Right Wing Authoritarianism Properly and Briefly Explained.
I quick and concise explanation of what a RWA actually is.
The word properly is vital because if you google “Right Wing Authoritarian” you will get material painting right-wingers as authoritarians1
Right-wing authoritarians are right-wingers who dwell in the second ideological quadrant- they are socially and economically right of center, believe in a strong central government, and prioritize order over freedom and certainty - this manifests as support for the War on Drugs, civil asset forfeiture and punitive sentences for victimless crimes.
RWAs sees the local, state and federal government as a father figure responsible for dispensing Justice, maintaining order and enforcing social conformity, this explains the fetishism of the Military and Police2 - they are proxies for daddy.
Their preoccupation with order has benefits; you need not worry about an RWA Judge or Jury going easy on violent criminals, and the preoccupation with order means RWAs also value the aesthetic; Ann Coulter may want you in prison for smoking a joint, but she values clean streets, genuine art and safe neighborhoods.
On the other hand, you do not want an RWA as your Judge at your defense trial or a RWA jury. “If they didn't do anything they would not have been arrested” is a typical RWA attitude; you are guilty by virtue of the fact that you were arrested or indicted. Their punitive sense of crime and punishment can be a blessing or a curse.
The leftist who pretend authoritarians are strictly right-wingers are correct about one thing: RWAs are submissive to perceived authority and can act aggressively in the name of said authority. This aggression isn’t necessarily physical - it can take the form of a defacto guilty verdict, or a call to cps because parents break some trivial law.
Romans 13 is a beloved verse for RWA, it is an excuse to submit to “Daddy” irrespective of the fairness or legitimacy of the State law or policy. They are Statist and make little to no distinction between the state (bureaucracy), the nation (the people), and the country (geography). After 911 the authoritarian right were the right-wingers who called dissidents unpatriotic for not engaging in servile state worship… for not placing their cognitive faculties in the hands of Big Daddy.
What leftists get wrong about Right-Wing Authoritarianism
Nonsense like the Likert scale is laughably designed to paint conservatives and traditionalists as Authoritarian3 4. The Anti-RWA leftists behind the Likert scale don’t make a distinction between non-right authoritarians and right-wing authoritarians, their definition of authoritarian is gerrymandered to only include their ideological opposition5 - the sneaky buggers also imply that RWAs are extremists.
Unlike the Authoritarian left, the Authoritarian Right have good qualities, non-authoritarians shouldn't put them in power, but they are decent hardworking people whose hearts are in the right place.
Let’s just hope we don’t have another 911. ;)
From psychology.fandom.com/wik
There have been a number of other attempts to identify "left-wing authoritarians" in the United States and Canada. These would be people who submit to leftist authorities, are highly conventional to liberal viewpoints, and are aggressive to people who oppose left-wing ideology. These attempts have failed because measures of authoritarianism always correlate at least slightly with the right. There are certainly extremists across the political spectrum, but most psychologists now believe that authoritarianism is a predominantly right-wing phenomenon.
RWAs are still worshiping police after Charlottesville. It’s clear that police are not your friends and loyal to the city that pays them…but they can't let Daddy go.
The established authorities generally turn out to be right about things, while the radicals and protestors are usually just “loud mouths” showing off their ignorance.
Women should have to promise to obey their husbands when they get married.
Our country desperately needs a mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy the radical new ways and sinfulness that are ruining us.
Gays and lesbians are just as healthy and moral as anybody else.
It is always better to trust the judgment of the proper authorities in government and religion than to listen to the noisy rabble-rousers in our society who are trying to create doubt in people's minds
Atheists and others who have rebelled against the established religions are no doubt every bit as good and virtuous as those who attend church regularly.
The only way our country can get through the crisis ahead is to get back to our traditional values, put some tough leaders in power, and silence the troublemakers spreading bad ideas.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with nudist camps.
Our country needs free thinkers who have the courage to defy traditional ways, even if this upsets many people.
Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the perversions eating away at our moral fiber and traditional beliefs.
Everyone should have their own lifestyle, religious beliefs, and sexual preferences, even if it makes them different from everyone else.
The “old-fashioned ways” and the “old-fashioned values” still show the best way to live.
You have to admire those who challenged the law and the majority's view by protesting for women's abortion rights, for animal rights, or to abolish school prayer.
What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush evil, and take us back to our true path.
Some of the best people in our country are those who are challenging our government, criticizing religion, and ignoring the “normal way things are supposed to be done.”
God's laws about abortion, pornography and marriage must be strictly followed before it is too late, and those who break them must be strongly punished.
There are many radical, immoral people in our country today, who are trying to ruin it for their own godless purposes, whom the authorities should put out of action.
A “woman's place” should be wherever she wants to be. The days when women are submissive to their husbands and social conventions belong strictly in the past.
Our country will be great if we honor the ways of our forefathers, do what the authorities tell us to do, and get rid of the “rotten apples” who are ruining everything.
There is no “ONE right way” to live life; everybody has to create their own way.
Homosexuals and feminists should be praised for being brave enough to defy “traditional family values.
This country would work a lot better if certain groups of troublemakers would just shut up and accept their group's traditional place in society.
I took that test a couple of times and I always come out a left-libertarian, though I'm obviously a far-right-tinfoil-hatted-cis-white-male-oppressor on a bicycle, with a little ponytail, and a vegetable-garden.