Quote Originally Posted by KerrAvon View Post
gm was wrong, in my opinion, but I think your exchange with him demonstrated the limitations of using Left and Right labels. The defining features of Capitalism and Socialism are primarily concerned with the ownership of the means of production. Hitler was big on public spending and regulation, but I think most Labour supporters wouldn't regard him as one of theirs (although some seem to hold anti-Semitic views).
I would agree that the use of such labels can be limited, and even, as in the case of Hitler, consciously abused to manipulate a society. Of course, in the real world, extremes on both sides can involve quite radical strands from the other. However, I would argue that they are simply useful words - 'left' and 'right' that allow us to simply communicate roughly where we stand, as a starting point at least.