Most True Leftists Are Still Children
At the root of almost all forms of bigotry is the belief that all members of a certain group are the same. That the inherent mystery of the human condition can be boiled down to markers of group identity. Sometimes you can recognise members of that group by the colour of their skin. Sometimes by who they love. Sometimes by who they pray to. And lately, by how they think.
In my article, The Left’s Identity (Politics) Crisis, I criticised the political Left’s growing intolerance for challenging ideas. Our fear of saying the wrong thing is reaching a point where talking honestly about matters of race or sexuality or gender is all but impossible.
Stefan agreed, and was glad of the opportunity to indulge in another form of group identification; how we vote.
Stefan:
They’re happening because a small, vindictive minority think bigotry is fine as long as the “victims” are doing it. They’re happening because our focus has shifted from helping people who are struggling, to attacking people who aren’t.
BRAVO!!!
And this Leftward trend you’ve described IS the Left in a nutshell. If you’ve ever had kids, you know they push and nudge to see how far they can go until they must be physically reprimanded... Most true Leftists are still children who haven’t, or refuse to mature and understand life’s inherent unfairness and so that unfairness MUST be the fault of someone...
Steve QJ:
Most true Leftists are still children who haven’t, or refuse to mature and understand life’s inherent unfairness and so that unfairness MUST be the fault of someone...
I'm not sure how you're defining "Leftist" in this case, but I think regardless it's probably a very limited caricature of Left leaning people. The same kind of caricature that paints everybody on the Right as a bunch of racist, QANON believing, COVID-denying, J6ers.
I don't think there are many people alive who haven't come face-to-face with life's inherent unfairness. The question we should all be asking is, "what can be done about it?" Then we can discuss our ideas and our inevitable disagreements like adults.
Both the Left and the Right are failing to do this.
Stefan:
The question we should all be asking is, "what can be done about it?" Then we can discuss our ideas and our inevitable disagreements like adults.Both the Left and the Right are failing to do this.
In many cases, there ISN’T anything that can be done and more often than not, nothing that should be done which is where I part company with Leftists. They often REFUSE to accept something that is INHERENTLY unsolvable in the name of some Quixotic delusion...
Racism is SO overblown that it SHOULD be obvious that those who are irrationally driven by it, that the true core of the problem is NOT racism but revenge.
Either that or an excuse to appear virtuous while scamming corporations and Governments into shelling out “guilt” money...
I disagree that the Left and Right are failing. The Left is obsessed with controlling people while the Right largely wants to leave people alone...
“In many cases, there ISN’T anything that can be done and more often than not, nothing that should be done which is where I part company with Leftists. They often REFUSE to accept something that is INHERENTLY unsolvable in the name of some Quixotic delusion.”
If you’re experiencing a little deja-vu right now, it’s because this argument is lifted almost word-for-word from the great Thomas Sowell.
The problem with being as smart and courageous and persuasive as Sowell is that after a while, it’s tempting to stop thinking about what he’s saying and simply regurgitate it. After all, a man who’s right as often as he is can’t possibly be wrong. Right?
Yet, while it’s undeniable that human nature precludes a perfect society, it’s also undeniable that attempts to improve society are far from quixotic. Society is better than ever in pretty much every conceivable way, precisely because we keep chipping away at its flaws.
Sometimes we do a terrible job. Sometimes we take two steps backwards after a step forward. But the overall trend, absolutely undeniably, is upwards (well, except for the environment. We’re in pretty deep trouble on that front…).
Steve QJ:
In many cases, there ISN’T anything that can be done and more often than not, nothing that should be done
Yeah, as you say, this is where we part company.
But for what it's worth, this is also where you part company with the entirety of human history. Despite our flaws, we live in the richest, safest, smartest, healthiest, fairest world that has ever existed. We have created this world, not because human nature has changed, but because smart, decent people on the political Left and Right found better ways of managing humanity's flaws and living together.
Of course, there's no way to build a perfect world. I think only the most unhinged moron believes that there is. There is something inherently unsolvable about the human condition. But all you're doing is making perfect the enemy of good. There is nothing insightful or original about being that person at any given point in history saying “Stop wasting your time! This is the best society is ever going to get.”
The people who say this have always existed and they are wrong literally every single time. And usually they're only saying it because the system works okay for them and they don't care that it doesn't work for other people. It's not rationality, it's just selfishness.
Stefan:
For what it’s worth, I agree with about 90% of what you stated...
I’m often described as an optimist. And I am. But my optimism isn’t (entirely) based on naivety. I understand that we’ll never completely rid ourselves of hatred and bigotry. I know that there is real evil and injustice in the world. I’m aware that improving society is slow, frustrating, painstaking work.
But I’m also aware that a) the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice, and b) that nothing will ever be accomplished by those who stand around insisting that nothing more can be done.
Given Stefan’s starting point, I’d love to know which parts of my final reply, he did and didn’t agree with. But given that 90% isn’t bad for online discourse, I decided to let the remaining 10% remain a mystery.
Decades old, but somehow fresh - the Sowell trilogy: "compared to what?", "at what cost?", and "what hard evidence do you have for that?". I'm not at all a conservative, whatever that means anymore, but these are questions that distinguish fantasy from reality. Thanks for linking to it!
I stopped referring to the American political left as liberals long ago since they have become very illiberal. I understand that "leftist" sounds like political insult, but it is actually accurate (in my opinion) because "leftist" is often associated with "Marxist", a divisive philosophy pitting the bourgeoisie (capitalist business owners) against the proletariat (workers). With the modern leftist it is pitting anyone who can claim disadvantage against the "privileged." In that, it is cultural Marxism, but the frequent criticism of capitalism remains.
Your charge of "True Leftists are still children" relates (in my thinking) to their constant cries of "not fair." What parent has not had to remind their children that life is not fair. Scott Adams calls fairness a child's argument. I don't write that as approval of unfairness, but there is the world we live in and the world we wish it to be. We can do our part to bring fairness, but we must understand that it is the quest of Sisyphus. Subsets of humanity pitted as rivals against each other are less likely to work together.
I don't tell people what to feel or think, but I do often recommend that people assess their tactics to see if they are effective in their goal, or they are just ranting in anger which may be making it worse. Calling me a racist because I am a right leaning white man is less likely to make me become a virtue signaling SJW than to make me think about the obscene sex act you should perform on yourself. I see you (Steve) as trying to bring a realistic adult viewpoint to the issue.