Should we be worried about right-wing populism?

Relativism rejects ideas such as absolute truth, but isn't necessarily left wing.

I have no quarrel with that post, jess.

But I came back to the thread to post this from the Australian philosopher, Russell Blackford, which supports my claim about left-wingness in universities: "...there is now a prevalent equation within the social sciences and humanities of relativist conceptions of truth and reality with left-wing social critique".

Relativist is the important word.

The quote is from this article, The Left's Defection from Progress.

I think it a good idea Bags to remember that the rich and privileged can also be racist and xenophobic. Which is why the UK government in the 1930s closed our borders with adult Jews fleeing the Nazis. The government was not run by the poor. Or look at the way many rich Southerners in the USA still look down on black people. The difference between them and the poor is that they have power over so much and the poor so little.

secure.avaaz.org/en/uk_reject_racism_/?bkHcnjb&v=78589&cl=10314342622&_checksum=fc5e17e6baec3c739666fa97385b8c294f027bc16369b33b75ce4b96a94f77f8

To the media.

There's more to it than that, thatbags. You ignore white supremacists (of whom there are thousands worldwide), who ruthlessly exploit the people 'left behind'. They are the real powers behind racism and xenophobia.

So you agree that racism exists then?

I've posted this on another thread too. It seems appropriate to re-post it on this one:

In my continuing search to try and find out what drives racism and xenophobia, what helps the rise of right-wing populism, I found this article, entitled A Few Quick Thoughts on Brexit, by Chris Arnade in which he argues that "The language we use to talk about those who have been left behind [he means the poor] is rife with nasty attempts to turn them into lesser humans. We use the tactics of racism, and apply it to economic losers".

As he's American he lists the sort of terms used there: "We call them dumb. Idiots. Religious freaks. Rednecks. Thugs. Hoodlums. Ghetto trash. White trash".

He says elitism and inequality are racism's ugly cousins and that they drive people to racism and fascism by undervaluing the less successful: "Fascism understands that people want to feel valued and integral part of something larger. Racism is, sadly, the easiest and cheapest way to do that".

Reading the article will aid understanding of his point.

Granjura; my daughter teaches bout theabout that period of history and what is happening now scares her. Did anyone see Garage being interviewed at The Somme? How did he stage manage that?All the talk about those who died in WWI: what has it got to do with him? (by the way my computer won't print his name properly).

There has to zero tolerance. They must all be rounded up as they come back through Customs.

We must pursue other fascist behaviour with vigour. Bugger free speech!!!!

My poor mum saw it all start in Munich in 1933- same sort of behaviour. Will they start throwing stones at shop windows soon?

I feel like crawling into a corner. I cry for our country, what is happening to us? Only a tiny minority you might say. It was only a minority in Germany to begin with.

Anybody watched the channel 4 film it is the English fans. Something has to be done this can't go on!!!

Same thing happened to a friend of my SIL.

Yes I heard today that the Portuguese husband of someone I know was shouted at "When are you going home". They run a business in N Wales and he has been here for many years. As some commentators have observed (including Brendan Cox, widower of Jo) that mainstream politicians have fanned the flames of racism rather than standing up and explaining the importance of immigrant labour to our economy.
I think the uncut bunch are more lefty/anarchisty/fringy activists - rather than "claiming to represent the common people" I follow sisters uncut on Twitter. occasionally they have small but dramatic demonstrations about women's rights.

And me. Actually, you do not have a television, do you, bags, so do not watch much news of people saying that they want foreigners to go home. You do not see EDL marches. So yes, that is a different world.

I think you live in another world to me, then.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that left-wing influence on thought is just as high as right-wing influence. In any case, at the extremes, the two are not so very different, both having strong authoritarian and intolerant tendencies.

Plus, I don't believe racist (are there other kinds? or is it all called racist?) right-wing populism is as widespread as some posts and some media reports seem to imply at the moment.

I don't think UKUncut is the opposite of the EDL, because they don't use bullying tactics and are generally peaceful. However, it is a left-wing populist group, which is what this discussion is about. Even so, they didn't cause right wing populism. If anything, it's the other way round.

Right wing populist groups have been around for at least a hundred years.

I've just heard that people in this country have been going up to EU members and asking them 'when are you going home'.If this is true I'm even more ashamed of being British than I was before.I was at Fountains Abbey and coachloads of foreign students were driving past signs saying 'we want our country back'. I just wanted to apologise to them.

Never thought of UKUncut as being the opposite to the EDL.
Not going to stop me supporting them, though.

www.ukuncut.org.uk/about/

Populism implies that it is popular amongst the populace, not just in universities. There are a handful of left-wing populist groups in the UK, such as UK Uncut, but they are a reaction to right-wing populism, not the other way round.

According to my daughter, universities aren't left-wing, apart from a few groups (who might or might not be quite vocal).

Nothing wrong with left or right wing populism.

I think you mean far left and far right.

Exactly WW- universities represent a tiny % of the population and have always been left-wing. Populist though?

Yes it was bags but I am not talking about what is going on in universities that has always been the case. It was when I was there, it was when my children were there it was ever thus. What I am talking about is large scale populist movements . This conversation started because you argued that right wing populism is a reaction to left wing populism. I asked where was the evidence for this large scale left populist movement and you came back suggesting it was going on in universities. Well yes but that doesn't amount to large scale.