David B. Shemano wrote:
> The defining line between left and right is xenophobia/racism,
> internationalism/nationalism. So then, the AFL was a right-wing organization
> late into the 20th Century...? <
The AFL was relatively "left" wing along my first (supporting the
underdogs) spectrum, though until the 1930s its craft-based
orientation made it significantly less left-wing than the
industrial-union-oriented CIO. Along my third continuum, the AFL was
very traditionalist ("rightist") as opposed to socially liberal.
These two phenomena reinforced each other: the exclusive club nature
of craft unions encouraged racism, sexism, etc., while the fact that
many of the craft unions were 100% dominated by white males encouraged
them to be traditionalist in orientation.
>And the Libertarian Party, which favors unrestricted immigration, is left-wing
>...? ...<
On the first spectrum, the LP is right-wing, because its principles
involve wholehearted but usually unstated endorsement of class
inequality.[*] On my third spectrum, it is "left"-wing, since it
(officially) rejects traditionalism (here, immigration restrictions)
and embraces internationalism.
The LP's position on the xenophobia vs. internationalism spectrum
complements their (tacit) endorsement of the class system in this new
era of globalization, in which the greater mobility of capital gives
greater bargaining power to the capitalists. The international
mobility of labor, all else equal, undermines the power of labor in
the rich countries without significantly raising the power of labor in
the poor.
The fact that the words "left" and "right" mean completely different
things on different dimensions suggests that we stop using them on
anything but the first (class) dimension. Also, the fact that
positions on one spectrum can complement those on another suggests
that there are "clumps" in the three-dimensional political space I'm
positing. These empirical clumps should not distract us from the
usefulness of analyzing political differences along three different
spectra.
--
Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own
way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
[*] Denying the existence of classes is often the strongest way to
defend class power.
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