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Comment by hexapus | Hacker News Reader

Gosh, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm convinced! Thank you, blanket-assertion from internet rando!

"Sarcasm I now see to be, in general, the language of the Devil; for which reason I have, long since, as good as renounced it."

– Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, describing how he stopped using sarcasm in his essays because it provokes hostility. He goes on describe the ironic person as a "pest to society."

That's super helpful. Thank you SO much.

I sincerely hope you found it more helpful than anyone found your own sarcastic tripe.

Have you read the comment this person is replying to, which also has zero evidence or reason?

The onus is on whoever presents the theory to provide evidence for it. This isn’t even the case of “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” because horseshoe theory isn’t an “extraordinary claim”, it is a mundane claim and thus only require mundane evidence. However, as of today, not even mundane evidence has been provided to back up this theory.

What criteria would you accept as evidence? Because apparently the fact that the far-right and far-left often find themselves as strange bedfellows united against liberalism is, ostensibly, not evidence of the horseshoe theory as it's colloquially known.

If we are talking about strange bed-fellows, then I think the center is just as guilty as the far-left is. In Europe centrists government are just as likely to host MAGA officials, to agree with MAGA policy, or otherwise cater to the MAGA right. In the USA you will find centrists like Gavin Newsom go to far right podcasters such as the late Charlie Kirk, you will find very few politicians on the left (particularly on the far left; Kat Abughazaleh; Kashima Savant; etc.) doing the same.

But you asked me a clear question and I will give a clear answer: The gold standard is a peer reviewed study which demostrates with data and a replicatable methodology that certain political behavior has a statistically similar distribution on the two extremes of the political spectrum, but a statistically significant deviation of that distribution in the political spectrum. If such as study existed, and had been replicated a couple of times by independent team of researchers, also published in a peer-reviewed journal, then I would accept that horseshoe theory might be a serious theory, worthy of something more then the meme-status it currently holds.

> far right podcasters such as the late Charlie Kirk

oh dear. Before you discuss horseshoe theory you may wish to learn what the far right is.

> The gold standard is a peer reviewed study

Which would limit 'gold standard' political metadiscussion to left leaning academia. It almost sounds like capturing the narrative is your goal. How odd.

> left leaning academia

Is this a conspiracy theory I sense?

I am starting to suspect that if horseshoe theory were correct (it is not), you would find yourself agreeing with the far left much more then you would like to admit.

---

And to any third parties reading this. I am on the left of the political spectrum for sure (an anarchist), and given nailer post here and elsewhere in this thread, it is very likely they are on the far-right. Do you honestly believe me and nailer have more in common then e.g. me and JumpCrisscross (who started this subthread) and seems to be in the center politically?

> > > left leaning academia

> Is this a conspiracy theory I sense?

Do you think academia is not left leaning? :D

Yes anyone that disagrees with you clearly on the far right. 10/10 solid gold there.

> The onus is on whoever presents the theory to provide evidence for it.

No, the person that makes any argument must provide evidence for it. You are the person that suggested there is no connection between the far left and the far right. Support your case or stop posting.

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