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I continue to use nostr to flesh out ideas in real time. For a while this has been the case, but I want to express the following.

If I’m being intellectually honest, I can’t call myself a progressive anymore.

Labels (such as that one) are tools. When a tool no longer describes your thinking, you don’t owe it loyalty. I don’t fit with that group anymore. I’m more in the left libertarian/anarchism camp for sure. And the modern progressive movement has gone far more faith in technocratic regulation, redistribution via bureaucracy, “expert”-driven solutions, moral language without material empowerment, than ever before. I don’t believe in its solutions, or its leaders. Progressives used to be hyper focused on anti-war, occupy, and suspicion of concentrated power. Now it’s like the opposite.

For the record, I didn’t move right, I didn’t stop caring. I just stopped outsourcing my ethics and what I’m supposed to say or believe to institutions I no longer trust. I think more of us should do this, whether the “right” or the “left.”

That’s not regression imo, that’s maturity and following my intuitions as I navigate life and its social complexities.

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Discussion

Cold_Ocean 5d ago

How do you think of left libertarian? What principles guide your thinking?

Dan Gould 5d ago

It’s bizarre that progress imo means literal tech tree progress but the word, like liberal, has been totally commandeered

Globe99 5d ago

The core question is, in my mind, can a healthy and proposerous society exist that is all or mostly free-market?

I think the progressive answer to this question is basically "no", while libertarians or those on the (center) right would answer generally "yes."

Center-left technocrats might answer "no" as well

plebeian ewok 5d ago

Same. I’ve become much more an old school liberal (tax for community improvement and protections, not war) with preference for libertarian and anarchist solutions when available 🤙

Somehow this doesn’t fit mainstream centrist or right politics today either.

My starting point is identifying pro bitcoin candidates, then I look at their other stances and see if that makes sense for my local area or if it’s something I can stomach. Generally, policy is less important, it’s not like Obama even brought Medicare for all to the table when that was exactly the position that got him in office. But if they are pro bitcoin I feel like they’re incentivized to follow through if they have their own bag.

I’m no longer voting by party by default in the future.

Bunnyman 4d ago

I whole heartedly agree with most of the causes the left fight for while also whole heartedly disagree with the methods that they use to go about achieving them