When I try to represent the standard single axis political spectrum visually, the right always seems to end up on the left, and coloured red, despite the Soviets being left wing.
This is when it occurred to me that we've been picturing it wrong all this time. Political positions don't appear on a spectrum at all. Left and right are simply not opposite but equal political extremes.
A more accurate depiction would show a circle representing a planet. The core of the planet is dense with the experience and wisdom of millennia of lessons hard learned, and compacted with values such as respect for the liberty, rights, responsibilities and contributions of the individual, family, community, shared values, limited local governance, a tolerance for disagreement over the inconsequential, and a healthy wariness of outsiders that may not share the same values.
The outer layers of the planet would vary depending on the planet, but would contain societal norms that are compatible with the core values, and that have been incorporated successfully.
The planet represents civilisation, order. It is a stable equilibrium. Those that are happy to live on the planet, and would prefer it not to change too much, are conservatives.
Surrounding the planet is the nebulous idea space. Here you find 'progressive' talking points floating about in their own little bubbles. The ideas sound nice in principle, but taken at face value are naive, and incompatible with civilisation.
Some people on the planet look up at some of these ideas, and finding themselves taken in by some, attempt to incorporate them into the civilisation. Some are re-hammered and successfully incorporated, others are incorporated poorly and cause unforeseen problems. The people advocating for these ideas are progressives.
Of course, some people on the planet are so taken by a particular idea, or a collection of ideas, that they believe the incompatible planet should be destroyed (or abandoned at least) to make way for a new planet comprised of the ideas they advocate for. These are the extreme left; they come in many forms, and frequently don't see eye to eye. Each will accuse the other of being 'right wing'.
Most attempts at building a new planet are unsuccessful—the movements tend to implode as the flaws of the pure idea become evident, and those that recognise them are dismissed as apostates.
Some are relatively successful though, with some minor caveats: without the adhesion of the dense core, such societies are inherently unstable equilibriums, requiring external force to hold them together. Authoritarianism, totalitarianism, fascism, secret police, indiscriminate execution of dissenters and anyone thought to be one, silencing of the press, an end to common law and due process, tyranny etc. are what you will find in a best case scenario.
Right wing philosophy is the basis of civilisation and the preservation thereof. Left wing philosophy advocates for ideas that can help the society grow and evolve. The two positions are and should be complementary, each acting as a counterbalance to the other, but they are not equal and opposite. Civilisation cannot be built on left wing values.
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