Not so simple

We constantly speak in terms of left and right with regards to the political spectrum. In truth it is considerably more complicated than that because many people have very mixed views on issues that are more layered and nuanced than a simple model would suggest. 

Yes, there is some common understanding when we talk about left and right but not every issue can be broken down along those lines. The US in particular is fractured in what appears to be two voting monoliths which is largely due to only two major parties controlling the dialogue.

I was thinking about two recent cases. One is the NYC subway choke hold death of a homeless man in which Daniel Penny was acquitted of recently in court. The other was the CEO shooting by Luigi Magione also in NYC.

The reaction from people in media traditionally associated with the two political factions was expected and yet not so from the public. One example was Ben Shapiro being sharply admonished by his own audience for turning the CEO murder into a left versus right issue when for them it was a class issue. His patrons, who tend to lean very conservative, saw it as a sign that the unfairness of the US health insurance business was feeding into the type of rage that could have encouraged this type of killing. 

People are complex and when you poll them on issues without identifying the policy maker they sometimes end up approving ideas that run counter to their political affiliation. 

We each have philosophical leanings which affect our politics but not every issue can be readily broken down around a left versus right paradigm.