“Several political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists have criticized the horseshoe theory.[3][4][5] Proponents point to a number of perceived similarities between extremes and allege that both tend to support authoritarianism or totalitarianism; political scientists do not appear to support this notion, and instances of peer-reviewed research on the subject are scarce. Existing studies and comprehensive reviews often find only limited support and only under certain conditions; they generally contradict the theory’s central premises.”
“The horseshoe theory does not enjoy wide support within academic circles; peer-reviewed research by political scientists on the subject is scarce, and existing studies and comprehensive reviews have often contradicted its central premises, or found only limited support for the theory under certain conditions.”
yeah but I think the point is that it's not a reliable metric to be used if the assumption that the farthest right is fascism in the farthest left is communism. I think most people who acknowledge the anecdotal experiences that fit the horseshoe theory don't view those as the farthest points in each direction.
when anecdotally appropriate the horseshoe theory is usually applied to cultural stances more than the literal political mapping grid. stuff like referencing how only the extremes on both sides make death threats or engage in harassment. references to stuff like how the most extreme on each side often has a similar likelihood of ad hominem and such.
I think these comparisons are fine as long as we acknowledge that the farthest points on both ends of the horseshoe have nothing to do with communism or fascism or tulitarianism or socialism but more have to do with anecdotal explanations for extreme cases like all the people who were former Bernie Sanders supporters that then became the foundation of qanon. That's not a dig on Bernie just a statistical happenstance that fits the metaphor
That's a fair point. I as arguing more from the perspective that the far far-right and far far-left seem to spawn terror groups that are virtually indistinguishable besides the rhetoric they use.
And no, I'm not talking BLM or whatever on the left, I mean people like the Japanese or German Red Army Factions. I dare anyone to tell me these people don't have more in common with fascist death squads than leftist activists.
oh yeah I don't disagree with that at all I'm just disagreeing with the premise that the other person tried to establish that the horseshoe specifically refers to The farthest left as communism and the farthest right as fascism. most examples I see of the horseshoe are cultural extremism and I would put terror groups under those.
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u/_bitchin_camaro_ 6d ago
“Several political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists have criticized the horseshoe theory.[3][4][5] Proponents point to a number of perceived similarities between extremes and allege that both tend to support authoritarianism or totalitarianism; political scientists do not appear to support this notion, and instances of peer-reviewed research on the subject are scarce. Existing studies and comprehensive reviews often find only limited support and only under certain conditions; they generally contradict the theory’s central premises.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory