A FAIR study of US newspapers found the overwhelming majority of times the vague term “identity politics” was mentioned, it was referring to Democrats and the left.
Identity politics is perhaps the worst element of our politics, regardless of which side of the spectrum you subscribe to. It’s made it much, much easier to divide people and get them to oppose each other rather than focusing their ire on the real problem: the wealthy and their insatiable greed.
It just makes me feel hopeless watching people who care more about subdividing themselves or perceived cultural outrages than they do about the ability to feed their families.
The point Dylan makes, that I think there is truth to, is that these people don’t see the difference between the two. If they struggle to put food on the table it’s not because of rich elites hogging the resources for themselves, or for our economic system failing to provide for everyone; it’s because the immigrants are taking their jobs, women are taking over their positions in society and depriving them of the opportunities their fathers had, etc.
Then again, I struggle to fit hatred of LGBTQ+ into this framework. So for sure there’s also more other mechanisms at play.
Identity politics is perhaps the worst element of our politics, regardless of which side of the spectrum you subscribe to. It’s made it much, much easier to divide people and get them to oppose each other rather than focusing their ire on the real problem: the wealthy and their insatiable greed.
Dylan’s Only a Pawn in Their Game is a song about identity politics that holds up pretty well I find.
I’ll give it a listen.
It just makes me feel hopeless watching people who care more about subdividing themselves or perceived cultural outrages than they do about the ability to feed their families.
The point Dylan makes, that I think there is truth to, is that these people don’t see the difference between the two. If they struggle to put food on the table it’s not because of rich elites hogging the resources for themselves, or for our economic system failing to provide for everyone; it’s because the immigrants are taking their jobs, women are taking over their positions in society and depriving them of the opportunities their fathers had, etc.
Then again, I struggle to fit hatred of LGBTQ+ into this framework. So for sure there’s also more other mechanisms at play.