What are minimalist loser politics?

Take your pick:

  • Everyone should live in small tightly packed apartments (bugman shit)
  • Don’t eat meat
  • Don’t have a car (15 minute cities)
  • Eat bugs (it’s good for the environment!)
  • Don’t have kids (it’s bad for the environment)
  • If you have a car, make it a boring small one
  • AC should be banned

All of these are loser politics that make mainstream people (aka normies) disgusted and unwilling to support leftist causes. And for good reason! Why should the working classes give up the little comfort and luxury they have, while the rich buy carbon credits to offset a transcontinental private jet trip to the ocean-side to board a mega-yacht orgy?

We have enough resources (especially when we do away with the capitalist class) to give everyone a nice house in a city that looks more like a forest because public and private transportation now happens underground. But people still have nice cars to ride out into the countryside or use on racetracks.

And so on. There are enough resources that everyone on the planet could have a lifestyle of a medium-developed Eastern European country like Czechia. And when the left starts using resources in a more rational way (no more profit motive) everything just gets nicer.

So why then do leftist pick these horrible restrictive policies?

  • detalferous@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    1 year ago

    This list isn’t unified by the fact that they are minimalist loser policies. It’s unified by the fact that they’re all straw man arguments.

  • InvaderDJ@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    1 year ago

    Most these aren’t beliefs of leftists. They’re either straw men or completely exaggerated and taken out of context.

    I think most leftists believe that before the average person gives up anything, the corporations and rich who actually contribute most to climate change should be reined in.

  • jeff@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    19
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    You’re delusional. I’m far left and support non of those.

    Sure, some fringe leftists believe in all of those. Most would only maybe support one.

    You watch too much tucker max

    • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      IDK man, I’m a liberal in an ultra liberal bubble and have heard locals sincerely espouse all those views at various times.

      The extremists of any movement tend to be cringy kooks.

    • amazing2@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      1 year ago

      I have never watched him, but I do plan to watch the interview with the man who allegedly bummed Obama just for the lulz.

      I am also far left, but I don’t support any of those. I support what I wrote under the bullet points. There is no reason to stop eating meat or blasting AC in the summer.

      • Mighty@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        “No reason to stop eating meat”?! There is literally no reason for eating it. You were lied to and made comfortable with the meat industry that ruins everything. Please watch anything read anything about animals, environment and the meat industry.

        • amazing2@lemm.eeOP
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          5
          ·
          1 year ago

          I am very comfortable with the meat industry. Meat is tasty and nutritious and healthy and I see no reason to stop eating it.

          I know that you speak next about the suffering of animals, so let me preempt that by saying I don’t care. Animals do not have souls, and God was very clear when He said that Man has dominion over the Earth. I am happy to kill and have animals killed for my benefit. In fact, in a way it pleases me. All these animals, and yet we humans are at the top of the foodchain, being able to breed and eat them as we please. Why would I want to give up that power? That’s exactly the type of loser politics I’m talking about.

          • Mighty@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            6
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            You’re a looser for believing all that BS and for contributing to endless suffering and ecological collapse. Meat is amongst the top 3 contributors to climate change. It’s in no way at all healthy (that’s a lie spread by the industry, but go on believing that). If you cared at all about humans or the planet you live on, you’d know to stop.

            But “I do what I want, nothing I do has consequences” is the type of shit that led all of us here.

            • amazing2@lemm.eeOP
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              If we switched to nuclear power, limited the use of cars (intercity transport only, intracity only public transport), and banned private jets and short haul flights, we’d offset carbon emissions enough to eat all the meat we want.

              I will never stop eating meat. You will have to put me in a gulag to get me to stop. And I think I am not alone. I have a taste for flesh, many of us do.

              • Mighty@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                1 year ago

                absolutely insane person. that’s not fine. you’re not doing the right thing. i will stop interacting here since you’re toxic. you mentioned something about “god”. so go ahead read your bible. maybe there’s hope for you there.

  • Pratai@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    1 year ago

    Tell us you have little knowledge of the political climate without-

    Nevermind. You pretty much told us you don’t.

  • ttmrichter@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    1 year ago

    If you think 15-minute cities are a bad thing, you’re just an ignoramus. Both about what “15-minute cities” are and about what their intent is.

    The rest is just bullshit you’ve cherry-picked from the most extreme parts of the left that for all practical purposes nobody in the majority of the left actually believes.

    • 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏@lemmy.one
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      What I find absolutely hilarious, are the individuals who already live in 15 minute cities complaining that they don’t want their city to turn into one 🥴🤯

      • ttmrichter@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        This is because they have no fucking clue what a 15-minute city even is and just reflexively knee-jerk “libbrulz bad!”

        They’re idiots, in short, who don’t understand what they’re complaining about, don’t care to understand it, because in the end it isn’t anything to do with the thing but rather the tribe.

  • morphballganon@lemmynsfw.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    1 year ago

    I’m a liberal who knows some leftists, so maybe I can reframe some of these so they make some sense.

    Most leftists are not vegetarians. A leftist is more likely to suggest buying locally-sourced, humanely-raised meat sources, and balancing your diet such that meat is still included, but not necessarily the focus of every meal.

    On boring cars: a car does not need to be huge or rev very loud to be exciting. On this point, economics and environmentalism actually agree; getting a car with good gas mileage is not only good for the environment, but cheaper over the car’s lifespan. You can make your car more exciting with a neat color paint job, decals, seat covers, custom rims etc.

    On kids: I know leftists with kids. The idea isn’t to have 0 children, it’s to only have as many as you actually want. Families like to coerce couples into having kids. Don’t feel like you have to listen! If you would rather use your income for vacations, go for it. Only have kids if raising kids is what you want to do with your next 20 years of life.

    The rest of those things you listed are unfamiliar to me. Can you point me to the organization suggesting them?

  • cooopsspace@infosec.pub
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    OP is a fucking idiot.

    Apartments are needed to house an increasing population. You’re not required to live in one, just don’t expect to own acreage in the city where land is at a premium.

    A reduction on meat is scientifically better for your health and the environment. At the very least one day a week meat free.

    Accessible cities is great for everyone including people who require cars. You shouldn’t be opposing this. But “lefties” are calling for better urban planning that don’t assume everyone has a car. Simply put, if you have to drive to get to the supermarket, or that drive is 10km though you’re 5km away from the store - that’s the fuck up.

    People want a choice whether to have crotch goblins (kids) and you shouldn’t be expected to have one if you don’t want one. But nobody is stopping you from having one. It’s not hard.

    Experimenting with food has been done since the dawn of man. Meat free and bugs is yet another experiment in an attempt to answer the question “how can we feed everyone”. Becoming increasingly difficult due to man made climate change and population.

    You don’t have to have a small car, just have one that’s safe on the road. Not those big grotesque trucks. You’re not towing bro, and you can’t even see over the grill. Once again, people don’t want to be required to have a car to live. Walkable cities, good public transport.

  • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    I agree with OP but these don’t seem to be big talking points of American liberals.

    Instead we have many, far worse, initiatives which do the same thing that OP has mentioned. Not too many liberal Americans are talking about eating bugs or banning AC, but endlessly pushing idiotic nonsense like pronouns-this and pronouns-that have the same net effect amd that is turns mainstream people off. And no legislation is going to get a ton of support without mainstream folks pushing for it.

    • amazing2@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Lol, this is supposed to be the community for unpopular opinions. But it’s not really, is it? It’s the same as the one on Reddit. It’s the OpinionsWePretendAreUnpopularToMakeUsSeemMoreIntellectualAndBetterThanTheNormies community. Doesn’t really roll off the tongue.