Lawnmowerman

Whilst mowing earlier today, I started to think that Hitler had a lot of characteristics that you would normally assosiate with the left.

Whilst Stalin had a lot of characteristics you would normally assosiate with the right.

Hitler

Failed painter
Had a common law wife
Never rose above the rank of corpral (not really a left wing thing but he wasn't an officer in the army)
Had a funny moustache
Didn't drink or smoke
Was a vegetarian

Stalin

Organised bank raids
Commander of the southern front in the Russian/Polish war
Married 3 times
Heavy drinker
Seriously considered beoming an orthodox monk. (Again not a left wing thing but most priests i've met tend to lean to the right)

I think this is kinda weird or have i just been out in the sun to much????Or are their any more left/right characteristics that either of these to men had that i've missed

NewModelSoldier

Is organizing bank raids a right wing thing?

vid

Can you source claims that Stalin was a heavy drinker, and that he sincerelly considered beoming an orthodox monk (not just a kid put to school by zealous mother)?

By the way, more "free" marriage was a leftist thing, and Hitler's "family values", not drinking, not smoking, etc was rightist.

IMO most of things you listed point other way than you ascribe them.

Lawnmowerman

Hey its just my opinion. When i think of Leftys i think of capacino drinking tree hugging hippies. Into free love ect.

When i think of righties i think of heavy drinking, womanising cigar smokers. With very strict family values.


And New Model you are right planning bank robberies is not a right wing thing, its just that i consider lefties would raise money by having a 1910's style Bob Dylan concert or somethng like that.

vid

Well, first of all, division of political ideologies can't be made on a single left-right scale. It is more complicated than that.

Todays Republicans are liberal in economy, but conservative in social questions. Fascists are conservative in both social questions and economy (corporationism). Which of these is the "rightist"?

Early socialists were extremely liberal in social questions, but later (Stalin's rule and after) they became exact opposite, often more conservative than west. Which of these was "leftist"?

Swansong

I agree that Hitler is more left than some people think because facism may be against the left-wing, but that does not make it right-wing.

Social and economic freedoms are intertwined. By taking away social freedom, economic freedom is taken away.

vera

What, you didn't know that? And leftists are all wearing funny mustaches. I always wondered about that, myself.

sylla1

Must agree with Vid here: the " characteristics you would normally assosiate with the right" (???) (or the left, for that matter) were poorly selected indeed, basically totally arbitrary; can you quote any sociological sources that may support your selection?