from the site : The New Moderate The Whole Story My life as a moderate. The New Moderate is my brainchild — so you can blame me for whatever shortcomings you find here. I’m Rick Bayan — author, humorist, baby boomer, former advertising copywriter and embattled moderate thinker. My centrist roots extend back to the Vietnam era. As an independent-minded college student, I remember grumbling about being caught in the continual crossfire between insolent Marxist war protesters and hawkish conservatives. To which a friend replied, “Rick, you wouldn’t have it any other way.” She was right. Maybe I enjoy the crossfire. Up from cynicism. As the author of The Cynic’s Dictionary, and later as webmaster of The Cynic’s Sanctuary, I thought I had found my calling. I wasn’t the archetypal sneering cynic so much as a disgruntled idealist who lamented the loss of noble and kindly virtues in contemporary society. Cynicism seemed like the ideal form of protest: a jocular refusal to go along. But after ten years as a professional cynic, I longed for something more sustaining. All that chronic negativity was beginning to weigh on me. I concluded that cynicism is a necessary station-stop along the road to enlightenment, but that it’s not the destination. The rift between the red and the blue. Meanwhile, we had entered a new millennium and a brutal new era. In the U.S., the renegade administration of Bush II had polarized the population to an extent not seen since the Vietnam War. This time we weren’t simply arguing about a war but about a way of life: religious, socially traditional, Middle American conservatives on one side… secular, socially permissive, coastal urban liberals on the other. We began to speak of “red” (conservative Republican) and “blue” (liberal Democrat) America. There was no reconciling the two factions, and their rhetoric grew ever more abusive. A cultural civil war seemed to be looming. Saner parties needed to take action. Desperately needed: opinionated, outspoken moderates. Where were the moderates in this dismal age of discord? Who was speaking for them? I thought it was time for the center to make itself heard. Back in 2002, I had written an autobiographical essay entitled “A Raving Moderate” for The Cynic’s Sanctuary. It seemed like the ideal springboard for a new website: an outlet for outspoken, unconventional, impassioned ideas that would, once and for all, quash the notion that moderates were wishy-washy, noncommittal nonthinkers, too timid to take a stand. We would show the world that moderates offer the best and most inspired solutions to our problems. We’re beyond the blogosphere. The New Moderate isn’t exactly a blog, though I’ll be writing periodic commentaries. I’m not a reporter or a politician or even a political strategist. (We could use a few of those in our movement.) Instead, I prefer to think of myself as an essayist-provocateur. I see my role in our “Revolution of the Middle” as closer to that of Patrick Henry or Tom Paine than George Washington. I don’t have the political instincts and fortitude to lead us to victory, but I can jump-start our thinking. What you’ll find here is bold and (I hope) stimulating commentary on the big picture: the critical (and often unspoken) issues behind the daily stories. Race. Abortion. Religion. Feminism. Corporations. Bilingualism. War. Pop culture. My academic background is in history, so my inclination is to take the long view. I’m thoroughly indifferent to political correctness, though I don’t go out of my way to be offensive. I just have a perverse need to write the truth. I try to be serious without being solemn. Not for Americans only. I live in the U.S., and we’re an insular republic. The New Moderate focuses on hot-button issues of interest to Americans, but I’d like to think there’ s something here for everyone. My commentaries grapple with global warming, the future of Europe, the clash between Islam and the West, the rise of Asia, and timeless issues ranging from God to gays. Students of American politics, culture and society will, of course, find a treasure trove of material here. Don’t let me do all the thinking. I’ll be running this site and writing occasional pieces for it. But it’s not all up to me. I invite you to contribute to our discussions and make your voice heard — even if you’re not a moderate. (I respect open-minded liberals and conservatives who honestly live their philosophies.) I’d like to hear your feedback, too. From this little seed we can grow a moderate movement with the power to change society for the better. We just need to nurture it. Will you help? Rick Bayan, Founder & Editor ------------------------------------------------------------ There was no reply _Billy Rojas_ (http://[email protected]/) _permalink_ (http://newmoderate.com/about/the-whole-story/#comment-11621) September 28, 2011 5:14 pm Just discovered your blog. Please get in touch via e-mail. Too much to say for this format. But want to tell you that RadicalCentrism.org has been alive and well since 2004, now at 30 members. A mix of people who also are fed up with the political system. While each of us have our own views of various issues, we are political Independents. We are also developing a cohernent Radical Centrist philosophy. Discussion format site that you may find worth your time. Some members have their own blogs. One of the newest also uses the “radical moderate” theme. For further information see : [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) ========================================== _permalink - The Auburn Plainsman_ (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=radical+centrist+movement&source=web&cd=41&cad=rja&ved=0CC0QFjAAOCg&url=http: //www.theplainsman.com/bookmark/20620785/blog+entry-Swampyville-s+-+Reconstr ucting+the+road+and+bridges+to+-The+Global+Plantation-&ei=oRS5UO2LIc_miwLB9o D4Aw&usg=AFQjCNH5DZN01BG07Ik-NXNlu3VZx13_ew) www.theplainsman.com/.../blog+entry-Swampyville-s+-+Reconstructi..._Cached_ (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mS62i295zYUJ:www.thepl ainsman.com/bookmark/20620785/blog+entry-Swampyville-s+-+Reconstructing+the+ road+and+bridges+to+-The+Global+Plantation-+radical+centrist+movement&cd=41& hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) You +1'd this publicly. _Undo_ (http://www.google.com/#) Oct 26, 2012 – The terms radical center, radical middle or radical centrism describe a philosophy as well as an associated political movement and position on ... ================================================== from the archives, but worth looking at Radical Centrism Dec 18th, 2007 | _0 Comments and 0 Reactions_ (http://mockingeye.com/radical-centrism/index.html/#disqus_thread) You are trying to decide what policy best helps the environment, or how to improve the lot of the poor, or maybe you just need to know how to vote in the primaries. Let’s have a look at the field: the right is too religious, war-mongering, corporatist and at times overly naive. The left is too socialist, bleeding heart, protectionist, and at times overly pessimistic. Libertarians are too crazy, sociopathic, self-centered, and at all times overly utopian. And those are just three of the biggest ones. Of course,these are generalization, and don’t apply to large swathes of the demographics represented by these labels. But there are fundamental problems with all these world-views, as well as any others that choose a way to view the world and their favourite method to tackle its problems before doing anything else. Introducing Radical Centrism. My conception of the idea is a little bit similar to the _radical center_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_center_(politics)) movement, but differs in what makes it radical. The movement’s name is derived from “radical” indicating “extreme”. My Radical Centrism takes its name from the non-political meaning of the term which arose from the latin “radix” meaning “root”. Thus, Radical Centrism views the problems of political ideologies to be buried deep with their very roots–their base assumptions and methodologies.Radical Centrism holds these positive values: 1. ReasonThis is the method by which any ideas must be described and deliberated. 2. PatienceRushing into decisions usually has more dire consequences than being too late. 3. CompassionIt is better to do something that helps someone than something that doesn’t hurt anyone. And peldges these negative ones: 1. No AssumptionsA problem cannot have any axioms. Priors must be dealt with according to positive considerations above. 2. No AxisLocating oneself on any ideological axis when solving a problem introduces invisible assumptions that will prevent arriving at a preferable solution. 3. No ConclusionsNever make final decisions. Always be ready to update your priors and your solutions. An appropriate alternative name for Radical Centrism is Political _Bayesianism._ (http://yudkowsky.net/bayes/bayes.html) < Posted by Mike KDec 18th, 2007 ========================================== old news, but interesting 03-01-2005, 05:35 PM _BrainGlutton_ (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=32062) Guest Join Date: Mar 2003 Let's debate "radical centrism" and the New America Foundation ____________________________________ There's a new political tendency emerging in America: "Radical centrism." It appears to defy "left-right" categorization in cultural as well as economic terms. It expressly rejects socialism, but many of its proposals are welfare-statist or redistributive in nature. It is based on a conception of American nationalism -- variously labeled "national liberalism" or "democratic nationalism" -- which celebrates a melting-pot conception of American national identity, and rejects Wilsonian "liberal globalism" but also rejects the neoconservatives' militarism and unilateralism. It is rather technocratic in tone, or at least technology-oriented, in that it treats as important political issues problems that are the products of recent technological progress, and which Democratic and Republican leaders hardly even acknowledge as issues -- e.g., regulation/deregulation of the airwaves, and the potential social consequences of genetic engineering on humans. _Let's debate "radical centrism" and the New America Foundation ..._ (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=304885) boards.straightdope.com › ... › _Main_ (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=15) › _Great Debates_ (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=7) _Cached_ (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:qPpshllJs_0J:boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=3048 85+radical+centrist+movement&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) You +1'd this publicly. _Undo_ (http://www.google.com/#) 36 posts - 5 authors - Mar 1, 2005 Let's debate "radical centrism" and the New America Foundation Great ... As a relatively grass-roots movement, especially in the United States, ... 