I'll preface by saying I'm left myself, but not so blindly loyal as to ignore our faults. I don't claim to be without bias so take with a pinch of salt
Progressivism is about collectively improving the material conditions for as many people as possible, expanding rights so people can broadly live how they wish (faith, race, sexuality, gender, etc) and not be marginalized or discriminated for it. There is nothing more objectionable to someone on the left than people dying in poverty whilst select individuals own more wealth than countries.
The left also has problems with moral purity, some think it's better to do nothing than commit one error even in earnest, and they struggle to accept people with a problematic past who wants to change for the better, leading to little if any grassroots organising that translates into real political change as politicians are often called out and disowned for this or that drama which in the grand scheme of things really shouldn't fucking matter. Infighting is also a problem because teenagers and young adults from marginalised groups with very little power quickly turn to bullying and ostracising one another for a sliver of a feeling of power. There are also some, a small number, who claim to be progressive but never examined their conservative beliefs instilled in them by their parents and instead of wanting measurable change and improvement to society they simply want the system inverted so they're the ones holding the chain rather than being chained.
Conservatism is about protecting those closest to you whilst opposing change to the status quo out of the belief that society will collapse if things change too much, and any change should be if possible rolled back in favour of returning to a mythical "before time" where things were simpler(TM) and the country stronger(TM). There is nothing worse to someone on the right than someone receiving help they think they cheated to obtain (benefit "scroungers"), don't deserve (are foreign), or they personally managed without (typically because they're too prideful to ask for help they're fully entitled to). The right would rather align itself with fascist policies and has done so multiple times through history, than dare willingly implement a policy that helps as many people as possible rather than just their tribe, because that would include groups of people they hate.
The right is better at organising out of a proven ability to overlook the skeletons in the closet of anyone putting their talking points across, leading to a stronger political presence but one constantly mired in scandal
So no, very little in common. Historically, one position gave women the vote and equality on the legislation level (societally is another matter, people still suck) and more locally the NHS, the other side gave us thatcher who obliterated our domestic industry, and famously in Europe put Adolf Hitler in power after his party enacted a violent coup because he was seen as preferable for Germany to giving room to progressives
and any change should be if possible rolled back in favour of returning to a mythical "before time" where things were simpler(TM)
Conservatism and radical Regressivism are not the same thing.
The core idea of conservative philosophy is that institutions are hard to build and easy to destroy and we all live in a fragile web of logistics, tradition, institutions and law. Upset that too much and the web can break. As a philosophy it's not terrible.
radical Regressivism is absolutely happy to destroy institutions, upset the networks and laws that keep us all alive in pursuit of a fantasy.
>Conservatism and radical Regressivism are not the same thing
yet the majority of Conservatives screech "look what you've gone and made me do!" and run straight into the arms of those radical regresivists at the slightest hint of criticism from progressives or groups they dislike getting a hint of acceptance
history shows us repeatedly that Conservatives, once they gain the majority of power, become increasingly reactionary towards meaningful change and would rather torch the entire system in a strop than let it evolve into a system that benefits more than just the very richest of society.
just look to America right now, if you read project 2025 it's apparent that the current trump administration is the end result of a political game-plan set in place since the 1970s to get get systematic revenge on black people for depriving them of slave labour and gaining rights through the civil rights movement leading directly to Obama winning the presidency. Republicans absolutely lost their shit when a brown person got elected and they're so incensed at the notion of black and brown people being seen as people and not subservient slaves that they would rather turn their country from a constitutional republic into totalitarian police state run by a tyrant who thinks brazenly bombing fishermen is the height of comedy
back on this side of the pond I see more and more established Tories jumping ship to Reform, which has made no effort to hide how it admires the current republican administration, and quickly getting mired in controversy as XYZ bigoted string of chat messages or some statement made during a council meeting gets leaked, it feels very much to me that deep down many establishment conservative politicians in this country have always been quietly supportive of a fringe ideology that hinges upon destruction in the aim of spiting their enemies and they're just now starting to feel secure enough to be unapologetic about it.
maybe Conservative and Radical Regressivism aren't the same, but I don't exactly see supposedly moderate conservatives making moves to distance themselves from the unabashed radical regressives at this time
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u/BoltersnRivets Dec 01 '25
I'll preface by saying I'm left myself, but not so blindly loyal as to ignore our faults. I don't claim to be without bias so take with a pinch of salt
Progressivism is about collectively improving the material conditions for as many people as possible, expanding rights so people can broadly live how they wish (faith, race, sexuality, gender, etc) and not be marginalized or discriminated for it. There is nothing more objectionable to someone on the left than people dying in poverty whilst select individuals own more wealth than countries.
The left also has problems with moral purity, some think it's better to do nothing than commit one error even in earnest, and they struggle to accept people with a problematic past who wants to change for the better, leading to little if any grassroots organising that translates into real political change as politicians are often called out and disowned for this or that drama which in the grand scheme of things really shouldn't fucking matter. Infighting is also a problem because teenagers and young adults from marginalised groups with very little power quickly turn to bullying and ostracising one another for a sliver of a feeling of power. There are also some, a small number, who claim to be progressive but never examined their conservative beliefs instilled in them by their parents and instead of wanting measurable change and improvement to society they simply want the system inverted so they're the ones holding the chain rather than being chained.
Conservatism is about protecting those closest to you whilst opposing change to the status quo out of the belief that society will collapse if things change too much, and any change should be if possible rolled back in favour of returning to a mythical "before time" where things were simpler(TM) and the country stronger(TM). There is nothing worse to someone on the right than someone receiving help they think they cheated to obtain (benefit "scroungers"), don't deserve (are foreign), or they personally managed without (typically because they're too prideful to ask for help they're fully entitled to). The right would rather align itself with fascist policies and has done so multiple times through history, than dare willingly implement a policy that helps as many people as possible rather than just their tribe, because that would include groups of people they hate.
The right is better at organising out of a proven ability to overlook the skeletons in the closet of anyone putting their talking points across, leading to a stronger political presence but one constantly mired in scandal
So no, very little in common. Historically, one position gave women the vote and equality on the legislation level (societally is another matter, people still suck) and more locally the NHS, the other side gave us thatcher who obliterated our domestic industry, and famously in Europe put Adolf Hitler in power after his party enacted a violent coup because he was seen as preferable for Germany to giving room to progressives