What exactly is a "right-winger"? What are they to the right of?

[Gold618]

I ask because I come across that expression quite a lot online. What does it even mean? More often I'll hear "far-right". Is that different from being just right? If so, how?

Updates

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Too many people here have misunderstood the question, and taken it far too literally, in a couple of instances giving me definitions taken straight out of the dictionary. The question is basically about how people who are labelled "right-wing" or "far right" are perceived by those who give them those labels; that is, what exactly it is that they're to the "right" of.
All too often the term is used in place of a valid counter-argument, an 'ad hominem' attack that addresses nothing.

[Syntosi]

Meh, its an oversimplified term meant for normal conversation. Its not meant to be over-analyzed too much because it actually does not have a true meaning. The best answer is that everyone has their own vague ideas of what such terms means, everyone different to some extent. As such when someone uses it in a conversation they are usually dependent on the person they talk with to have a similar feeling of the meaning as they do.

If we want to start overly break this down then we have to start accepting a few things. First of all, politics is not a left/right spectrum. It is often simplified as such because USA only has two real political parties so putting one on each side and pretending its a spectrum makes sense from a casual political point of view.

If we want to establish a more defined definition of what is far right vs what is right or just centrist then we can use this to try get a general understanding. If the average position of a member of the republican is "right wing", then anyone who has a more unpopular opinion would be either closer towards the Democratic party or further away from the Democratic party. If it is closer towards the Democratic party then they can be considered more moderate or centrist, if its further away then they are more extremist and towards the "far-right".

You can also do this more generally speaking. If you take all the right wing parties and left wing parties in a group, such as "western countries" (whatever you define them as) then you can put the average of all the right wing views as "right wing" and repeat the process to see how extreme or moderate your particular country is within the context of other countries.

But yeah, this all depends on who you want to compare it with. There are no objective truths here.

[noohair]

It is mostly perception based on bias. Everyone to the right is now FAR right. The left think they are normal and moderate. I see the left as bat crazy. So it is more perception then anything that is based in measurable reality. It is a technique to demonizing and dehumanizes the opposition. That is the first step in evolving into, let’s kill them. It is the Nazi socialism model that lead to the holocaust.

[RavVid]

An important thing to remember is that right & left are relative terms. From Lenin's view the fascist where right wing. Where I am there are socialist left unions and right wing unions. it doesn't mean those unions are right wing. It just means they are right of communists.

It does make more sense relative to average or median voter or the center of political views because voters might swing center left or center right at various times.

In terms of Europe will read extreme or far right. So far I have been able to establish this just means they don't want to invaded by illegal immigrants and they want the culture of their country to be preserved and not to become muslim for example.

The Left likes to call parties with the above politics far right extremists because it conjurs up images of gas ovens rather than entry permits. Of course regulating immigration could well be a center position.

For you, judge where you are on the political spectrum. Anything more Marxist than you is to the left of you. Anything less Marxist s to the right of you.

[saraupstairs]

Great question I had to Google it.

"The political terms Left and Right were first used in the 18th century, during the French Revolution, referencing the seating arrangement of the French parliament. Those who sat to the right of the chair of the presiding officer (le président) were generally supportive of the institutions of the monarchist Old Regime."

But regardless of the origins of the term, this is the test.

Question: If someone breaks into your home and shoots you, who's at fault.

Left: The landlord.

Left: The door factory.

Left: The gun manufacturer.

Left: The bullet manufacturer.

Left: We need more government education.

Right: Um, the person who did it?

Now you know which side you're on.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

So there is a political spectrum. In the middle, you have centrists. To the left you have democrats, liberals, socialists, and communists on the very far end of the left side. That would be the far-left. To the right, you have republicans, conservatives, and at the farthest far right end you have fascists and fascism. Does that help?

[Gold618]

Yes, I understand all of that, but where exactly are the demarcation lines? For example, in the US someone like Barack Obama is seen by many as being "far left", but in most of the rest of the civilised world he's seen as a centrist.
"Controversial" topics like gun control aren't at all controversial outside the US, because we recognise the need to regulate dangerous implements.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

@gold618
That's right, political wings are often considered from a reference point, that point will fluctuate depending on the country, and depending on who is labelling. Trump supporters will most likely label themselves as right wing, while the rest will label them as far-right wing. That demarcation line may be complicated to evaluate, it's related to the country from which it's evaluated. For example, USA has a complicated relation with communism, based on historical tensions between USSR and USA, and based on antithetical political philosophies of these two entities. Whereas USA has historically been full on individual freedom, USSR has been full on state control.

