Nov 03, 2010 18:57
I was taking one of those 'political quizzes' over dinner for fun (appropos the election), and noticed repeatedly a very disturbing trope that was popularised in the Reagan years and has even been internalised by leftists because it's become such a basic presumption of political discourse: viz., leftists are for 'bigger government' and 'more government regulation'. Being a leftist is about democracy and egalitarianism, not about big, regulating government per se. Alexander Hamilton was a great advocate of a large, central, powerful government -- so it could protect the interests of property holders! Some leftists certainly support using the existing government as a tool for building or administering a just, egalitarian civilisation. Traditionally, these are called 'Revisionist' or 'Reformist' socialists, and it was also the primary association of the term 'social democrat' from about 1918-1970. Since then, probably the term 'Democratic Socialist' has been most associated with that school of thought about government. Some leftists think a workers' state is a necessary mechanism for establishing a just society, but has to be a radically new entity, not a 'reformed' capitalist state. These are the 'Revolutionaries' -- associated with names like Rosa Luxemburg, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky. Finally, some leftists don't think there can really be any place for a coercive political entity (a 'government' or 'state') in a just society: these are the left wing anarchists -- anarcho-syndicalists being the most well known.
Point being, identifying being a leftist, a socialist, or even just a progressive with being for 'big government' and 'regulation' not only oversimplifies, but it really misses the point. Some 'big governments' are very regressive; some 'small governments' are very progressive. I'm against large armies and police forces to defend the wealthy against the poor; I'm for government (or any other institution) that really instantiates and builds equality and democracy.
And I think that that's what's being a leftist is all about.