3 ms·

The Martin Luther King quote that begins: "I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate," should be read

The Martin Luther King quote that begins: "I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate," should be read in full. If you define a centrist as someone who finds the status quo a reasonable compromise, and you recognise that the history of the United States (among others) and its status quo is infused with white supremacy, then it's unsurprising that a self-declared "centrist" would often hold views that more closely align with the right-wing than the left.

crazygringo 6y ago
But that's not how centrism is defined. Centrist public opinion is very different from the status quo, and this is a hugely important distinction to make. The status quo is set mainly by elites who have a vested interest in their own wealth and power. The "center" of public opinion, when you actually survey people in detail on the preferences they hold, does not match particularly well with government policy in the US. (If democracy worked perfectly, then the two might coincide, but they don't because it doesn't.) From surveys I've seen, the American "center" maps best to a moderately liberal position in current politics, though it really depends on the issue. The American center is extremely liberal when it comes to gay marriage, very liberal with a public option for health care and race issues, moderately liberal when it comes to abortion and gun ownership, and moderately conserative when it comes to economic policy.
- throwaway2245 6y ago
  >Centrist public opinion is very different from the status quo The centre of public opinion might be different from the status quo, I don't want to argue about that here. I was doubting that people who identify as 'centrist' usually hold the 'centre of public opinion'; I think they are more likely to hold a significantly right-wing opinion on most issues.
  - crazygringo 6y ago
    I'm very curious, based on what data? I don't believe I've come across that hypothesis before in any of the literature or surveys. Do you have something you can cite? I'd love to see it.

crazygringo 6y ago

But that's not how centrism is defined. Centrist public opinion is very different from the status quo, and this is a hugely important distinction to make. The status quo is set mainly by elites who have a vested interest in their own wealth and power. The "center" of public opinion, when you actually survey people in detail on the preferences they hold, does not match particularly well with government policy in the US. (If democracy worked perfectly, then the two might coincide, but they don't because it doesn't.) From surveys I've seen, the American "center" maps best to a moderately liberal position in current politics, though it really depends on the issue. The American center is extremely liberal when it comes to gay marriage, very liberal with a public option for health care and race issues, moderately liberal when it comes to abortion and gun ownership, and moderately conserative when it comes to economic policy.

throwaway2245 6y ago
>Centrist public opinion is very different from the status quo The centre of public opinion might be different from the status quo, I don't want to argue about that here. I was doubting that people who identify as 'centrist' usually hold the 'centre of public opinion'; I think they are more likely to hold a significantly right-wing opinion on most issues.
- crazygringo 6y ago
  I'm very curious, based on what data? I don't believe I've come across that hypothesis before in any of the literature or surveys. Do you have something you can cite? I'd love to see it.