Robert PickeringIf the Pope is now considered part of the radical left, I think we need to look at just how far the overton window has moved.
Oink
Juno Jove
Ag. V.
Ulmo@robertpi Given the current climate, one might say that being wicked and depraved is typical of the right, whilst fighting against it – or simply pointing out what is wrong – is a left-wing stance.
If that is the new reality (which I don’t think is all that new), then I must be a radical left-winger.
Frans Super 🇺🇦🇵🇸🍋 FKNZS🔻@robertpi Moved? It was stretched. The left border is pushed further to the left but with little success. The right border almost leaves the Solar System.
U.Lancier@apenkop @robertpi I can't see a stretch on the left if you omit the claims of the far right propaganda. Someone like NY's Mamdani is considered a moderate left in most of Europe's democracies.
It is not too far in the past that the people of the US would consider all democratic (the system, not the party) positions as center and deem all positions, that were in favor of denying some people the right to vote, or even human rights as extremist and decidedly un-American.
About far right: To even ask whether US-born are citizens (and even more absurd: native Americans!) was off any chart of being a valid question to US justice before the Trump-era.
@Ulan_KA You're not far off, but the question took the Pope into consideration, so we sought an answer I guessed, of a global nature. In that respect, there is little wiggleroom for the left, apparently too woke to be in the Overton window, and an enormous universe available for all the far right thoughts, memes, lies, rationales, whitewashing etc.
@robertpi
@robertpi
Hendrik WeimerThere is considerable evidence that the Democratic party has shifted significantly to the left of the median voter on social issues: https://www.ft.com/content/73a1836d-0faa-4c84-b973-554e2ca3a227
And concerning birthright citizenship, the situation also seems to be a bit more complex: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/us/politics/birthright-citizenship-support.html
If you don't want to use the common workarounds, you can find a recycled version here: https://quantus.substack.com/p/the-leftward-shift-in-the-democratic
There has definitely been a stretch on the left as well, and it's not limited to party activists.
The data is from the GSS, of which the 2024 version has been released in the meantime: https://gss.norc.org/
anyGould@hweimer Which leads to the next gotcha - even the polling in the US is partisan. Quantus Insights, for instance, leans right - their owner also runs "I Love My Freedom", purveyors of merch with such slogans as "Are you American or a Democrat".
@anyGould This is not data from a Quantus poll, but recycled material from an FT article, which in turn used several different sources.
@hweimer Fair, but FT isn't exactly my first choice for unbiased media either. So this is data, sifted by a conservative/right source, further sifted by an even further-right wing US source. (As a 🇨🇦 I get lots of practice in checking US media sources - the cherrypicking, if not outright astroturfing is very real.)
@anyGould For some of the plots, the primary source is the General Social Survey from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago: https://gss.norc.org/
Levka
RRB
Sharp Leaves@robertpi I mean, taking away the dishonest way the Americans use the words 'radical left'...this Pope is far more openly left wing than his predecessors, and supports real leftist positions.
This isn't an overton window thing, this is the fact that a committed Christian in a position of authority is willing to speak the truth, that following Christ's way is incompatible with the disgusting economic system promoted by loudly 'Christian' countries.
To me, that's a much more important shift.
@BoysenberryCider Pope Francis was also quite progressive. Given his history with the Argentinean junta he wasn't exactly friendly to Trump's style of politics. Their predecessors were traditionalists.
@Halaana Thank you for the clarification!
DJ Enno@BoysenberryCider @robertpi
Yeah, you're right. Aren't there way too many self-proclaimed christian's who consider Jesus Christ and his teachings to be too left?
Yeah, you're right. Aren't there way too many self-proclaimed christian's who consider Jesus Christ and his teachings to be too left?
@Stricki @robertpi I'm neither Catholic nor American, there are definitely better people to talk about this topic. If you know more, please share:
Those stories are about a sub-group called Evangelicals in the US. Frustratingly, that group tend to call themselves 'Christians' and imply other denominations are the weirdo offshoots, which is backwards.
Catholicism is a different beast, in particular with a long standing strand of left wing thought (as well as hard right factions).
Kierkethumbs up convincingly
nowhereman (nicht der andere!)@robertpi
I guess Overton left the window market a while ago and is now in the whirlpool business.
I guess Overton left the window market a while ago and is now in the whirlpool business.
FediThing 
Someone needs to start quoting Jesus without saying it's Jesus to Trump to see if he condemns him as radical left too.
The stuff about rich men not entering heaven etc (and before anyone says it, the "eye of a needle" is not a mistranslation about narrow gates, it really did mean the eye of a needle).
Lucky@FediThing @robertpi if Jesús was born again, he would definitely get cancelled by Christians themselves.
@luckychronic @FediThing
Wouldn't surprise me if someone had tried anonymously quoting Jesus to the far right and the results were simply ignored by the media.
Wouldn't surprise me if someone had tried anonymously quoting Jesus to the far right and the results were simply ignored by the media.
