical conservative isolationist is unlikely to even meet a fellow Esperanto speaker outside of the community of Esperanto speakers. There are so few Esperanto speakers that if one wanted to actively use the language in any way, one would have to engage with its community. Some Esperantists do keep their distance from the core, rather fanatic community and they try to use the language purely as a means of communication or as a game. However, the actual organizations that provide most of the infrastructure to actively use the language are bound quite closely with the community, and a certain set of shared cultural behaviours and acceptable political boundaries has now arisen within that community.