Comment by Eisenstein 2 days ago
Isn't that just what happens when you keep pushing the Overton Window to the right? What would have been 'centrists' have to become more authoritarian to stand ground or else they let their position get absorbed by the stronger leaning side. When one side refuses to compromise even slightly, you have two options: give in or dig in.
> many moderate left positions today would have been considered outlandishly radical in the 90s.
Such as?
Gay marriage, for instance. In the 90s (and even the 2000s) it was pretty common even for people on the left to come down on the side of "I don't think we should allow gay marriage". Whereas now, it's so firmly within the Overton window that even most of the right thinks gay marriage is fine.
The fact is that society changes over time and what was unacceptable during one time becomes acceptable in another. This does not indicate a shift to the left, it indicates humanity becoming less intolerant. Are you going to argue that allow black people and white people to marry and repealing miscegenation laws mean that the country shifted to the left?
If the left-most edge of the Overton Window had been pushed right of the centrist position of, say, the 90s that would be correct. But it's obvious that isn't at all true -- many moderate left positions today would have been considered outlandishly radical in the 90s.
It's rather more likely that the increase of left-authoritarianism is due to increasing resistance to moving the Overton Window, both the left-most edge and the right-most edge, leftwards. As resistance increases more forceful techniques are necessary.