What’s Far Left? What’s Far Right?

“The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” - George Orwell

A subscriber bailed on me a month ago because I follow Gavin Newsom. Not because of something I wrote, but because of who I follow. Then he came back a few days ago, as a paid subscriber no less, only to unsubscribe again today with the reason, “Baseball Buddha subscribes to a far right or far left US politician.”

That’s some weird energy. It feels like he’s trying to make a point. Maybe he wants people to see that message. Maybe he wants the algorithm to notice. I don’t know. But here’s what I do know. I follow Gavin Newsom because he’s a public figure who influences policy, culture, and perception. I like to understand how power operates. Following him doesn’t mean I’m cheering him on. It means I’m paying attention.

We’ve lost that distinction. Somewhere along the line, curiosity got mistaken for loyalty. If you even look at someone outside your ideological comfort zone, people start clutching their pearls. It’s pathetic.

The truth is, I don’t give a fuck what side you’re on. I care if you can think for yourself. If you can wrestle with an idea without immediately having to declare what team you’re on. This left vs right bullshit has turned everyone into bad fans. Blind loyalty. No room for complexity.

“Far left” and “far right” have become lazy labels. They don’t mean anything anymore. They’re just ways to say “not me.” That’s what we do now. We split the world into teams and then throw beer bottles from the stands.

Baseball taught me something different. You don’t learn the game by watching one dugout. You watch everything. You study the opposing pitcher. You notice the infield shifts. You try to understand what’s happening, not just what you want to happen. That’s how you get smarter.

Politics should work the same way. But we’ve become scared to even observe the other side. We treat curiosity like contamination. You can’t even follow a politician without someone assuming it’s a love letter.

It’s fucking absurd.

So yeah, I follow Gavin Newsom. I also follow people I don’t agree with. I want to see what they’re saying. I want to understand what’s shaping the world. If that makes me “far left” or “far right” in your eyes, that says more about you than it does about me.

To the subscriber who keeps unsubscribing, that’s fine. Come and go as you please. But stop pretending that curiosity is a crime.