It is high time for the traditional - working class - left to distance itself from identity politics in all of its forms if it wants to remain a viable political ideology. While I do not consider myself to be on the "left" or "right" I see the value in having both "left-wing" as well as "right-wing" thought sparring it out in the public discourse in a search for something we can more or less agree on. If done right this ends up with something resembling the Dutch or Swedish system in the 80's en 90's, both of which I'm familiar with. Not that these systems were in any way perfect but they have shown resilience through many decades of change while offering a high standard of living for the vast majority of inhabitants. The Dutch "right" - representing employers, farmers and some of the more conservative regions in the country could interact with the "left" - representing labour unions, non-unionised workers and a ragtag assembly of activist organisations - and come to compromises which were workable. While the debates were often intense and allegations of this and that were thrown by "both" sides they managed to come to agreements which were acceptable by most of the involved.
This is not possible with the identitarian left. There is no compromising with those who declaim that anything but their own shining path is some form of -ism or -phobia leading to harm and genocide. They do not want to compromise, instead they insist on dictating the terms, placing themselves above all other interests because they consider themselves to be morally superior.
So, lefties, please... clean up in your own ranks for the good of all. Excise those who put themselves over others with claims of moral superiority, show them a mirror and tell them they to clean up their act - shape up or ship out. If you don't they will destroy your chances of ever achieving any of your goals, subjecting you to a continuous struggle for dominance over imagined oppressors both inside as well as outside of your own movements.
the_third_wave|2 years ago
This is not possible with the identitarian left. There is no compromising with those who declaim that anything but their own shining path is some form of -ism or -phobia leading to harm and genocide. They do not want to compromise, instead they insist on dictating the terms, placing themselves above all other interests because they consider themselves to be morally superior.
So, lefties, please... clean up in your own ranks for the good of all. Excise those who put themselves over others with claims of moral superiority, show them a mirror and tell them they to clean up their act - shape up or ship out. If you don't they will destroy your chances of ever achieving any of your goals, subjecting you to a continuous struggle for dominance over imagined oppressors both inside as well as outside of your own movements.