After publishing my essay about my life as an anarchist a few weeks ago, I got a message from a stranger on Instagram that read: “I’m trying to decide if you’re secretly a centrist.” I told her that I had a whole pile of essays and podcast episodes where I openly shared my politics, but she told me she wouldn’t read anything of mine until she decided whether we were sufficiently politically aligned (which seemed a tad cart-before-the-horse to me). Her evidence that I was a centrist stemmed from the fact that I was reading geographer David Harvey’s companion to the great centrist classic: Capital, by Karl Marx. According to her, Harvey is—GASP—a social democrat. I told her that inferring the totality of my politics from one book that I am reading is a type of puritan thinking that I do not recommend (if only she knew how much more treacherous my reading list gets!), which she did not appreciate hearing. Resisting the overwhelming urge to wish her luck with the internal purges, I ended our conversation.
Cultural puratinism is certainly a thing all across the spectrum but I do find that the Overton window is smaller on the left.
I have two trans woman friends who after the Pulse nightclub massacre each founded groups to teach members of the LGBTQ+ community gun safety, self defense, advocacy, etc. They have both told me that they have been entirely ostracized by (almost) all progressive organizations and many people who claim to be inclusive of trans rights. In contrast, they have been more accepted by many right coded organisations, including the NRA at high levels, who have materially supported them in their organisations' goals. An interesting byproduct of their interacting with the gun rights community is that they have developed friendships with rightwingers who otherwise would have been very unlikely to have found common ground, or even met, openly trans people.
Many left coded groups would be more successful in having material impacts on the world if they would be willing to work with right coded groups on issues of common interest. For example, animal rights groups have accomplished practically nothing because they tend to be purists. However, many right leaning groups and individuals such as hunting organizations and Christian groups would support efforts to improve animals' conditions on factory farms. However, leftists typically won't work with carnivors or the religious to obtain partial steps towards their long term goals, even when such steps would make the lives of millions of animals better today. Sigh
"I’ve lost track of the number of times that a reader has told me they have a friend who would benefit greatly from reading my writing, but that they’re too nervous to send it because of the potential for backlash. I understand this—the younger me would have revelled in cancelling the current me—but it also haunts me, that the people who most need to think critically about social justice culture are the least likely to do so."
A couple years ago, an acquaintance of mine from undergrad was dealing with some accusations about being a Bad Person (I don't know what they were, they seemed kind of vague and weird), and I recommended Clementine Morrigan's work to them because for me, reading it had been soothing, healing, relatable. I had only been following Clementine for about a month then and I didn't know the full extend of how widely known or divisive they were.
Other commenters on her original post filled it up with "yikes. Problematic," weird nonsense accusations, and other canned responses. My acquaintance disavowed all interest in my recommendation, and that was the last time I ever offered support of that sort to someone outside my circle of close friends.
(Two weeks later I did notice that this acquaintance was quietly liking CM's Instagram posts, though.)
Love the way your mind works, Keir. The point about guilt by association is spot on, and also the obsession with putting everybody into a political box, like cracking a code to determine their true nature (rather than just listening to and engaging with their ideas)
I remember leading a poli ed thing for a left housing group I used to be in and I had one reading by a writer who I knew wasn’t sufficiently “left.” I had to preface by saying that I understood they were a bit *problematic* ooof, I cringe at some of the stuff I did.
This is very well said and so important. I think about all these issues a lot, I feel like there are so many threads to pull. But the main thing is, how can we convince people to join us to build a better world if the building feels like a guilty slog?
It’s been interesting to see how many anti-carbon tax protests, and similar right-wing events, will host a barbecue or call it a “family event” with activities for kids.
At least in my neck of the woods, I’ve yet to see a leftwing event offer free food or a fun atmosphere. The closest thing I can think of are talks or lectures or poetry readings, where you’re supposed to reflect on and internalize how unjust everything is.
It’s screaming and marching or sitting and feeling bad. Those have their place I suppose, but I think some hotdogs among comrades wouldn’t hurt either.
Cultural puratinism is certainly a thing all across the spectrum but I do find that the Overton window is smaller on the left.
I have two trans woman friends who after the Pulse nightclub massacre each founded groups to teach members of the LGBTQ+ community gun safety, self defense, advocacy, etc. They have both told me that they have been entirely ostracized by (almost) all progressive organizations and many people who claim to be inclusive of trans rights. In contrast, they have been more accepted by many right coded organisations, including the NRA at high levels, who have materially supported them in their organisations' goals. An interesting byproduct of their interacting with the gun rights community is that they have developed friendships with rightwingers who otherwise would have been very unlikely to have found common ground, or even met, openly trans people.
Many left coded groups would be more successful in having material impacts on the world if they would be willing to work with right coded groups on issues of common interest. For example, animal rights groups have accomplished practically nothing because they tend to be purists. However, many right leaning groups and individuals such as hunting organizations and Christian groups would support efforts to improve animals' conditions on factory farms. However, leftists typically won't work with carnivors or the religious to obtain partial steps towards their long term goals, even when such steps would make the lives of millions of animals better today. Sigh
If only one wing flaps around in circles we go...
"I’ve lost track of the number of times that a reader has told me they have a friend who would benefit greatly from reading my writing, but that they’re too nervous to send it because of the potential for backlash. I understand this—the younger me would have revelled in cancelling the current me—but it also haunts me, that the people who most need to think critically about social justice culture are the least likely to do so."
A couple years ago, an acquaintance of mine from undergrad was dealing with some accusations about being a Bad Person (I don't know what they were, they seemed kind of vague and weird), and I recommended Clementine Morrigan's work to them because for me, reading it had been soothing, healing, relatable. I had only been following Clementine for about a month then and I didn't know the full extend of how widely known or divisive they were.
Other commenters on her original post filled it up with "yikes. Problematic," weird nonsense accusations, and other canned responses. My acquaintance disavowed all interest in my recommendation, and that was the last time I ever offered support of that sort to someone outside my circle of close friends.
(Two weeks later I did notice that this acquaintance was quietly liking CM's Instagram posts, though.)
Love the way your mind works, Keir. The point about guilt by association is spot on, and also the obsession with putting everybody into a political box, like cracking a code to determine their true nature (rather than just listening to and engaging with their ideas)
I remember leading a poli ed thing for a left housing group I used to be in and I had one reading by a writer who I knew wasn’t sufficiently “left.” I had to preface by saying that I understood they were a bit *problematic* ooof, I cringe at some of the stuff I did.
This is very well said and so important. I think about all these issues a lot, I feel like there are so many threads to pull. But the main thing is, how can we convince people to join us to build a better world if the building feels like a guilty slog?
It’s been interesting to see how many anti-carbon tax protests, and similar right-wing events, will host a barbecue or call it a “family event” with activities for kids.
At least in my neck of the woods, I’ve yet to see a leftwing event offer free food or a fun atmosphere. The closest thing I can think of are talks or lectures or poetry readings, where you’re supposed to reflect on and internalize how unjust everything is.
It’s screaming and marching or sitting and feeling bad. Those have their place I suppose, but I think some hotdogs among comrades wouldn’t hurt either.