4 ms·

It means it in pretty much all of the world including, say, Australia. Frankness be, it makes one wonder how one country can so often develop different politic

It means it in pretty much all of the world including, say, Australia. Frankness be, it makes one wonder how one country can so often develop different political terminology from the standard in about the entire world. A similar situation is that in the U.S.A., blue has become the color of left wing politics, and red for right wing politics, a fairly recent symbolism dating back less than two decades, whereas for centuries in the entire world it has been opposite. How could U.S.A. news stations possibly have decided upon this? it seems to me that the news editors that approved this must have been largely ignorant of this symbolism when they decided to go against the rest of the world here, and so was the population, which must mean that they weren't aware that dating to the French revolution, the left has flown red, and the right has flown blue. The cold war is a fairly recent event; surely they noticed that the communists took red as their color of choice?

Bayart 6y ago
>A similar situation is that in the U.S.A., blue has become the color of left wing politics, and red for right wing politics, a fairly recent symbolism dating back less than two decades, whereas for centuries in the entire world it has been opposite. Well, « blue » as a political signifier very much started on the left, being associated to American and French Republicans (in the true sense of the word, not the GOP). The right wing being « white », ie. monarchist. Coincidentally that meaning also found posterity in the Russian Revolution as the colour of the Tsarist regime also happened to be white (possibly in imitation of the French, but religious reasons also play into it). As far as I'm aware, the US under a « swap » of sorts as the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic and Republican parties broke up and reorganized.
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  > Well, « blue » as a political signifier very much started on the left, being associated to American and French Republicans (in the true sense of the word, not the GOP). The right wing being « white », ie. monarchist. Coincidentally that meaning also found posterity in the Russian Revolution as the colour of the Tsarist regime also happened to be white (possibly in imitation of the French, but religious reasons also play into it). How do you figure this? The association of left with red, and blue with right, dates from the French revolution, as the three estates of French society each had a color: the commoners had red, and the nobility had blue. The monarchists at the times of the French revolution always flew blue, and the republicans that wished to abolish it flew red. > As far as I'm aware, the US under a « swap » of sorts as the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic and Republican parties broke up and reorganized. That is not the origin of the colors in U.S.A. politics; the origin is that during the Bush v. Gore election, most major U.S.A. news stations, either by coincidence of agreement, congruated on coloring the Republican Party with red, and the Democrat Party with blue, and it remained so ever thereafter. That they chose to do so, to me, indicates a certain ignorance of global politics,̧ as nearly every capitalist party internationally incorporates a great deal of blue in it's designs, and every socialist party a great deal of red.
  - Bayart 6y ago
    >The monarchists at the times of the French revolution always flew blue, and the republicans that wished to abolish it flew red. That's just... false. The monarchists universally flew white banners. The Republicans were literally known as the Blues.

Bayart 6y ago

>A similar situation is that in the U.S.A., blue has become the color of left wing politics, and red for right wing politics, a fairly recent symbolism dating back less than two decades, whereas for centuries in the entire world it has been opposite. Well, « blue » as a political signifier very much started on the left, being associated to American and French Republicans (in the true sense of the word, not the GOP). The right wing being « white », ie. monarchist. Coincidentally that meaning also found posterity in the Russian Revolution as the colour of the Tsarist regime also happened to be white (possibly in imitation of the French, but religious reasons also play into it). As far as I'm aware, the US under a « swap » of sorts as the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic and Republican parties broke up and reorganized.

Blikkentrekker 6y ago
> Well, « blue » as a political signifier very much started on the left, being associated to American and French Republicans (in the true sense of the word, not the GOP). The right wing being « white », ie. monarchist. Coincidentally that meaning also found posterity in the Russian Revolution as the colour of the Tsarist regime also happened to be white (possibly in imitation of the French, but religious reasons also play into it). How do you figure this? The association of left with red, and blue with right, dates from the French revolution, as the three estates of French society each had a color: the commoners had red, and the nobility had blue. The monarchists at the times of the French revolution always flew blue, and the republicans that wished to abolish it flew red. > As far as I'm aware, the US under a « swap » of sorts as the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic and Republican parties broke up and reorganized. That is not the origin of the colors in U.S.A. politics; the origin is that during the Bush v. Gore election, most major U.S.A. news stations, either by coincidence of agreement, congruated on coloring the Republican Party with red, and the Democrat Party with blue, and it remained so ever thereafter. That they chose to do so, to me, indicates a certain ignorance of global politics,̧ as nearly every capitalist party internationally incorporates a great deal of blue in it's designs, and every socialist party a great deal of red.
- Bayart 6y ago
  >The monarchists at the times of the French revolution always flew blue, and the republicans that wished to abolish it flew red. That's just... false. The monarchists universally flew white banners. The Republicans were literally known as the Blues.