03-01-2005, 05:35 PM _BrainGlutton_ (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=32062) Guest Join Date: Mar 2003 Let's debate "radical centrism" and the New America Foundation ____________________________________ There's a new political tendency emerging in America: "Radical centrism." It appears to defy "left-right" categorization in cultural as well as economic terms. It expressly rejects socialism, but many of its proposals are welfare-statist or redistributive in nature. It is based on a conception of American nationalism -- variously labeled "national liberalism" or "democratic nationalism" -- which celebrates a melting-pot conception of American national identity, and rejects Wilsonian "liberal globalism" but also rejects the neoconservatives' militarism and unilateralism. It is rather technocratic in tone, or at least technology-oriented, in that it treats as important political issues problems that are the products of recent technological progress, and which Democratic and Republican leaders hardly even acknowledge as issues -- e.g., regulation/deregulation of the airwaves, and the potential social consequences of genetic engineering on humans. 03-01-2005, 05:35 PM _BrainGlutton_ (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=32062) Guest Join Date: Mar 2003 Let's debate "radical centrism" and the New America Foundation ____________________________________ There's a new political tendency emerging in America: "Radical centrism." It appears to defy "left-right" categorization in cultural as well as economic terms. It expressly rejects socialism, but many of its proposals are welfare-statist or redistributive in nature. It is based on a conception of American nationalism -- variously labeled "national liberalism" or "democratic nationalism" -- which celebrates a melting-pot conception of American national identity, and rejects Wilsonian "liberal globalism" but also rejects the neoconservatives' militarism and unilateralism. It is rather technocratic in tone, or at least technology-oriented, in that it treats as important political issues problems that are the products of recent technological progress, and which Democratic and Republican leaders hardly even acknowledge as issues -- e.g., regulation/deregulation of the airwaves, and the potential social consequences of genetic engineering on humans. ============================================= from the site : Eschatology Tuesday, 1 November 2011 I am a radical centrist bitches!! Aside from the fact that it’s an obvious violation of the Copernican principle, I really honestly feel that we are living in interesting times. And while these interesting times have probably been brewing for a while, its only in the last few months that I’ve really started to feel it, to notice it, on a visceral and front-of-brain way. Part of it is the fascination with the Occupy movement. I’ve actually caught myself referring to it as “the movement” in a non-ironic way, like some relic of 1969, which is kinda scary – those without a sense of irony tending to be the eye gougingly dull ideologues we love to hate. But the fact remains – I’m fascinated by the tenacity, by the growing sense of mass, by the potential for change that seems to surround this nascent movement. Part of it is also a growing recognition of the value of disorder. Working in government, where we try to manage risk and develop structures to withstand all manner of market chaos, this has not been something that has come easily. But increasingly, there it is – chaos is essential in the healthy functioning of a real democracy. Put it another way: Fuck the Marxists who believe in freeing us all by first subjecting us to a preliminary dictatorship….which, of course, never ends. Fuck the devotees of capital who want to wrestle our democracy and civic society into subservience to the market. Basically – fuck the utopians. These are the fundamentalists, the ones without a sense of irony, who want to create a world where everything runs smoothly, everything is shiny and everyone thinks like them. Boooooooooooooring. People with no sense of irony are unable to perceive the absurdly obvious flaws of their own perfect world views. What they are able to do is perceive anyone who doesn’t share their broken view of the world as utterly irrational and beyond redemption. Easier to purge or bash by cop that way… Nah, paint me black and white and spank my Hegel, but I love a good dialectic!! It’s only through the opposition of different ideas that the majority tend to benefit. Adoption of extreme modes of political and economic theory all too readily turn into just another form of slavery, and that just makes me grumpy. It’s only through constant conflict, the playing out of opposing memes, powers and interest groups in the public domain that stable and effective modes of governance and economics emerge. So, I’m starting a new movement – I’m a radical centrist. Like a chubby patrician, I bathe unashamedly in the self-contradictory absurdism of my movement’s name. I resolutely sit on the fence and have a bet each way. I refuse to join, but sit making snide comments at the earnestness of others. I let the extremists slog it out, exhaust each others idiocy, and benefit in the better world that results. Play ‘em off against each other and the rest of us will be better off. In terms of what’s happening on Wall Street and at all the other places where the citizenry dares to exercise its right to free assembly, I can only hope that they continue to resolutely reject any kind of political coherence or adherence to any ideology. Bless you unruly mob, but as soon as you replace your genuine discontent with formulae, you will lose. Cos by doing that, you would allow your enemies to paint you into a corner, marginalise you, and pretend this shit never happened. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
