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I'm about as left as they come, but I'm finding it funny that people are criticizing an article about the dangers of dogmatism, group think, and witch-hunts/purges within leftist circles as not being ideologically pure enough, it really isn't a 'PC gone mad' article and writing it off as such is really selling it short. That's all for now.
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Dec 3, 2014 15:01
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Internalized bigotry is definitely a thing though. Unless I'm reading the article incorrectly though, it seems the author is suggesting we take into account the personal experiences of the oppressed, and definitely listen, just that we don't privilege such experiences as the objective, unimpeachable truth. Otherwise we have to accept Cosby's rants about the problems with black culture at face value, just as much as we accept a more critical race theorist's opinion about social disenfranchisement/oppression. And clearly those interpretations are at odds with one another.
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Dec 3, 2014 18:30
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The left wing groups I've been involved with, particularly LBGT and feminist activists, have a terrible penchant for cannibalizing their own and tossing each other under the bus for stepping out of line in the most minor way. I've seen allies, who may simply be ignorant or naive about a particular topic, completely chased out of these circles for having the audacity to use the wrong word, or challenge the groupthink in any way. Heck, even if you identify as being undecided and are looking to solicit more information on a topic or issue, you risk being accused of being part of the 'other'. This is not unique to leftism, of course; some people just need a flag to wave, a team to root for, intellectualism be damned. I came to a point in my activism a few years ago where I decided, you know what, tone actually does matter. Surely it's inevitably in bad taste when tone arguments come from out-group members, and is usually an attempt to derail... But within group, deciding how we approach issues and present ourselves to the world at large? It absolutely matters. Personally, I had to decide what my goals were for activism; a platform to air my own righteous indignation, or a platform to effect social change for the better. I guess at some point along the line, I decided the latter was more important; I'd rather put aside my personal hurt feelings if it means gay kids stop getting bullied sooner rather than later, or women stop getting sexually assaulted in disproportionate numbers, and so on. Getting loud, emotional, and shouting down your opponents? That absolutely works when no one is listening to you. MLK couldn't have succeeded without Malcolm X, I believe- sometimes you have to make a lot of noise before people pay attention. But once you have the ear of the population, and are trying to convince the undecided and the fence sitters, the content of your message matters far more than the outrage behind it. There are studies in the field of persuasion that essentially confirm this; outrage/emotional appeals are tremendously important when no one is listening, content matters when they are. Now clearly I'm not suggesting we police or diminish the importance of individual experience and pain. But when you're acting as part of a group with a public face, it is absolutely important to consider these factors. You should alsobe mindful when people view you as representative of a larger group. Remember, often times you're more likely to convince spectators and fence sitters in an argument than your opponent, and if they are able to drown you in rhetoric such that you come off as an incoherent rage machine while they appear mature, calm, and collected... You've lost. Now I'm hardly infallible. My post history will prove I'm an ardent leftist and I often get frustrated and flippant with people. I'm human, I'm imperfect, and controlling my emotions is something I've had to work hard to do. It'll be a life long journey. But I believe pragmatism has its value, and again, if my moral outrage taking a back seat leads to better persuasion and bringing about social change quicker, that's a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make. PoizenJam fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Dec 4, 2014 |
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Dec 4, 2014 19:19
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