Why does the term reactionary exist on the left?

[Karha of Honor]

They way they are using it assumes those pushing change will never be wrong and any retreat from certain policies, attitudes or softenning them is equivavalent of handing the castle keys to the ''enemy''.

[Antiboyscout]

They way they are using it assumes those pushing change will never be wrong and any retreat from certain policies, attitudes or softenning them is equivavalent of handing the castle keys to the ''enemy''.

yes

The term was widely used by Communists against anyone that was against them.

[Karha of Honor]

They way they are using it assumes those pushing change will never be wrong and any retreat from certain policies, attitudes or softenning them is equivavalent of handing the castle keys to the ''enemy''.

yes

The term was widely used by Communists against anyone that was against them.

It's limited sample size but why is it widely used by the American Left?

[TGLS]

It's so often used by the American Left because the United States is relatively conservative. Such a nation has a larger proportion of reactionaries, and thus they will use the term more often. Of course, this usage gets mixed with radicals who tend to call everyone who's less radical than them reactionaries too.

ASIDE: You can break down most ideologies into three or four groups:
- Conservatives: Who like the current state of affairs
- Liberals: Who want to make moderate changes to the current state of affairs
- Reactionaries: Who want to revert changes to the current state of affairs
- Radicals: Who want to make very large changes to the current state of affairs

[Karha of Honor]

It's so often used by the American Left because the United States is relatively conservative. Such a nation has a larger proportion of reactionaries, and thus they will use the term more often. Of course, this usage gets mixed with radicals who tend to call everyone who's less radical than them reactionaries too.

ASIDE: You can break down most ideologies into three or four groups:
- Conservatives: Who like the current state of affairs
- Liberals: Who want to make moderate changes to the current state of affairs
- Reactionaries: Who want to revert changes to the current state of affairs
- Radicals: Who want to make very large changes to the current state of affairs

- Radicals: Who want to make very large changes to the current state of affairs

So a lot of people both on the left righ see themselves like this. If you asked Gawker and Breitbart writers they would have both said they are radicals.

[CharlesPhipps]

We have had both sides of the Right and Left commit massive atrocities.

And the term is relative to what country you live in.

The Left in America would be the Right in the Europe and the Right in America would be....well, the Reactionary Right in Europe and then some Reactionary.

[Karha of Honor]

We have had both sides of the Right and Left commit massive atrocities.

And the term is relative to what country you live in.

The Left in America would be the Right in the Europe and the Right in America would be....well, the Reactionary Right in Europe and then some Reactionary.

The farthest right in Europe would be the Jobbik or the BNP and they care jack about economics and love the welfare state.

[CharlesPhipps]

We have had both sides of the Right and Left commit massive atrocities.

And the term is relative to what country you live in.

The Left in America would be the Right in the Europe and the Right in America would be....well, the Reactionary Right in Europe and then some Reactionary.

The farthest right in Europe would be the Jobbik or the BNP and they care jack about economics and love the welfare state.

Mind you, if you go among the base you'll find most of them love Welfare.

They just hate THOSE people getting it.

Which is anyone but them.

[Karha of Honor]

We have had both sides of the Right and Left commit massive atrocities.

And the term is relative to what country you live in.

The Left in America would be the Right in the Europe and the Right in America would be....well, the Reactionary Right in Europe and then some Reactionary.

The farthest right in Europe would be the Jobbik or the BNP and they care jack about economics and love the welfare state.

Mind you, if you go among the base you'll find most of them love Welfare.

They just hate THOSE people getting it.

Which is anyone but them.

Political movements are not defined by the casuals, The hardcore drive the agenda.

[CharlesPhipps]

Political movements are not defined by the casuals, The hardcore drive the agenda.

In America I'd love to introduce you to the Religious Right which are the least religious, most venal, corrupt and parodic version of churchmen you'll ever find. They are, however, very good at dog whistle politics that they use to distract the base and get them fired about about things which they may or may not care about themselves but can generate votes as well as donations for.

So, it's not that case either.

To be a religious fanatic, you have to believe in God and that's severely debatable in the Right of America. Mind you, it occassionally backfires on them as we see with the Tea Party and Trump.