Left-wing and right-wing don't exist

The terms are used to distract people from the real enemy.

The terms “left-wing” and “right-wing” originated from the seating arrangement in the French National Assembly during the Revolution in 1789. Supporters of the king and traditional structures sat on the right side of the presiding officer, while those pushing for reforms sat on the left. This physical divide emerged during debates on the monarchy’s power and became a symbolic way to group political views.

In other words, those who wanted radical change were the left-wing and those who wanted to preserve the establishment were the right-wing.

This was in the 1700s.

It’s now three centuries later.

The terms evolved over time, to the point where they don’t mean anything of substance today.

I mean, what exactly is meant by “right-wing” or, better yet, “far right”? At what point does “right” become “far right”? What metrics are used? They’re just shallow labels used to create a superficial and unnecessary division between people. The funniest thing is that, over the last few years, I’ve asked many people to define the terms and, as yet, I haven’t received a single coherent answer.

Everybody has a different definition, and I use the word “definition” quite loosely here. For the most part, people can neither construct proper sentences nor spell correctly. Getting a coherent definition from people has become akin to asking for evidence of vaccine efficacy.

Look, I can kinda define the terms but the fact that nobody can agree means that my definition means nothing.

Nevertheless, here’s how I define them.

• Left-wing means how things should be.

• Right-wing means how things are.

In other words, those who desire disruption to the order of things are left-wing, while those who desire preservation of the order of things are right-wing.

It’s a very empty definition but it’s my best attempt. Am I left-wing? Yes, at times. Am I right-wing? Yes, at times.

Okay, cool. Now what?

Nothing happens.

I get why everybody likes these labels though. It’s tribalism and tribalism is human nature. Humans have always been tribal. As I’ve explained in previous Substack pieces, I’m not a fan of dismantling human nature; Yuval Harari is a fan of dismantling human nature. What matters, therefore, is choosing the right tribe. Those to my “left” and “right” are not my enemies. They’re not all necessarily my tribe, but they’re not my enemies.

In The Lord of the Rings, the Men and Elves weren’t the same tribe, but they weren’t enemies either; they worked as a team to defeat Sauron, the enemy. After that, they returned to their tribes.

I don’t consider myself either a communist or socialist by most definitions, but I’ve had some of the best conversations with self-described communists and socialists. I’ve learnt from them. I’ve become friends with them. I’ve even changed some of my views because of them. Does that make me a communist or a socialist? No.

What does it make me?

Well, it makes me, me.

It makes me a complex individual, one who doesn’t slot neatly into a pigeonhole created by someone else.

By the way, I need to point out that society tends to use some of these terms interchangeably, making things even more clumsy. Sometimes, right-wing is synonymous with conservative and left-wing is synonymous with liberal. But then you get libertarians who like to align themselves with liberalism and it all gets a bit Pythonesque.

Here’s a thought: just be you.

My position on vaccines has completely reversed since 2020. I used to believe that vaccines were safe and effective, but now I know that no vaccine has ever been either safe or effective. Is that a left-wing or right-wing conclusion?

I have travelled China extensively and seen how their system works. There is a lot that I dislike, but there is a lot that I like. One thing is certain: China is huge and can’t be encapsulated into a single word like “communist”. It’s just hilariously absurd.

A toy shop I visited in Shanghai

China is a complex system. Complex systems go beyond labels. Humans are also complex systems. We go beyond labels.

If you want to use terms like “right-wing” and “left-wing”, that’s fine, but be sure to define them.

These days, when I’m asked if I’m either left-wing or right-wing, my answer is something along the lines of “How about you explain what you mean and let’s go from there.”

Wikipedia used to describe me as “far right” and, while I find it funny, I have no idea what it means. If “right-wing” means wanting to preserve the established order, then does “far right” mean I really really really want to preserve the established order?

It’s all so stupid.

Ironically, across the more than 1000 episodes of my podcast, it is with self-proclaimed communists and socialists that I have discovered the greatest common ground; they are the ones most vehemently opposed to vaccines, mass immigration, and Zionism, while championing the family, tradition, morality, and community.

Which is why I often respond with this quip:

I’m neither left-wing nor right-wing; I’m the middle finger.

Our enemies are not those to our left and right, but those who are above us.

If we want to win more battles in the information war, we could probably learn a few lessons from Middle Earth.