I suppose it’s only natural for those with rightist principles to harbor optimism for the so-called “right wing” of the political spectrum. I have held such optimism myself in the past, but recent experience with such matters has taught me that the whole right-left political divide that is the obsession of so many is a total sham.
Moreover, the so-called rightist parties and politicians conservative types tend to endorse are far worse than any left and far left party would ever dream of being; worse for the simple reason that the platitudes such so-called rightist parties and politicians spout are far more deceitful, dishonest, and fraudulent than the lies their opponents promulgate.
Though all sides of the political spectrum brim with known and proven pathological liars, the liars on the right wing—referred to from here on as the “less-left”—are unfathomably more despicable in their blatant dishonesty and duplicitousness.
Case in point -- Viktor Orbán, the recently deposed Prime Minister of Hungary, who became a veritable poster boy for right-wing, based types. Although I was impressed by Orbán’s response to the migrant crisis in 2015 and subsequently optimistic about his patriotic and apparently pro-Christian rhetoric and talking points, it did not take me too long to understand that Orbán was not really on the “right” at all. He was something altogether worse: a politician who hijacked rightist principles to hoodwink optimistic rightists into thinking he was on their side while simultaneously undermining them at every turn.
For the sake of brevity, I will focus on three examples of Orbán’s rightist/illiberal schtick: the migrant crisis, a family support scheme that encouraged young couples to have children in exchange for affordable housing, and the birdemic.
Orbán was one of the few in the West to openly oppose the mass migration waves that flooded into Europe in 2015. He even went as far as to erect a fence to impede the free flow of largely undocumented migrants from who knows where.
The issue became a fixation of Hungarian state television for years afterward. Hungarians were constantly reminded of how the great Orbán was defending the nation and Hungarian values from the invading barbarian hordes who were always just a stone’s throw away, ready to kidnap Hungary’s daughters and steal Hungarians’ jobs.
At the same time, the state media was notably silent about the busloads of documented guest workers Orbán and his crew were recruiting from around the world and funneling into Hungary’s many foreign-owned factories, thereby subduing Hungary’s already ridiculously low wages and ensuring that global industry would retain a cheap work force no matter what.
When confronted about the matter years after the migrant crisis, Orbán merely shrugged and callously stated that he had always been against undocumented, illegal migration. Documented, legal migrants and guest workers were another matter entirely and necessary to ensure Hungary’s competitiveness and productivity.
Many displaced Hungarian workers voted with their feet and left the country to seek higher wages elsewhere in Europe. Some moved to the western part of the country to commute to Austria. Very few could afford to stay in the “guest-worker factories” because of wage stagnation or decline.
Against this backdrop, Orbán lauded the sanctity of the Hungarian family and how supporting it was the top priority of his administration. He and his cronies quickly crafted a home affordability/childbirth scheme that would “reward” young couples for having three or more children by issuing them non-repayable grants and cheap loans. The ensuing tidal wave of grant and loan creation unleashed an inflationary tsunami that quickly doubled the price of all real estate within a year. Within five years, real estate became largely unaffordable, even for those who applied for all the grants and loans the Orbán regime continued to offer and expand.
I purchased my house for the equivalent of 40,000 euros in 2015, just before the housing scheme kicked in. My house is now worth about 250,000 euros. Needless to say, the purchasing power of real wages stagnated or even declined during that same period. Talk about supporting Hungarian families!
Finally, there is the birdemic, during which the Orbán regime ranked among the most oppressive, fearmongering regimes in the world. Personal rights, national rights, and citizen rights all went out the window, and more needless money printing ensued. At one point, the administration even entertained mandating pecks for everyone, but eventually backed off the idea when they saw how poorly their conservative comrades in neighboring Austria had fared on that issue.
Worst of all, Orbán constantly cloaked himself in Christian garb and ceaselessly pontificated about Hungary’s Christian heritage, values, and principles. He presented himself as a noble crusader, a veritable warrior-saint endlessly defending his besieged nation against the onslaught of leftism, yet he was nothing of the sort. On the contrary, he adhered to the leftist script and agenda on all major issues. Thus, he damaged and looted the country far more than any foaming-at-the-mouth leftist could ever hope to do—and he managed to do it all because there were enough politically “optimistic” people in Hungary who believed in what he fed them and believed in him as a public figure.
Less-left politicians like Orbán are far worse than their foaming-at-mouth leftist counterparts, worse because they are more insincere and deceptive. Ironically, the left are actually more honest about their intentions and motivations than Orbán and his less-left ilk could ever be.
