Angela
Elite member
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Picture is clearer when we don't dwell too long on what socialist versus "capitalist" policies are, traditional right and left. It is much more understandable through natural conservative and liberal spectrum. You see, the overblown social services existed for decades in east european countries. People got used to them a lot. Conservatives (around the globe) in general tend to stick to what already exists, what they grew up in. In this case in Poland they grew up in environment rich in generous social services and entitlements. Of course financial benefiting from these services strengthens validity of old system. These people will vote for anyone who promises to keep and protect their social service, jobs, religion, stronger nation, pure race, and the rest of status quo. Not much different from what Trump is promising his army of hyper conservative folks. People want to protect what they have or used to have, the full protectionism of the jobs, tariffs on imports, whiteness of small towns and villages, christian/traditional values, etc. It is also not much different what Putin promises to the Russians, and he has a huge following. Protect russians and make Russia great again. Which being conservative side in Russia, includes social services network, lack of capitalist style production and lack of democracy.
From these protective and over emphasised greatness we can only expect the clash of the titans.
It is interesting that natural conservatives desire more state protection that natural liberals. Natural conservatives always feel endangered and feel a need to be protected.
You're generalizing way too much, LeBork. I don't believe some sort of natural conservatism explains what we're seeing in Poland. That lets these people off the hook in my opinion. There are a lot of American "conservatives" who would never countenance, much less propose legislation like this.
I think I'm probably more on the traditional end of the spectrum than you are, but the "past" which I prefer is the "past" of the U.S. Constitution, of traditional European "liberalism", of secular humanism. It was Fascism and its more racist version, Nazism, which was one of the new ideas of the 20th century, along with Communism. The new art, architecture, etc. with which it was associated was fittingly enough called "Futurism". Democracy and the Europe of the Enlightenment was the "past", the purview of the intellectuals and humanists whom both the fascists and the communists wanted to destroy.
Inhumanity to people who are of a different race, or religion, or sexual orientation is a turn to the past only in the sense that perhaps it's to some extent ingrained in human beings, although more so in some than in others.