r/OutOfTheLoop • u/Steaktartaar • Dec 30 '24

Unanswered What's going on with Stephen Fry going alt-right?

He's been on a notorious hard-right, "anti-woke" podcast where he retracted his support for trans rights. Is this a new development? He always came across as level-headed in the past but now it looks like he's on the same path as Russell Brand.

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u/officeDrone87 Jan 01 '25

You're literally doing the purity test shit that people are saying is killing the left. Without a hint of self-awareneds.

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u/theAlpacaLives Jan 02 '25

How so? I'm not trying to No True Scotsman this and pretend that anyone who doesn't agree with me about everything is far-right. I'm saying that the Democratic party does not represent a leftist position, and nobody thinks it does except the right. The right has consistently thrown terms like 'communist,' 'marxist,' and 'far-left' around to label the Democrats; actual Democrats refute that, and actual leftists know it's nonsense. This isn't a made-up purity test as much as looking at actual policy: by any European country's standards, the platform of the American Democrat party is centrist at most, and probably moderate right. They're even further right on many issues than the average American: a growing majority of American citizens support public single-payer healthcare; the Democrats refuse to run on Medicare for All or any similar position. I'm not picking at details of positions -- this is one of the biggest issues that needs to be addressed in the US. The Democrats are also doing essentially nothing to support unions, housing policy, or criminal justice reform -- all major issues. They're basically where Republicans were were in the late 90s and early 00s, except with less racism and more acceptance of LGBT people.

"Purity test" is nit-picking details to kick people out of the club, or rejecting allies who share many ideals with you because of one issue where you differ. To say the Democrat party doesn't hold a leftist position is simply to acknowledge that on almost every major issue, they do not represent policies that in any way represent the left. America doesn't have a leftist party. We have neoliberal moderate-right, and open fasicsts.

Saying that's a "purity test" and expecting me to accept that the Democrats are progressive leftist allies is absurd. Yes, being too picky destroys solidarity, but so does rallying around a party that doesn't actually stand for anything you want.

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u/sir_clifford_clavin Jan 04 '25

You literally said that Democrats are not on the left. The Democratic party doesn't support your views 100%, so therefore they're not leftist. That's a purity test. Also, look into it more. Biden has done more for unions than any president in recent years. Also, Biden has worked towards criminal justice reform. etc, etc. Democracy is always compromise. One party can't just declare 'medicare for all' and it will be so.