Hindenburg was an Aristocrat, highly conservative and pretty libertarian. He disapproved of the Nazis, but resented communists. In any other context, you wouldn’t even consider calling him a centrist, only in the previously mentioned election could he seem as one, with the other two candidates being a communist and a nazi. Had there also been a social democrat candidate, thats who I’d call the closest thing to a centrist. Such a candidate would not have cooperated with the Nazis any more than with the commies, maybe it would have worked out. We’ll never know.
So I guess the main thing I’m disagreeing with you on is, that I don’t consider libertarians to be centrists. In my eyes they too are extremists, maybe not quite as overtly dangerous as Nazis and Commies, but definitaly just as much a threat to democracy and society.
Maybe. I guess the problem is that the word “centrist” in and of itself is irredeemably vague.
What is a centrist? Someone who wants to keep things exactly as they are? That’s a conservative.
The “median” political position of the Overton window? In the USSR or China, a “centrist” position would be some kind of Marxist position.
Can we please just use clearer words? You want to talk about social democrats? Fine, do that (I wish they weren’t our “far left” in the US). Plenty of comrades can give a great discussion about them (they at least pretend to care, although they unfortunately can align with the fascists too much). But do you consider a social democrat to be the meaning of “centrist” in contemporary German politics?
I agree that the term is pretty vague. I use it mainly as the opposite of the term “extremist”. And that’s kinda the point i think, it does not clearly define a set of political opinions, but rather describes any moderate position with a general willingness to compromise and cooperate, a commitment to democracy, as well as condemnation of political violence.
So while in contemporary German politics, I wouldn’t equate social democrats with centrists, I would say that they are the most centrist party currently in parliament.
I absolutely don’t mind using other terminology, but I do believe that the term “centrist” can be useful sometimes. And after all, this post being about centrists is the reason we are talking about the term in the first place.
Hindenburg was an Aristocrat, highly conservative and pretty libertarian. He disapproved of the Nazis, but resented communists. In any other context, you wouldn’t even consider calling him a centrist, only in the previously mentioned election could he seem as one, with the other two candidates being a communist and a nazi. Had there also been a social democrat candidate, thats who I’d call the closest thing to a centrist. Such a candidate would not have cooperated with the Nazis any more than with the commies, maybe it would have worked out. We’ll never know.
So I guess the main thing I’m disagreeing with you on is, that I don’t consider libertarians to be centrists. In my eyes they too are extremists, maybe not quite as overtly dangerous as Nazis and Commies, but definitaly just as much a threat to democracy and society.
Maybe. I guess the problem is that the word “centrist” in and of itself is irredeemably vague.
What is a centrist? Someone who wants to keep things exactly as they are? That’s a conservative.
The “median” political position of the Overton window? In the USSR or China, a “centrist” position would be some kind of Marxist position.
Can we please just use clearer words? You want to talk about social democrats? Fine, do that (I wish they weren’t our “far left” in the US). Plenty of comrades can give a great discussion about them (they at least pretend to care, although they unfortunately can align with the fascists too much). But do you consider a social democrat to be the meaning of “centrist” in contemporary German politics?
I agree that the term is pretty vague. I use it mainly as the opposite of the term “extremist”. And that’s kinda the point i think, it does not clearly define a set of political opinions, but rather describes any moderate position with a general willingness to compromise and cooperate, a commitment to democracy, as well as condemnation of political violence.
So while in contemporary German politics, I wouldn’t equate social democrats with centrists, I would say that they are the most centrist party currently in parliament.
I absolutely don’t mind using other terminology, but I do believe that the term “centrist” can be useful sometimes. And after all, this post being about centrists is the reason we are talking about the term in the first place.