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Why do non-US people feel the need to whine about this all the time? "They wouldn't be far-left in my country!" is completely irrelevant and contributes nothing

Why do non-US people feel the need to whine about this all the time? "They wouldn't be far-left in my country!" is completely irrelevant and contributes nothing to the conversation. In the US, which is where both I and WaPo reside, they are far-left.

williamscales 5y ago
I'm a US person and I have to say I agree that Washington Post is not far-left. While it's true that the relevant question is "what are the conditions in my country?", it's important to remember that part of the GOP's identity politics has been to paint even moderately left and centrist positions as "far-left". That said, within the US political climate, WaPo is definitely left of center. Just not far-left.
skinnymuch 5y ago
Maybe because people like you bring up a weird stance that isn’t objectively true snd likely not true to the majority of Americans. WaPo is centerist neoliberal in reality, but Americans likely view it as to the left and liberal. But nothing wild. They aren’t going crazy for Bernie or Ilhan Omar. They certainly are not talking about people to the left of them. Who would be far left. Your point really breaks down when you would have no way to classify thoughts and media one or two or three steps more to The left of WaPo. Even if you add “radical left” for one spot further to the left. There’s nothing else after that. Or you’re taking the stance of Fox News and co. who will dishonestly wonder if Biden is a socialist.
NikolaNovak 5y ago
Fair enough, let's leave the rest of the world aside: I am disputing the notion that in USA, Washington Post is "far left". I can understand that for any given person any given media outlet may feel central, a little, or far to the left or right of their position. But if we are to create any kind of external scale, with whatever measurement (relative based on how far axis go, or by some thresholds of specific criteria), I would doubt Washington Post fits on the "far left" of that scale. (in for a penny, in for a pound addendum: I understand that in USA there's also an effort/inclination to label ANYthing "left" as extreme, far left, antifa, socialist, pinkie, commie, fake news, etc; terms that are implicitly meant to be derogatory; but that effort does not need to be engaged with in a rational discourse. To rephrase: Just because Glen Beck or Bill O'Reilly et cetera may call Washington Post "Far Left", doesn't make it so - in those cases it's a label meant to paint & incite and cater to an "in crowd", not be a part of meaningful engagement and honest wide-ranging discussion) [Addendum to addendum: there was nothing in original post that said "Washington Post is Far Left in USA term "; it was a open claim posted to an international site, many of whom read or access Washington Post as a globally-relevant newspaper, so I don't feel assuming a global perspective is "whining". Or to put it in your preferred terms: Why do some USA people whine where perspective is brought in :-]
- alistairSH 5y ago
  The conservative movement in the US has been playing this game for decades. Growing up during the Reagan era, "liberal" was a dirty word. In a fit of rage, my center-right sibling once called me a socialist, as if that would hurt my feelings.

williamscales 5y ago

I'm a US person and I have to say I agree that Washington Post is not far-left. While it's true that the relevant question is "what are the conditions in my country?", it's important to remember that part of the GOP's identity politics has been to paint even moderately left and centrist positions as "far-left". That said, within the US political climate, WaPo is definitely left of center. Just not far-left.

skinnymuch 5y ago

Maybe because people like you bring up a weird stance that isn’t objectively true snd likely not true to the majority of Americans. WaPo is centerist neoliberal in reality, but Americans likely view it as to the left and liberal. But nothing wild. They aren’t going crazy for Bernie or Ilhan Omar. They certainly are not talking about people to the left of them. Who would be far left. Your point really breaks down when you would have no way to classify thoughts and media one or two or three steps more to The left of WaPo. Even if you add “radical left” for one spot further to the left. There’s nothing else after that. Or you’re taking the stance of Fox News and co. who will dishonestly wonder if Biden is a socialist.

NikolaNovak 5y ago

Fair enough, let's leave the rest of the world aside: I am disputing the notion that in USA, Washington Post is "far left". I can understand that for any given person any given media outlet may feel central, a little, or far to the left or right of their position. But if we are to create any kind of external scale, with whatever measurement (relative based on how far axis go, or by some thresholds of specific criteria), I would doubt Washington Post fits on the "far left" of that scale. (in for a penny, in for a pound addendum: I understand that in USA there's also an effort/inclination to label ANYthing "left" as extreme, far left, antifa, socialist, pinkie, commie, fake news, etc; terms that are implicitly meant to be derogatory; but that effort does not need to be engaged with in a rational discourse. To rephrase: Just because Glen Beck or Bill O'Reilly et cetera may call Washington Post "Far Left", doesn't make it so - in those cases it's a label meant to paint & incite and cater to an "in crowd", not be a part of meaningful engagement and honest wide-ranging discussion) [Addendum to addendum: there was nothing in original post that said "Washington Post is Far Left in USA term "; it was a open claim posted to an international site, many of whom read or access Washington Post as a globally-relevant newspaper, so I don't feel assuming a global perspective is "whining". Or to put it in your preferred terms: Why do some USA people whine where perspective is brought in :-]

alistairSH 5y ago
The conservative movement in the US has been playing this game for decades. Growing up during the Reagan era, "liberal" was a dirty word. In a fit of rage, my center-right sibling once called me a socialist, as if that would hurt my feelings.