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How can it be "far-" when they have such a large voter block? What central point is being used as the mark that they are far to the right of, if not the average

How can it be "far-" when they have such a large voter block? What central point is being used as the mark that they are far to the right of, if not the average voter's views?

foldr 9d ago
By that semantic argument, we needn't worry about the far right gaining power because any party that wins an election cannot possibly be far right. Genius!
- bloak 9d ago
  It wasn't a semantic argument; it was a question, or two questions. It's possible, in fact likely, that the Budesamt für Verfassungsschutz has a clear idea of what rechtsextrem (I'm guessing that's the term they use) means but I certainly don't!
  - foldr 9d ago
    If you're just looking for the general concept of what 'far right' means and why the AfD is a far right party, then the Wikipedia article covers it. >It wasn't a semantic argument The poster seems to agree with my interpretation of their comment.
- eudamoniac 9d ago
  Yes, that is the argument I'm making. If a party wins an election they aren't far-right; they are just right. 'Far/extreme/fringe right' would be the ideology that is too far right to have much acceptance. Maybe you could call it the new right, if it's much different from the right you're used to, but it's looking like AfD is no longer far right. A man from the past might consider the current mainstream democratic party "far/extreme left" but that doesn't make much sense to say in present day.
  - foldr 9d ago
    >A man from the past might consider the current mainstream democratic party "far/extreme left" Surely not. "Far left" would mean public ownership of the means of production and the abolition of the capitalist economic system. The Democratic party has never supported anything like that. It's centre-right party for the most part. More generally, you're presupposing that the only way to measure the extremity of an idea is by the number of people who hold it in a particular country at a particular moment in time. We can also bring to bear a global historical perspective and analysis of the content of the ideas themselves. Far right parties want to bring about the end of the very liberal democratic order in which ordinary left/right political debate can sensibly take place.
  - mitxela 8d ago
    Was Hitler left?

How can it be "far-" when they have such a large voter block? What central point is being used as the mark that they are far to the right of, if not the average voter's views?

foldr 9d ago

By that semantic argument, we needn't worry about the far right gaining power because any party that wins an election cannot possibly be far right. Genius!

bloak 9d ago
It wasn't a semantic argument; it was a question, or two questions. It's possible, in fact likely, that the Budesamt für Verfassungsschutz has a clear idea of what rechtsextrem (I'm guessing that's the term they use) means but I certainly don't!
- foldr 9d ago
  If you're just looking for the general concept of what 'far right' means and why the AfD is a far right party, then the Wikipedia article covers it. >It wasn't a semantic argument The poster seems to agree with my interpretation of their comment.
eudamoniac 9d ago
Yes, that is the argument I'm making. If a party wins an election they aren't far-right; they are just right. 'Far/extreme/fringe right' would be the ideology that is too far right to have much acceptance. Maybe you could call it the new right, if it's much different from the right you're used to, but it's looking like AfD is no longer far right. A man from the past might consider the current mainstream democratic party "far/extreme left" but that doesn't make much sense to say in present day.
- foldr 9d ago
  >A man from the past might consider the current mainstream democratic party "far/extreme left" Surely not. "Far left" would mean public ownership of the means of production and the abolition of the capitalist economic system. The Democratic party has never supported anything like that. It's centre-right party for the most part. More generally, you're presupposing that the only way to measure the extremity of an idea is by the number of people who hold it in a particular country at a particular moment in time. We can also bring to bear a global historical perspective and analysis of the content of the ideas themselves. Far right parties want to bring about the end of the very liberal democratic order in which ordinary left/right political debate can sensibly take place.
- mitxela 8d ago
  Was Hitler left?