Between those two, you have EU for example, which has incorporated a dose of state control and a dose of individual freedom, in their traditions. So, seen from EU's reference point, Obama can't be far-left, that would make him a communist while his real plan was to inject some social policies into free market.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Gun rights are to be evaluated, with the same reference point relativity. USA being full on individual freedom, it makes sense for them to want all rights possible, including the right to carry guns. It's a philosophical and historical stance. That stance seems alien from EU perspective because EU has a different philosophy and history, as said above, EU is not full on individual rights, state has a word to say against that.

[Bricealan]

@gold618 Remember Obama's 'infamous' quote, either before or after he took office, pledging to: 'Fundamentally transform the United States"

[Bricealan]

@gold618“ We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”

If that is not a very FAR Leftist quote, I don't know what is.

[Gold618]

@Bricealan Actually no, it isn't. After all, haven't Trump and his supporters been saying the same? Isn't that why they chose him? To change things?

[Bricealan]

@gold618 "Fundamentally changing the United States of America, is NOT the same as Make America Great Again, Trump would like a reversal of the trends that have taken place in the last 20 years... Not 'fundamentally change the united states of america.

[genericname85]

during french evolution when the nobility was murered in large parts and democracy was basically first introduced by force, they had a national assembly where people sat according to the respective association:

right side of the assembly sat the aristocrats who basically wanted the monarchy and the old institutional structures back

left side sat the people advocating for equality, liberty, and the rights of common people

[genericname85]

that's where the original "right" and "left" came from.

[DrPepper12]

Yes. Far or ultra "x" is further from conventional or moderate "left or right".

Here's my summary of conservatism:

[Anonymous]

Elon Musk was considered left wing and the darling of Liberals and Hollywood until he bought and made Twitter a free speech zone.

Tulsi Gabbard was considered left wing until she spoke out about the US Government's foreign policy of perpetual regime change, wars and arming terrorists.

Kennedy was considered left wing until he spoke out against the covid vaccine.

That tells you what is considered right wing.

[eagle1951]

a person who supports or belongs to the right-wing or conservative section of a political party or system; a conservative:.

[OlofssonBengtsson]

There also Right-wingers who believe a single ruler like a king should have all the power in the country they are called the absolutist right or Liberals who are Right-wingers that don't believe absolutism. It's not only conservative and that is it.

Joe Rogan is right wing, but he is not conservative like Jordan Peterson.

[OlofssonBengtsson]

When Rogan was debating Peterson, Peter said society should promote enforced monogamy and traditional conservatism for a more so a mediocre man won't get left out in terms of marriage. Rogan rebuttal by saying he thinks if a man successful and gets all the women he should be allowed to sleep around multiple women even if it negatively impacts the mediocre men who has more trouble getting a woman Rogan views things through a more liberal perspective, but they are both on the right.

[Gold618]

That's the dictionary definition of the term, and I know about that, but where are the lines drawn? For example, some silly people like to call Hitler a socialist! That's plainly ridiculous.

[Gold618]

@OlofssonBengtsson Joe Rogan is right wing? You see, this is what I'm confused about, because I've seen his show, and to me he isn't "right-wing" at all; he's a centrist.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Adolf Hitler, as labelled by himself, his own party, and history books was, partially, a socialist: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers' Party).

National-socialism here meant: "[...] Nazi political strategy focused on anti–big business, anti-bourgeois, and anti-capitalist rhetoric; it was later downplayed to gain the support of business leaders. By the 1930s, the party's main focus shifted to antisemitic and anti-Marxist themes. [...]"

So, Hitler was a socialist in the sense that he gained popularity in seducing the working class, promising them equality (so, socialism, loosely put). He was not far at all from how Stalin organized society and labor by owning all means of production. Except that Hitler had to compromise with the wealthiest classes of society, those who own big companies and had the means to mass produce weaponry.

[Anonymous]

It's just a term woke folks use to describe anyone who doesn't agree with their leftist ideology.

[RedInnocent69]

Well, all conservatives are right, but not all conservatives a psycho wingnuts

[Anonymous]

They are to the right of sanity.

[Jennz6]

Republican