Great essay! The only thing I suggest you'd revisit is how much we actually owe unions for things like the 40 hour work week. It seems economic growth itself can explain this one better. Unions are praise worthy, though, for keeping Marxism at bay in America.
As a far leftist who watched other leftists slide down into the bottom of the horseshoe, this article describes perfectly what I witnessed with my own eyes, in person. These folks became just as deplorable and absurd as maga.
The oppressor, oppressed narrative, has been in peoples minds since the 2020 BLM protests. And the definition of racism has shifted from discrimination by your skin character or other characteristics. To a system thats used to keep people privileged at the expense of others. Since occupy wall street, the media and corporation, have used race and gender as a way of distracting from workers rights and corporate hegemony. While that's good to distract leftist and progressives from those issues. It's at the expense of worsening race relations and getting the left to care and concentrate more about those issues. Therefore getting more passionate and dedicated to those issues, despite how little it affects their lives. I felt during the BLM protests that concerating so much on the issue of white people in terms of racism, discrimination etc. Was going to have bad effects down the line.Despite how few people are racist in prejudiced in real life. When people applied those ideas about a certain group of society of holding others down and being privieged to another group. In this case Jews and Israelis.
Another issue I think that's at play here is the lack of nunace people have especially with gen z. With shortening attention spans and apps like Tiktok or YouTube shorts. Reinforcing a certain view and not giving time for people to dwell on a subject and see both sides of an argument. A lot of what of what people see at first is quite harrowing. But once you see the context makes sense. Lots of people especially in west who've sheltered lives who don't necessarily understand how difficult it can be fight a conflict in a urban area with civilians. Especially when weapons and combatatents are using civilians and areas like hospitals, schools etc as human shields.
Finally the islamic-left is quite prominent especially in the uk and other western countries. Despite how little common ground each side has with each other. The left always comes to the defense of islam and Muslims. Including the rampant antisemitism in that community.
As it happens I recently edited a piece worrying about what might happen if the American right ever realizes how much it has in common with American Muslims and dials back their bigotry enough to form an alliance.
Great essay! The only thing I suggest you'd revisit is how much we actually owe unions for things like the 40 hour work week. It seems economic growth itself can explain this one better. Unions are praise worthy, though, for keeping Marxism at bay in America.
Fair point. There are many union organizers and such who were/are not on the left.
As a far leftist who watched other leftists slide down into the bottom of the horseshoe, this article describes perfectly what I witnessed with my own eyes, in person. These folks became just as deplorable and absurd as maga.
Fantastic, I'm going to share it around as I can't articulate this quiet like you can.
I appreciated the mention of the far left German terrorism, that tends to fly under the radar even though it's had an impact on my life indirectly.
My only criticism is antisemism with the "-" seperating the anti and semitism. Semites is a long dead word, "antisemism" is Jew hatred.
The oppressor, oppressed narrative, has been in peoples minds since the 2020 BLM protests. And the definition of racism has shifted from discrimination by your skin character or other characteristics. To a system thats used to keep people privileged at the expense of others. Since occupy wall street, the media and corporation, have used race and gender as a way of distracting from workers rights and corporate hegemony. While that's good to distract leftist and progressives from those issues. It's at the expense of worsening race relations and getting the left to care and concentrate more about those issues. Therefore getting more passionate and dedicated to those issues, despite how little it affects their lives. I felt during the BLM protests that concerating so much on the issue of white people in terms of racism, discrimination etc. Was going to have bad effects down the line.Despite how few people are racist in prejudiced in real life. When people applied those ideas about a certain group of society of holding others down and being privieged to another group. In this case Jews and Israelis.
Another issue I think that's at play here is the lack of nunace people have especially with gen z. With shortening attention spans and apps like Tiktok or YouTube shorts. Reinforcing a certain view and not giving time for people to dwell on a subject and see both sides of an argument. A lot of what of what people see at first is quite harrowing. But once you see the context makes sense. Lots of people especially in west who've sheltered lives who don't necessarily understand how difficult it can be fight a conflict in a urban area with civilians. Especially when weapons and combatatents are using civilians and areas like hospitals, schools etc as human shields.
Finally the islamic-left is quite prominent especially in the uk and other western countries. Despite how little common ground each side has with each other. The left always comes to the defense of islam and Muslims. Including the rampant antisemitism in that community.
As it happens I recently edited a piece worrying about what might happen if the American right ever realizes how much it has in common with American Muslims and dials back their bigotry enough to form an alliance.
https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/the-looming-maga-muslim-axis