The reason the left consider liberals to be on the right is because, in contemporary times, it’s true.
There’s something Mike Duncan says in his Revolutions podcast. It’s not a main point, but it explains the reason for the enmity between what at first glance seem should be allies.
The three main points of contention between the left and the right, that is, the progressives and the conservatives, are political equality, civic and social equality, and economic equality.
Now, on the first two, liberals, the centrists, side with the left. They and we believe that there should be equal access amongst the classes to vote for, and to hold, political office. They and we believe that there should be civic and social equality amongst the classes. But economic equality? Well, that’s where we come into conflict.
You see, the first two issues are, for the most part, settled. At least, in America. We have universal suffrage amongst adult citizens. We have civic and social equality. Sure, they’re under attack and leftists and liberals are needed to defend them, but we’re able to defend them because we’ve won them.
That last issue, economic equality? Well, on that issue liberals are on the right. On the side of conservatives. Because liberals believe the economic equality amongst the classes offered by socialism to be the same existential threat to their way of life as the staunchest conservative does.
And so here we are. With one last fight to win. And we will win. It’s an inevitability. The conservatives can only lose. As long as inequality exists there will be those who fight for equality. They may call themselves communists, or socialists, they may be anarchists, they may come to call themselves by other names, they may use different words, but it’ll always be the same fight.
The right will never truly be rid of us. The liberals could help us win, but they’re too content to be comfortable losers.
