• CanadaPlus
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        10 months ago

        Small c, maybe. “Conservative” these day can actually mean “extremely reactionary”.

        • feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Reactionary in the sense of maintaining the status quo, would actually be a good thing under those circumstances! Although I’m very much economically left-wing, I try to recognise that. Makes me understand why the rich skew conservative, because obviously to them everything is already good.

          • CanadaPlus
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            10 months ago

            “Reactionary” specifically means trying to go back to a (often imagined) previous state.

            reactionary <-> conservative <-> progressive

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                10 months ago

                Yeah, I kind of wish there was another word for the idea, because it’s a bit confusing. I think originally it was “in reaction to progress”.

                Big and small c conservative is sometimes used to make the distinction in commentary, with big C being the reactionary stances that are common in right-wing parties that call themselves “Conservative”, but I don’t think everyone gets that either.