I’ll be the first to acknowledge that there are some sincerely impassioned people out there who are talking about and otherwise promoting the idea of “centrism” as a rising groundswell. There are also a number of organizations funded by very wealthy people who are paying entire stables of professionals to promote the idea of “centrism” as a rising groundswell. But is “centrism” really all the rage?
For some time now, conservative magazines and newspapers (also funded by very wealthy people) have been declaring that “liberalism is dead.” We’ve even heard tell that “nobody calls themselves a ‘liberal’ anymore. They’re ‘progressives.’” or that “on the left, the word ‘progressive’ has started to replace ‘liberal.’”
Is that so? Let’s check out a few indicators.
Google’s chart of search trends in the United States:
Google’s chart of word use in the news in the United States:
Number of Twitter posts containing the word “liberal,” January 20 2012: 1,267
…containing the word “progressive”: 1,258
…containing the word “centrist”: 270
Number of Twitter posts containing the word “liberal” 1/20/12 with a positive tone: 284
With a negative tone: 26
Number of Twitter posts containing the word “progressive” 1/20/12 with a positive tone: 256
With a negative tone: 12
Number of pages on Facebook.com containing the word “liberal”: 6,590,000
…containing the word “progressive”: 16,600,000
…containing the word “centrist”: 99,200
Number of Google search results for “I am a liberal”: 2,910,000
… for “I am a progressive”: 967,000
… for “I am a centrist”: 168,000
There is a liberal helping of reference to the words “liberal” and “progressive” on various social media of the Internet. “Centrist” is the teensy third partner of the triad.
They’re all just jibberish for a non-existent political stance of anyone in Washington DC (and for that matter an absolute rarity in the states – all the way down to the local level).
Tom,
I don’t think they are “just” jibberish. I think they’re words that are used for reasons. “Centrism” is used because it sounds better than saying you have a conservative business agenda but don’t care whether The Gays get married. “Progressive” was used because people believed in the use of policy as an instrument for social betterment, sometimes at the cost of individual liberty. “Liberals” (the American kind) are more procedurally focused, on all the good things in life, and I can say as one of them they are absolutely perfect in every way.
Recently there was a new pew poll that indicated 31% were favorable of the term “socialism”. That’s pretty big, and I’m not even a socialist!
http://www.people-press.org/2011/12/28/little-change-in-publics-response-to-capitalism-socialism/?src=prc-headline
Progressive seems to be the most favorable label
I use the label “progressive” for two reasons. One, because it’s the most generic and broad term that best fits me, “liberal” does not, neither in the American sense or in the accurate definition of the word used everywhere else in the world. Second was, until recently, calling yourself a socialist was, while by no means putting yourself in any harm, basically an easy way not to be taken seriously, calling a kook, easily demonized in discussions, etc. However things are changing in since the Occupy protest, 31 percent as noted above are favorable to the term, so I may just abandon the label in the future, even though I still think it fits me.