Saturday, October 02, 2021

Left Wing Authoritarianism

I have certainly written about it for years, having LWA extended family, Arts & Humanities training, and a career as a social worker. Despite the denials, I think LWA is not only real but obvious.  Perhaps that is related to the denials.

James has uncovered a recent study that puts some flesh on those bones.  I think the contrasts and comparisons to Right-Wing Authoritarianism are fair, even when I wish the data had shown something a bit different.

4 comments:

Douglas2 said...

I read large portions of the book "the Authoritarians" by the Bob Altemeyer who is quoted in the first paragraph, and I went hunting for interviews of him because his writing/analysis seemed in my reading to have large blind-spots that he seemed to be unaware of.

Sure enough, in my memory I recall finding an interview where he was challenged about obviously authoritarian leaders of leftist revolutionary groups and even leaders such as Khrushchev and Mao.

His answer (as I recall) was that such figures are obviously right-wing, even when leading what us normies would consider far left countries or movements.

Once you properly identify such leaders as right-wing (evidenced by their authoritarianism) it can be seen that no authoritarians can be found on the left.

Douglas2

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Yes, no true Scotsman would be an authoritarian

Sam L. said...

Geeeeeeee. All the authoritarians I see are Leftist...and Democrats. Your mileage may differ.

mc23 said...

Nazism(National Socialism) and Italian Fascism were left wing movements. Hitler was a man of the left. Nazi's and Italian Fascists were only Right in comparison to Left wing competition.