"Leftist"

[InaneAnanity]

For a while now freeper types have been using the term "leftist" as a derogatory term for us libruhls. It seemed like a stupid and meaningless term. Now places like cnn.com seem to be using the term, as if it means something.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/05/15/venezuela.arms.ap/index.html

Is anyone else annoyed by this?? Has anyone seen "rightist" used to describe Iran's government, or our government for that matter??

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I perfer ' Nazis' or 'Fascists' to 'Rightists'.

[Buck Laser]

2. "Leftist" is OK with me...

I yam what I yam.

[guidoo]

3. Appears to be a quotation

from the State Dept report.

Just last month, the State Department used its annual report on international terrorism to accuse Chavez of having an "ideological affinity" with two leftist guerrilla groups operating in neighboring Colombia

Looks to me that is how the US St Dept framed it. In fairness it has been a while since I've heard/read the term "right wing" used by the MSMto reffer to a govt.But I think this reffers to the "guerrilla groups" . I do recall some of the military juntas of South America being called "right wing" but those are all gone now.

[Chimichurri]

4. They use the term leftist to describe ANYONE who dabbles in fact.

It's the only play they have since the truth has a way of escaping them.

[Ringo84]

5. "Leftist"

I'm not ashamed to be a lib'ral. They can call me every name in the book. It's not going to work anymore.
Ringo

[arcos]

6. It is NOT derogatory...

Hugo Chávez considers himself a leftist, and he would be VERY pissed off to be called a "liberal". As you may know, "liberal" is only left wing in the USA, in most of the world (including Latin America), a liberal is a free market supporter.

[Idioteque]

7. I don't like being called a "leftist" because I am not one...

American liberalism is barely centre-left. The Democratic party is about the same as the Conservative party in the UK on the issues.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. You can't call them "rightists" when they are "wrongists" eom

[LittleClarkie]

9. Adding "ist" to anything

tends to make it sound sorta nasty.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

10. I personally am not

a leftist. But if I were, I wouldn't mind being called one.

[SmokingJacket]

11. the "ist" ending implies advancing a cause...

Why are they not "rightist"? Maybe because it sounds bad...

I don't like "Islamist" much, either.

[InaneAnanity]

12. They don't mind being called "southern baptists" though EOM

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. Coming from a long line of "leftists", it doesn't bother me at all.

My immigrant grandmother was a socialist. My father was an organizer for the ILWU and proud of being a socialist.

I'm not so sure that they'd like me being an Anarchist to the left of them, but just carrying on the tradition.