Kid Mania@robertpi @luckychronic @FediThing
Welcome to 2023.
They're literally turning on their own god.
☠️
https://www.newsweek.com/evangelicals-rejecting-jesus-teachings-liberal-talking-points-pastor-1818706
https://newrepublic.com/post/174950/christianity-today-editor-evangelicals-call-jesus-liberal-weak
https://medium.com/backyard-theology/jesus-christs-liberal-talking-points-are-weak-evangelical-christians-4c6ed2e59e64
Welcome to 2023.
They're literally turning on their own god.
☠️
https://www.newsweek.com/evangelicals-rejecting-jesus-teachings-liberal-talking-points-pastor-1818706
https://newrepublic.com/post/174950/christianity-today-editor-evangelicals-call-jesus-liberal-weak
https://medium.com/backyard-theology/jesus-christs-liberal-talking-points-are-weak-evangelical-christians-4c6ed2e59e64
Misuse Case@luckychronic @FediThing @robertpi American Evangelical Christians would find a way to kill him all over again.
Lokjo - a European online mapThe german CDU is doing this a lot, usually following a US agenda.
When you swift the window in the right-side direction:
- the 'left' becomes 'extreme left'
BUT more importantly
- the 'extreme-right' becomes the 'right'.
@lokjo
Sadly this is happening in a lot of places. I follow politics in France and the UK more closely than anywhere else and you can see the window has shifted very clearly to the right in my lifetime. I think it's happening in a lot of other places too.
Sadly this is happening in a lot of places. I follow politics in France and the UK more closely than anywhere else and you can see the window has shifted very clearly to the right in my lifetime. I think it's happening in a lot of other places too.
@robertpi @lokjo
um...well, yeah.
🙈 🙉 🙊
❝...These billionaires WILL fucking kill you, to keep doing capitalism on a boiling planet. They're installing fascism so you don't have a choice, they're controlling police states because they mean to preserve their world order, with violence--that's actually why security forces exist, everywhere...❞
- AnarchoNinaWrites
um...well, yeah.
🙈 🙉 🙊
❝...These billionaires WILL fucking kill you, to keep doing capitalism on a boiling planet. They're installing fascism so you don't have a choice, they're controlling police states because they mean to preserve their world order, with violence--that's actually why security forces exist, everywhere...❞
- AnarchoNinaWrites
MikeTangoortcloudAntifapope
⏚ Antoine Chambert-Loir@robertpi on the other hand, there is a far-left current within catholicism.
For example that book, *Le Christ rouge*, by the Christian philosopher Guillaume Dezaunay.
@antoinechambertloir
Didn't know about that, but it's a broad church!
Didn't know about that, but it's a broad church!
glutto
Eatsbluecrayon
McHollander | Celtic Folk Bard@robertpi He is not. Only nazi's consider him that. Stop making their opinions the norm.
@robertpi Like, it's not that difficult. The pope says: don't murder people, don't start wars.
Not only are people in disagreement, they think THAT is a radical statement and if you think that not wanting random wars over covering up your involvement in a pedo scandal is radical, you're not on the non-radical side of things and should not be merited with the label of fucking rational thinking
@McHollander
The post is about the overton window, more than anything else.
The post is about the overton window, more than anything else.
Calamity Joan 😷All we need to do is apply the horse-shoe theory, and - voiilà - the Overton window is now on the radical left, and all.
David Todd McCarty@robertpi Fair enough, but if the Christian Church had been following the teachings of Jesus, the author of their own faith, they’d already be considered part of the radical left. Why do you think they killed the Christ the first time around? Too radical.
Between Francis and Leo, the Vatican has been moving Left. No doubt about it. Still, you’d have to put them right of center.
Farhad A.
German Vidal@robertpi And that the victory of a populist, conservative party in Hungary is considered a victory for progressives... 🫣
The Doctor@the_heruman @robertpi Take the win, then take the next step.
DGM187
J$
Robin Barton@robertpi Moved? or been moved?
Aris Leepvogel, gelukzoeker ✅@robertpi Well ... far enough to consider the victory of a rightwing politician in Hungary a good thing.
@Leepvogel @robertpi It's so strange, isn't it? I am happy they got rid of that Kremlin handpuppet, but the new guy is a better choice only in comparison to the absolute Muppet that's Orban.
But maybe he'll grow into it.
But maybe he'll grow into it.
@Eatsbluecrayon I won't hold my breath. @robertpi
Knut 🏳️🌈 🇳🇴🧸@robertpi Well, it's important because it creates another "them". Which erodes GOP support. I was raised Catholic, and Catholics cannot stand Protestants - especially Evangelical ones. Like this is how bad it is. I dated a guy who was Baptist...another MAN...and my mother was not upset it was a gay relationship. She was upset because he was Protestant. I mean, I'm pagan and can't stand them. It's that engrained. And there are 1.4 BILLION Catholics. They're running out of buddies.