It’s time for the left to ask what did we do and get back to a balanced approach to politics

Each day the conservative, right wing, populist movement gains traction by using facts – specifically data and science – to prove their points in the face of fearmongering, screaming, even violent left-wingers.

As left-wing ideologies push further to the extreme, putting individual feelings and ideas ahead of facts and societal needs, we’re seeing an increase in liberals and centrists running into the welcoming hands of populist movements the world over.

And now the extreme left columnists and journalists are sharpening their pens and keyboards and tongues to come out spewing a bunch of attacks against the moderate left, centrists, moderate right, and hard right by lumping them all into the same bed of (insert slur here).

Look at nearly every hard leftist response to Bill Maher’s recent cautionary, tongue-in-cheek, but realistic view on what’s happening in Canada, England and Sweden – using it as a warning sign that when you go extreme-left woke, the pendulum swings the other way.

Lefties went mad, honing in on individual points Maher made to dismiss his argument and not acknowledging any of the mostly valid commentary based on data and facts. Ignoring the fact he was pointing out that if we’re not careful and rein in the extreme left, we won’t like the results (showing a picture of Donald Trump as he said it).

It’s time for the left to take some (most?) of the blame for the populist movements taking hold. Sure, like a recent column I read that was full of factual holes, the blame can be pointed at everyone else (Donald Trump, Pierre Poilievre, and others) and say they’re stirring up the movement.

We all know those individuals leave a lot to be desired. At the very least, they are opportunists pushing every angle they need to achieve their goals. At the worst – well, we know what the worst on the populist hard right can become.

So, I filter all their talking points through a critical lens as every intelligent person should do.

However, there is also an argument to be made that populist leaders are merely symptoms in response to what’s ailing society as a whole.

We need to come to the realization that these movements are simply the world’s Yin to the woke left Yang.

Which brings us to the part where the leftist parties and people must ask themselves: what have we done to make is so easy for these guys to gain momentum?

What policies and ideologies are we pushing hard that are turning the moderates against us?

What can we do to be better to offer a better choice?

Unfortunately, this type of internal analysis means facing a reality that they’ve failed.

Even staunch liberals around the globe are seeing the faulty thinking behind hard-left socialist policies like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), giving everyone a label based on skin tone or gender or sexuality identity, describing any form of masculinity as “toxic,” as well as opening borders to anyone and everyone in midst of a housing crisis and uncertain economy.

These policies and ideas do the opposite of their intentions: they divide rather than unite.

Oh, and anyone who dares to question any of the above or try to provide a truly diverse line of thinking and perspective is often accused of racism, bigotry, and ignorance.

But isn’t it ignorant to ignore intelligent arguments based on factual information just because you disagree with the points being made (or it hurts your fragile, pseudo-intellectual ego)?

People like me who are slightly left of centre freethinkers will get their information from all potential sources and try to be as politically centrist as possible. By doing so, we can see the issues caused by any policies with the least amount of prejudice.

There are plenty of leftist policies that are poorly designed, poorly executed, and alienating in nature. Even if, and we’re giving a lot of benefit of doubt here, they are mostly well-intentioned to help Canadians (or other nationalities) as a whole.

The problem is many of these policies end up causing extreme levels of division and don’t allow for opposing viewpoints or new ideas (unless those “new” ideas are simply strengthening the original one).

There should always be room for respectful debate and healthy discussions on topics that impact an entire nation or even the entire planet.

Unfortunately, the hard-core left has hijacked liberal parties around the world and are adamant that it’s their way or else.

They have been the ones leading this “cancel culture” charge, the ones saying that individual feelings and wants should be more important than a society’s needs, that it’s okay to personally attack a person’s character if you don’t agree with them, and frequently using their media influence to brainwash an unsuspecting, underinformed colony into a leftist hivemind groupthink that does nothing to benefit society.

These behaviours and line of thinking has created a world full of people afraid to speak their mind due to potential job loss, online and real life bullying, threats of violence, and indeed some degenerates acting upon those threats.

And now, these leftist ideologues are having a conniption as they see populist movements around the world electing governments to challenge the status quo.

Rather than look in the mirror, the left are vehemently cursing the names of the populist political leaders who are welcoming the masses of liberal thinkers being pushed to the centre, centre-right and even hard right as they can no longer stand the abuse and elitist thinking of hard-leftists.

However, it’s well past time for liberals to look inward and ask themselves what did we do to create such an extreme environment that allowed these populist movements to rise?

I could sit here now and spew the right-wing talking points to illicit illogical emtional reactions, but that would be disingenuous because I don’t agree with all of those points.

Instead, let’s point out that, in general, hard-left policies have been unbalanced and, contrary to what their authors want to believe, not inclusive to the masses. Many policies have done nothing more than coddle, cater to, and appease individuals at the expense of the hard-working, tax paying public’s needs.

There has also been a reluctance to accept even quality, bi-partisan ideas if they come from “that side” or “those people” and it gets worse daily.

The mature and intelligent response to the rise of populism globally would have been to adjust course and travel back to the centre.

Unfortunately, the extreme left did the opposite and dug their heels in as if it was a fight to the death. Side note: You’re losing that fight for the above reasons.

Of course, there is still time to change and be better and bring balance to the world once again. A world where those of us in the middle can peacefully coexist with all others and have healthy debates without fear of persecution.

Start with fixing your own leftist houses, getting rid of the extremists within, and getting back to being on the side of common sense, freethinking, free speech, and diversity of thought.

Think critically and freely about all things and challenge your family, friends and politicians to look at all ideas and angles before making decisions and having opinions.

Try to take out the emotional aspect of topics that are close to you and see them first through the lens of pure scientific data and facts, then bring in the human emotional piece. I promise you will then find a viewpoint that is well-rounded and honest.

If everyone on the planet – regardless of political affiliation – took this approach to every topic, we would see a much better world where diverse opinions for the betterment of society existed.

It would also leave a lot less room for extreme thinking that only stands to hurt our growth as human beings.

And the sooner we start remembering we’re all human beings – regardless of political, religious, or any other affiliation – the sooner we can start rebuilding the bridges that have been destroyed in recent years.