In this sense, I gather that less-left types like Orbán pose a greater spiritual threat than straight-up leftists, which sheds light on why it is disastrously misguided to harbor any optimism for politics today.
Moreover, the so-called rightist parties and politicians conservative types tend to endorse are far worse than any left and far left party would ever dream of being; worse for the simple reason that the platitudes such so-called rightist parties and politicians spout are far more deceitful, dishonest, and fraudulent than the lies their opponents promulgate.
Though all sides of the political spectrum brim with known and proven pathological liars, the liars on the right wing—referred to from here on as the “less-left”—are unfathomably more despicable in their blatant dishonesty and duplicitousness.
Case in point -- Viktor Orbán, the recently deposed Prime Minister of Hungary, who became a veritable poster boy for right-wing, based types. Although I was impressed by Orbán’s response to the migrant crisis in 2015 and subsequently optimistic about his patriotic and apparently pro-Christian rhetoric and talking points, it did not take me too long to understand that Orbán was not really on the “right” at all. He was something altogether worse: a politician who hijacked rightist principles to hoodwink optimistic rightists into thinking he was on their side while simultaneously undermining them at every turn.
For the sake of brevity, I will focus on three examples of Orbán’s rightist/illiberal schtick: the migrant crisis, a family support scheme that encouraged young couples to have children in exchange for affordable housing, and the birdemic.
Orbán was one of the few in the West to openly oppose the mass migration waves that flooded into Europe in 2015. He even went as far as to erect a fence to impede the free flow of largely undocumented migrants from who knows where.
The issue became a fixation of Hungarian state television for years afterward. Hungarians were constantly reminded of how the great Orbán was defending the nation and Hungarian values from the invading barbarian hordes who were always just a stone’s throw away, ready to kidnap Hungary’s daughters and steal Hungarians’ jobs.
At the same time, the state media was notably silent about the busloads of documented guest workers Orbán and his crew were recruiting from around the world and funneling into Hungary’s many foreign-owned factories, thereby subduing Hungary’s already ridiculously low wages and ensuring that global industry would retain a cheap work force no matter what.
When confronted about the matter years after the migrant crisis, Orbán merely shrugged and callously stated that he had always been against undocumented, illegal migration. Documented, legal migrants and guest workers were another matter entirely and necessary to ensure Hungary’s competitiveness and productivity.
Many displaced Hungarian workers voted with their feet and left the country to seek higher wages elsewhere in Europe. Some moved to the western part of the country to commute to Austria. Very few could afford to stay in the “guest-worker factories” because of wage stagnation or decline.
Against this backdrop, Orbán lauded the sanctity of the Hungarian family and how supporting it was the top priority of his administration. He and his cronies quickly crafted a home affordability/childbirth scheme that would “reward” young couples for having three or more children by issuing them non-repayable grants and cheap loans. The ensuing tidal wave of grant and loan creation unleashed an inflationary tsunami that quickly doubled the price of all real estate within a year. Within five years, real estate became largely unaffordable, even for those who applied for all the grants and loans the Orbán regime continued to offer and expand.
I purchased my house for the equivalent of 40,000 euros in 2015, just before the housing scheme kicked in. My house is now worth about 250,000 euros. Needless to say, the purchasing power of real wages stagnated or even declined during that same period. Talk about supporting Hungarian families!
Finally, there is the birdemic, during which the Orbán regime ranked among the most oppressive, fearmongering regimes in the world. Personal rights, national rights, and citizen rights all went out the window, and more needless money printing ensued. At one point, the administration even entertained mandating pecks for everyone, but eventually backed off the idea when they saw how poorly their conservative comrades in neighboring Austria had fared on that issue.
Worst of all, Orbán constantly cloaked himself in Christian garb and ceaselessly pontificated about Hungary’s Christian heritage, values, and principles. He presented himself as a noble crusader, a veritable warrior-saint endlessly defending his besieged nation against the onslaught of leftism, yet he was nothing of the sort. On the contrary, he adhered to the leftist script and agenda on all major issues. Thus, he damaged and looted the country far more than any foaming-at-the-mouth leftist could ever hope to do—and he managed to do it all because there were enough politically “optimistic” people in Hungary who believed in what he fed them and believed in him as a public figure.
Less-left politicians like Orbán are far worse than their foaming-at-mouth leftist counterparts, worse because they are more insincere and deceptive. Ironically, the left are actually more honest about their intentions and motivations than Orbán and his less-left ilk could ever be.
In this sense, I gather that less-left types like Orbán pose a greater spiritual threat than straight-up leftists, which sheds light on why it is disastrously misguided to harbor any optimism for politics today.
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