https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_cliché

As the party fielded more and more candidates who championed economic-right policies in order to attract corporate donations, the idea of “purity testing” was turned into a stock phrase to attack critics using labels, instead of justifying it on its own terms.

Phrases like “moral purity” now serve two functions: firstly, to dismiss criticisms from the Left wholesale without having to discuss them directly, and secondly, to blame them for the rise of fascism.

In theory it was also supposed to serve a third function of bullying the Left into voting Democrat, but that didn’t work.

  • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    21 hours ago

    Honestly, anyone who uses “purity test” is just letting you know that they have no standards and expect you to abandon any you have.

    • skisnow@lemmy.caOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      20 hours ago

      Yeah. Generally speaking if you’re using a positive value as a pejorative, you’re probably on the wrong side of history.

      The Right did it with “political correctness”, “Woke”, “inclusion” and “equality”, and now they’re in the DNC doing it with “moral purity”.