"An ideology that coherently addresses these two crises—whether from the left or from the right—seems inevitable to rise."
As far as I can tell, the right is constitutionally unable to adress any of these. It is rooted to capitalism, imperialism and resentment, it is its offspring.
This post hit the nail right on the head about what bothers me re: deplatforming.
I get it that being in a marginalized group is hard - I belong to a few of them, besides being trans and queer - and we see a lot of hatred and prejudice and I understand not wanting to be exposed to even more of that. The common argument I see in favor of deplatforming is that to give someone a platform is to legitimize and normalize what they're saying. But, I would argue back that deplatforming sends a message of "we're afraid to debate you because you might be right". What we really need right now is cool heads and common sense. For example, I might not be able to convince someone with anti-trans beliefs that they're wrong, and they would not be able to convince me I'm wrong, but if I engage with them and listen to them and they listen to me, we might be able to see each other as more human and find some sort of common ground, dialing back the vitriol and hysteria on both sides. I know people who shifted from a more conservative ideology to a more liberal one because once upon a time people on the left believed people were still human and capable of changing for the better and were willing to dialogue. Now people have no opportunity to change their minds because they're being shut out and shouted over. And it feels very abusive, for exactly the same reasons you described. It breeds resentment and that festers and it's going to lead nowhere good.
I've mentioned this in another essay, but from a leftist perspective I'm particularly concerned about how deplatforming becomes a kind of alliance with the state, corporations, and other instititutions that in end empowers them to silence any speech deemed unpopular. That will always be used in the end against the people who believe they are being protected by the these authorities deplatforming others.
Particularly worrisome is the way that many act as if they are merely riding a wave of inevitable social progress, as if there is no chance on earth that any sort of pendulum swing may occur. That I think is how some of the thuggishness gets justified. For instance, I had an argument with a trans-identifying friend of mine over the 'suck my lady cock' comments at J.K. Rowling. This friend saw no problem with them, and anyway stated that soon Rowling and any other gender-critical people will be fully irrelevant and have no influence.
Meanwhile, all these other people watching are seeing a lot of bullying behavior and are having second thoughts about the way that gender identity is now defined. There's an inevitable reaction coming, I think, and the more the woke act like bullies, the more the people reacting to them will feel free to act just as violently.
I find the "suck my lady cock" and similar statements aimed at Rowling and others to be abhorrent. Two wrongs don't make a right. My fellow trans people would do well to look at the history of the gay rights movement - progress and acceptance was not had by bullying, it was with dialogue and showing "the other side" we care about the same things, like family. I feel like nowadays we're not acknowledging "the other side" is human, so people on my side of the fence feel justified in saying gross things rather than dialogue and trying to come to an understanding.
As far as the inevitable social progress, yes, I think the pendulum is looking like it's going to swing from the right and what we saw under the Trump administration is not even going to come close to what we're about to see. It's terrifying, and worse, the so-called left brought it on ourselves with this woke nonsense. And I agree that the deplatforming has worrisome implications of involvements with the state that will indeed bite marginalized people in the rear end, eventually.
"An ideology that coherently addresses these two crises—whether from the left or from the right—seems inevitable to rise."
As far as I can tell, the right is constitutionally unable to adress any of these. It is rooted to capitalism, imperialism and resentment, it is its offspring.
This post hit the nail right on the head about what bothers me re: deplatforming.
I get it that being in a marginalized group is hard - I belong to a few of them, besides being trans and queer - and we see a lot of hatred and prejudice and I understand not wanting to be exposed to even more of that. The common argument I see in favor of deplatforming is that to give someone a platform is to legitimize and normalize what they're saying. But, I would argue back that deplatforming sends a message of "we're afraid to debate you because you might be right". What we really need right now is cool heads and common sense. For example, I might not be able to convince someone with anti-trans beliefs that they're wrong, and they would not be able to convince me I'm wrong, but if I engage with them and listen to them and they listen to me, we might be able to see each other as more human and find some sort of common ground, dialing back the vitriol and hysteria on both sides. I know people who shifted from a more conservative ideology to a more liberal one because once upon a time people on the left believed people were still human and capable of changing for the better and were willing to dialogue. Now people have no opportunity to change their minds because they're being shut out and shouted over. And it feels very abusive, for exactly the same reasons you described. It breeds resentment and that festers and it's going to lead nowhere good.
I've mentioned this in another essay, but from a leftist perspective I'm particularly concerned about how deplatforming becomes a kind of alliance with the state, corporations, and other instititutions that in end empowers them to silence any speech deemed unpopular. That will always be used in the end against the people who believe they are being protected by the these authorities deplatforming others.
Particularly worrisome is the way that many act as if they are merely riding a wave of inevitable social progress, as if there is no chance on earth that any sort of pendulum swing may occur. That I think is how some of the thuggishness gets justified. For instance, I had an argument with a trans-identifying friend of mine over the 'suck my lady cock' comments at J.K. Rowling. This friend saw no problem with them, and anyway stated that soon Rowling and any other gender-critical people will be fully irrelevant and have no influence.
Meanwhile, all these other people watching are seeing a lot of bullying behavior and are having second thoughts about the way that gender identity is now defined. There's an inevitable reaction coming, I think, and the more the woke act like bullies, the more the people reacting to them will feel free to act just as violently.
That won't be pretty for anyone.
Oh yes, absolutely.
I find the "suck my lady cock" and similar statements aimed at Rowling and others to be abhorrent. Two wrongs don't make a right. My fellow trans people would do well to look at the history of the gay rights movement - progress and acceptance was not had by bullying, it was with dialogue and showing "the other side" we care about the same things, like family. I feel like nowadays we're not acknowledging "the other side" is human, so people on my side of the fence feel justified in saying gross things rather than dialogue and trying to come to an understanding.
As far as the inevitable social progress, yes, I think the pendulum is looking like it's going to swing from the right and what we saw under the Trump administration is not even going to come close to what we're about to see. It's terrifying, and worse, the so-called left brought it on ourselves with this woke nonsense. And I agree that the deplatforming has worrisome implications of involvements with the state that will indeed bite marginalized people in the rear end, eventually.
(also on a personal note I am very very glad you're out of that abusive relationship and with someone who treats you better)