They don't care. It's meant to muddy the waters, confuse people who only pay attention to world affairs on the surface level. Repeat it, and people remember it. Doesn't matter who responds to you. Doesn't matter what they say to refute it. All that matters is getting the material out there, making it pop, making it catchy. Then all you have to do is rely on spotty human memory to do the rest.
It's even better when you get third parties passing along your propaganda too, and all the implications it drags with it.
I am a centrist, when I say both sides are bad, it doesn't mean both sides are bad in every single conflict but that both sides have their issues. For example, Ukraine has a problem with Nazism, but that doesn't mean they should be invaded by Russia.
The reason why this strawman meme like OP posted, gains traction is because most centrists don't really bother wasting time and effort arguing online.
Russia has only strengthened the position of the Nazis. A society fighting a desperate defensive war can't afford to exclude any help. If Nazis want to go fight the Russians, go let them. Either way, regardless of who dies, you win. And if the Nazis survive until the end of the war, we can thank them for their service with slightly comfier pillows in their jail cells.
And if the Nazis survive until the end of the war, we can thank them for their service with slightly comfier pillows in their jail cells.
Except this thinking is literally how half of ethnic conflicts in early 20th century arose. The problem with this is that if Nazis survive, they are going to do so by holding positions of power.
what are you talking about? the far FAR overwhelming amount of Ethnic conflicts in the 20th century onwards were literally due to the collapse of artificial socio-economic structures created by then defunct empires.
You seem to be exceptionally confused. Go back and read what I said. At no point did I say that was what happened. It was my personal opinion that if Nazis help you fight a defensive war, their reward should be more comfy pillows in their jail cells. No amnesty, no forgiveness.
I'm flattered that you went into all that effort to dunk on me, but in the future don't do all of that work until you make sure you understand the comment correctly.
I see what you mean. Regardless, I'm glad we agree on the actual point once we got through the misunderstanding.
A domestic enemy helping you defend your country is still a domestic enemy, and you can't just forgive their wrongs, even if it feels a bit exploitative and unfair to give them nothing.
Ironically, your number one ally in a defensive existential war is the fascists and extremists, because they're going to be quite pissed at the prospect of being conquered. Allowing them to fight is already reward enough for them.
Centrism isn't a political position. It's an attitude. It means you have a tendency to view dichotomies as false, and further that the truth, as you understand it, exists somewhere between two presented (false) dichotomies.
Centrism means different things depending on political context. It could mean you're a socialist, a capitalist, a fascist, a bolshevik. It doesn't present a political view in and of itself, and as such it's usually an incredibly unprincipled stance.
Do you look at class through a socialist lens or a fascist one? As in, do you believe the classes are opposed in their interests or aligned?
Do you support the state's monopoly on violence and subsequent declaration of private property rights?
Do you view allowing the interests of capital to steer the global economy via institutions like the IMF as a grave injustice or the invisible hand of the market doing what's best for humanity?
The answer to these questions, if you look into things, will often align in a coherent way. It's unlikely, for example, that you'll take a socialist lens on classes in viewing them as conflicted while also supporting the declaration of property rights in direct opposition to the interests of the worker.
If you're in the U.S and you're a self-described centrist, you're likely a capitalist who's simply undecided on some social issues. If you were brought up religious but went to secular public school, that would cause some dissonance in analyzing social issues. However, this inability to form a coherent view shouldn't be the main feature of your self-described political stance.
It's better to just say you haven't done enough research to come to any reasonable political position. It's much better to accept that humans don't know everything and know where your own knowledge falls short.
As someone who thought for a while they were centrist, this represents how I came to see it better than I could have put it into words.
Centrism is a desire to compromise between the two available options. There is no compromising with fascism. They might pretend to compromise, but they are really just solidifying their position for their next push. A compromise means they accomplish half of their goals and thus will have an easier time getting the rest of them than they would have before the compromise. Especially if their concessions all had nothing to do with real power, like allowing gay marriage. If they can offer the decriminalization of abortion to secure more political power, they can just consolidate that and use it to ban abortion again for everyone down the line. Their primary goal total power, everything else is secondary to that.
I see the Democrats as largely representing the status quo economically and politically with a healthy dose of social of progressivism thrown in. That social progressivism is important, but the economic and political stuff is what really needs to change to fix things. The Republicans, on the other hand, are regressive economically, politically, and socially, which was the case even before their recent descent into fascism. A compromise between those two won't do anything good, so centrism is out.
it doesn't mean both sides are bad in every single conflict
But you're implying it. You're implying far greater equivalence exists than there is.
If English isn't your native language, then let me help you.
both sides are bad
Is wrong. That is a final judgement, and it is wrong
both sides have faults
Is correct, and what you mean. It still isn't good, but is closer to what you mean.
Also, on the topic of left, right, centrist and moderates (etc), you should be aware of the concept of the Overton Window. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window) I am not going to support the entirety of the concept, but the basic relevance is that "if the general trend of the times is for people to be more right wing, then what you thought was central becomes what was right wing in the past". This is a fault / problem with describing an idiology not on its own, but only in relation to others.
Language is used for communicating ideas and thoughts, and if you don't use it "correctly", in the manner that other people use it, then you will be misunderstood.
Ukraine has a problem with Nazism, but that doesn’t mean they should be invaded by Russia.
This tells me that you both think that Putin invaded Ukraine because of the nazism (he didn't) and that you shouldn't invade a country for being full of nazis (you absolutely should) Congratulations, the average liberal once again managed to support the worst of both sides.
this is just called pendantry. I've heard this a million times, but it doesn't change a damned thing about how millions of people use the word. at that point it's an alternate definition.
I wasn't the one being confused/upset about people using the word "Liberal" correctly, Omega_Haxors used it very much correctly, and you got upset the rest of the world doesn't use American definitions.
now you are unironically getting upset at me for "pretending I don't know what Americans mean", How entitled do you have to be, to be upset the rest of the world isn't using your definition?