The circular self cannibalizing firing squad that is modern identity politics.

[Kurska]

Every social movement to have ever gained success in the united states in modern history has required a rainbow coalition of all people and creeds. That is why recent events have left me absolutely dumbfounded. Police brutality, the prison industrial system and entrenched systematic racism are all incredibly important issues. Yet, we're undermining these issues with our tactics. We're turning every question into X vs. Y. I understand the point of pride. I know a huge part of succeeding in a struggle for rights is to present yourself as an individual with dignity and respect for what you are. It is a way to empower people and reject shame that bigots thrust at you. I don't know at what point that morphed into the idea that you also need to attack other people for their basic qualities, but it is increasingly turning into that.

I can't speak as a POC, but as a gay man, I saw that the biggest advance in gay rights occurred when we got out the narrative that gay people were normal people and our enemies are ideologically driven extremists. We let our enemies look ridiculous and hateful, while we presented tolerance and an eagerness for inclusion of others. People like the calm reasoned voice, not the hateful hollering one. Right now it feels like that strategy is no-where near the top of the list of modern identity politics. It is nothing but division and self-harm for the sake of "resistance". There is absolutely zero focus on what is effective. It is a kind of bewildering political hedonism. It might feel really good to storm the stage and call thousands of people you don't know racist, but what does it actually accomplish?

I don't think I've ever seen a political action that so effectively and quickly tuned people out to important messages. The police are absolutely out of control and we're imprisoning people in a stupid and self-destructive war on crime. How do you end this by turning off entirely huge segments of the population most inclined to support you?

I think it really is time to start focusing on basic dignity and the importance of transcending differences to confront the profound injustices of our society. Right now we're engaged in a kind of perverse divide and shatter approach. It isn't even divide and conquer, we're doing it to ourselves.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Great post. Not just good. *Great*.

K and R

[GitRDun]

2. It starts with civility

We're losing that here.

[Warren DeMontague]

4. civility like not pre-empting the speech of a major political candidate and bullying him off

the stage?

That sort of civility?

[GitRDun]

5. YES

that sort of civility.

Also the kind of civility that allows you to take a step back, and realize a couple screwed up kids don't speak for all of us who think police should not be allowed to indiscriminately kill black people.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. I totally agree with everything you've written there.

[cheapdate]

3. I met some people a few years ago who were into leftist thought and politics.

We've met a few times here and there and had long discussions on Facebook. Some of these friends are also big into identity politics. As long as I've known them and as many discussions as we've had, I can't understand why they can't see what you just said so very well.

[LittleBlue]

7. +1 million

And I have yet to understand why so few people listen to the gay community when it comes to political strategy. The pace by which gays succeeded in gaining their rights is, to my recollection, unprecedented in the modern political era. It would be wise to study their playbook in order to emulate that success.

[Kurska]

8. Thank you

I do think it is a recipe for success. A very salient example of what smart politics looks like for minority groups.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. I'ma read the Progressive Book of Advice on Effective Political Action

right after I finish the Chicago Cubs Manual on How to Win a World Series.

[Jetboy]

10. As is self evident, it's progressives who make positive political change

in America. If conservatives wanted positive social change they would be progressives. Also the Cubs have won 2 World Series (while several other MLB teams have 0) and 9 of their last 10 games.

[AZ Progressive]

11. Isn't this just another example of liberals / progressives being disorganized and fighting each other?

And we wonder why the right wing has been winning these past 40 years...

[Adrahil]

12. The right wing is chewing itself to death too.

It's a pretty classic fight between ideology and pragmatism, between the "purists" and the "sellouts." Heck, we even use a lot of the same terminology. The Republicans started by calling moderate Republicans "RINOs," and now we have thise here called more moderate Democrats "DINOs." I don't know whether to suspect trolls, or to just say "same shit, different base ideology." Probably some of both.

I never ran intomthe "leftist purity police" until i ran into it here.

[bklyncowgirl]

13. As someone from New York, the epicenter of identity (tribal) politics I applaud you.

Having seen promising progressive candidates for mayor lose to people like Guiliani and Bloomberg over and over again because they could not assemble a winning coalition out of the varied ethnic groups that make up New York City, I hate identity politics with a passion. Go after your enemies, folks. Leave your friends alone. Bernie Sanders is an old school leftist from a New England state with few black people. He's voted right on all the issues that the Black Lives Matter movement is supposed to care about. He's spoken strongly on matters of racial justice. He speaks more strongly on economic justice because that is who he is. Why target him and not the people who want to take away black people's right to vote, who want to make sure that black children remain uneducated, who think that our for profit prison system is just wonderful?