4 ms·

Ethan literally wrote "a far-right President" won, so I wouldn't consider 18F non-partisan.

otterley 2y ago
Do you contend that he is not one? If not, why not? To use an example from the other end, it’s not particularly partisan to claim that a communist is on the far left of the political spectrum.
- eadmund 2y ago
  It all depends on what one means by ‘right’ vs. ‘left.’ I don’t think that those labels — which I believe originate in seating conventions in peri-revolutionary France — are particularly relevant to American politics. Is free trade right-coded or left-coded? Tariffs? Drug policy?
  - otterley 2y ago
    Sorry, what is your point? The subject here is whether it is partisan to describe someone as having a far-right ideology, and whether that appellation is generally accurate. This term is well understood.
  - orwin 2y ago
    Far right is reactionary, going back to previous systems/time. MAGA is definitely a reactionary (I.e: far right) movement, it's in the title. There is also a hierarchical component to far right movements, which MAGA didn't completely had the first time around, so it is more complex, but you can do with that definition.
rl3 2y ago
>Ethan literally wrote "a far-right President" won, so I wouldn't consider 18F non-partisan a) That’s a fair way to describe it regardless of political leanings, and moreover even if it wasn’t, I fail to see how that’s somehow able to be extrapolated to the entire org. b) Last I checked government employees are allowed to express their opinions, which would be relevant had the man not resigned - meaning what you’ve read is a personal take. Like the vast majority of people, I doubt he took politics to work. c) Consider 18F was started under the Obama administration and continued through the first Trump administration. The federal government is being actively dismantled right now in ways that are unprecedented - even for every Republican administration in recent history. I think it’s reasonable to say “far-right” isn’t partisan in that context. It’s accurate.
kjs3 2y ago
One employee uses a phrase, thus the entire organization is biased. That does seem to be what passes for critical thinking these days.
EnergyAmy 2y ago
That's a factual statement.
GeneralMayhem 2y ago
Trump is very obviously a far-right president. That's an incontrovertible fact that even he wouldn't disagree with. It is also a blatantly true fact - as evidenced by their words and actions over the last several decades, and especially since 2016 - that the right wing is hostile to competent, professional civil service. Pointing out that such people are going to make it impossible for a place like 18F to do its job isn't partisan. Failing to point it out, or equivocating over "well both sides have their points", is in fact obscenely biased toward the far right. That's what "sane-washing" is: describing the clearly insane in the same legitimizing language you'd use for normal disagreement. If a neutral observer calls you a fascist, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're biased or compromised. You might just be a fucking fascist.

Do you contend that he is not one? If not, why not? To use an example from the other end, it’s not particularly partisan to claim that a communist is on the far left of the political spectrum.

eadmund 2y ago
It all depends on what one means by ‘right’ vs. ‘left.’ I don’t think that those labels — which I believe originate in seating conventions in peri-revolutionary France — are particularly relevant to American politics. Is free trade right-coded or left-coded? Tariffs? Drug policy?
- otterley 2y ago
  Sorry, what is your point? The subject here is whether it is partisan to describe someone as having a far-right ideology, and whether that appellation is generally accurate. This term is well understood.
- orwin 2y ago
  Far right is reactionary, going back to previous systems/time. MAGA is definitely a reactionary (I.e: far right) movement, it's in the title. There is also a hierarchical component to far right movements, which MAGA didn't completely had the first time around, so it is more complex, but you can do with that definition.

rl3 2y ago

>Ethan literally wrote "a far-right President" won, so I wouldn't consider 18F non-partisan a) That’s a fair way to describe it regardless of political leanings, and moreover even if it wasn’t, I fail to see how that’s somehow able to be extrapolated to the entire org. b) Last I checked government employees are allowed to express their opinions, which would be relevant had the man not resigned - meaning what you’ve read is a personal take. Like the vast majority of people, I doubt he took politics to work. c) Consider 18F was started under the Obama administration and continued through the first Trump administration. The federal government is being actively dismantled right now in ways that are unprecedented - even for every Republican administration in recent history. I think it’s reasonable to say “far-right” isn’t partisan in that context. It’s accurate.

kjs3 2y ago

One employee uses a phrase, thus the entire organization is biased. That does seem to be what passes for critical thinking these days.

EnergyAmy 2y ago

That's a factual statement.

GeneralMayhem 2y ago

Trump is very obviously a far-right president. That's an incontrovertible fact that even he wouldn't disagree with. It is also a blatantly true fact - as evidenced by their words and actions over the last several decades, and especially since 2016 - that the right wing is hostile to competent, professional civil service. Pointing out that such people are going to make it impossible for a place like 18F to do its job isn't partisan. Failing to point it out, or equivocating over "well both sides have their points", is in fact obscenely biased toward the far right. That's what "sane-washing" is: describing the clearly insane in the same legitimizing language you'd use for normal disagreement. If a neutral observer calls you a fascist, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're biased or compromised. You might just be a fucking fascist.