o-called reactionary centrists both blamed the victims of the populist right, and spent a lot of time humanising the perpetrators. If only liberals could understand what drove Maga voters. Reactionary centrists admonished liberals to be very careful in their language, to not call very obvious fascists fascist, lest they be further provoked. The solution was to give ground; if democrats made appeals to the centre, particularly if they moved right on immigration and trans rights, they could regain votes lost to Trump.
If this is all sounding discomfitingly familiar from a British perspective, that is essentially my point. Every day in the UK we see a similar push to normalise and centre discrimination. Newspaper headlines scream about an “invasion” or “swarm” of refugees. In 2012, 60 trans-related articles were published by Britain’s media. By 2022, it was more than 7,500, according to figures from Trans Media Watch. The media is not responding to public rage against vulnerable minorities; it is helping to create it. Polling shows that opinion on immigration tracks tabloid coverage much more closely than actual immigration levels. People become more concerned not when the number of immigrants rises, but when the press fearmongers about it more. Research has also shown that media coverage of dramatic but unrepresentative cases (such as small boat crossings) is shaping opinion of immigrants–including those who are in the UK legally—more broadly.
But our reactionary centrists—for yes, the UK has them too—reliably invert the agency, and hence moral responsibility, in this story. Politicians and the press are not to blame for stoking hatred. Those gathering outside asylum hotels have “legitimate concerns” and must be listened to and empathised with.
[...]
This is, in many ways, the dynamic that defines reactionary centrism: the right must be understood, but never blamed. The left can be blamed, but need not be understood.
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/70966/what-is-a-reactionary-centrist-does-uk-have-them
If this is all sounding discomfitingly familiar from a British perspective, that is essentially my point. Every day in the UK we see a similar push to normalise and centre discrimination. Newspaper headlines scream about an “invasion” or “swarm” of refugees. In 2012, 60 trans-related articles were published by Britain’s media. By 2022, it was more than 7,500, according to figures from Trans Media Watch. The media is not responding to public rage against vulnerable minorities; it is helping to create it. Polling shows that opinion on immigration tracks tabloid coverage much more closely than actual immigration levels. People become more concerned not when the number of immigrants rises, but when the press fearmongers about it more. Research has also shown that media coverage of dramatic but unrepresentative cases (such as small boat crossings) is shaping opinion of immigrants–including those who are in the UK legally—more broadly.
But our reactionary centrists—for yes, the UK has them too—reliably invert the agency, and hence moral responsibility, in this story. Politicians and the press are not to blame for stoking hatred. Those gathering outside asylum hotels have “legitimate concerns” and must be listened to and empathised with.
[...]
This is, in many ways, the dynamic that defines reactionary centrism: the right must be understood, but never blamed. The left can be blamed, but need not be understood.
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/70966/what-is-a-reactionary-centrist-does-uk-have-them
Prospect
What is a reactionary centrist, and does the UK have them?
A term favoured by US progressives can help us understand Britain’s drift to the right
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