The problem with US folks is that they think they understand how the world operates - whether it be left or right from an America-centric perspective... shouting at Washington Square Park comfortably while the world burns has not made a speck of difference for anyone... these people dont even know what happens on the front line.
Honestly, this piece is a bunch of things you threw into a pot and tried to create a narrative from. The only thing Venezuela and Iran have in common is their hatred of the US, and most of that is derived from the sanctions we've had on both countries for a very long time. And somehow DEI is involved ? I mean, seriously.
The islamo-leftist alliance (and leftist-socialist dictatorship alliance more broadly) is very real, there's entire books on this, we witness it daily in the real world, in social and in the media. Most of the Venezuelans and Iranians want freedom from their oppressors while people in places thousands of miles away protest (freq on the side of terrorists) or in some cases ignore the atrocities (we don't see the same outrage about Iran as we do in Palestine as a really clear example of this).
Some light reading summarizing although you can of course do your own research:
Just watch video of the Venezuelan protests you'll see plenty of "free Palestine" flags. All the pro-Palestinian/pro Hamas accounts, influencers and leftist extremists were reflexively pro-Maduro. Everything is an attempt to advance praxis. I think it's easy to see just look at these situations from the standpoint of what would benefit the west, or perhaps bring another country more in-line with Western values, and you'll see the same people on the opposing side of it.
No, you're way mis-using "leftist" and generalizing from a few fringe activists to an entire movement (and then an entire country!). Venezuela was (still is) a dictatorship which is neither right nor left. Whether fringes of any group support them doesn't say anything about a larger trend.
I have bad news for you about the fringes of the conservative movement and what they support these days.
I think some clean pushback against the extremists would go a long way for normal liberals (liberals and leftists are for sure diff groups) who as you say do outnumber the radicals. It's maybe a fringe group, but when the head of the DSA International Committee is openly cheering for the brutal theocratic regime in Iran to crush pro-democracy protesters, as one ex of many - it's visible and vocal inside institutions. So there are people in real positions of power supporting odd things even if those underneath them don't agree (could def be true, I hope so).
And as for your final comment, as another commenter here noted, we need sane centrists/moderates to be in most leadership roles and not be pushed around. This would solve a lot of problems.
DSA International has tens of thousands of members WORLDWIDE. That's the definition of a fringe organization. You're taking a small group and pretending they represent "liberals" or "leftists".
Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation is directly involved in the US government implementing what used to be fringe points of view, while associating with the leaders of neo-Nazi organizations. That seems more mainstream to me.
No “leftists” are wringing their hands over the extremist mullahs governing Iran. Are you conflating liberals who say “Islamic people aren’t inherently bad and women have a right to wear the hijab” with support of Iran’s theocracy?
Normal liberals should support the Iranian people that's true. The Islamo-leftist alliance influencers are posting conspiracy theories that the Jews are responsible for the revolution and so you should be on the side of the theocracy. It's very possible you are just not exposed to this but it's in a lot of places.
It’s true, I have seen that. These folks are stuck in binary thinking. I reject that, which is why I read your non-marketing posts (I do love the marketing posts). I disagree with some of what you write, but I enjoy seeing alternate POVs to what I’m reading in my neutral and left wing publications. As long as it’s backed up with evidence.
Thanks Caroline - I do feel like marketing is mostly a 'solved' problem at this point and other subjects are way more interesting to explore. Glad you're here with us btw - and disagreement is always encouraged
Any self-contradictory ideology will eventually come to resemble the ouroboros in word and deed.
The problem with US folks is that they think they understand how the world operates - whether it be left or right from an America-centric perspective... shouting at Washington Square Park comfortably while the world burns has not made a speck of difference for anyone... these people dont even know what happens on the front line.
I encourage people to make friends with those all around the world (thanks to the internet, this is very possible) to get a broader perspective
A global return to the center and ditching the ultra right / left wing nutbags would be a very great thing.
Honestly, this piece is a bunch of things you threw into a pot and tried to create a narrative from. The only thing Venezuela and Iran have in common is their hatred of the US, and most of that is derived from the sanctions we've had on both countries for a very long time. And somehow DEI is involved ? I mean, seriously.
The islamo-leftist alliance (and leftist-socialist dictatorship alliance more broadly) is very real, there's entire books on this, we witness it daily in the real world, in social and in the media. Most of the Venezuelans and Iranians want freedom from their oppressors while people in places thousands of miles away protest (freq on the side of terrorists) or in some cases ignore the atrocities (we don't see the same outrage about Iran as we do in Palestine as a really clear example of this).
Some light reading summarizing although you can of course do your own research:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546553.2012.755815
https://www.milsteinff.org/the-islamo-leftist-alliance-threatening-jews-and-the-us/
https://www.telosinstitute.net/pubs/papers/op5-taguieff.pdf
Yes, but that is not Venezuela! You're doing it again, trying to tie together things that aren't related through a strange semantic sleight of hand.
Just watch video of the Venezuelan protests you'll see plenty of "free Palestine" flags. All the pro-Palestinian/pro Hamas accounts, influencers and leftist extremists were reflexively pro-Maduro. Everything is an attempt to advance praxis. I think it's easy to see just look at these situations from the standpoint of what would benefit the west, or perhaps bring another country more in-line with Western values, and you'll see the same people on the opposing side of it.
No, you're way mis-using "leftist" and generalizing from a few fringe activists to an entire movement (and then an entire country!). Venezuela was (still is) a dictatorship which is neither right nor left. Whether fringes of any group support them doesn't say anything about a larger trend.
I have bad news for you about the fringes of the conservative movement and what they support these days.
I think some clean pushback against the extremists would go a long way for normal liberals (liberals and leftists are for sure diff groups) who as you say do outnumber the radicals. It's maybe a fringe group, but when the head of the DSA International Committee is openly cheering for the brutal theocratic regime in Iran to crush pro-democracy protesters, as one ex of many - it's visible and vocal inside institutions. So there are people in real positions of power supporting odd things even if those underneath them don't agree (could def be true, I hope so).
And as for your final comment, as another commenter here noted, we need sane centrists/moderates to be in most leadership roles and not be pushed around. This would solve a lot of problems.
DSA International has tens of thousands of members WORLDWIDE. That's the definition of a fringe organization. You're taking a small group and pretending they represent "liberals" or "leftists".
Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation is directly involved in the US government implementing what used to be fringe points of view, while associating with the leaders of neo-Nazi organizations. That seems more mainstream to me.
No “leftists” are wringing their hands over the extremist mullahs governing Iran. Are you conflating liberals who say “Islamic people aren’t inherently bad and women have a right to wear the hijab” with support of Iran’s theocracy?
Normal liberals should support the Iranian people that's true. The Islamo-leftist alliance influencers are posting conspiracy theories that the Jews are responsible for the revolution and so you should be on the side of the theocracy. It's very possible you are just not exposed to this but it's in a lot of places.
It’s true, I have seen that. These folks are stuck in binary thinking. I reject that, which is why I read your non-marketing posts (I do love the marketing posts). I disagree with some of what you write, but I enjoy seeing alternate POVs to what I’m reading in my neutral and left wing publications. As long as it’s backed up with evidence.
Thanks Caroline - I do feel like marketing is mostly a 'solved' problem at this point and other subjects are way more interesting to explore. Glad you're here with us btw - and disagreement is always encouraged