
Time to Give Up on Identity Politics: It’s Dragging the Progressive Agenda Down - meri_dian
https://www.salon.com/2017/09/02/time-to-give-up-on-identity-politics-its-dragging-the-progressive-agenda-down/
======
StanislavPetrov
The author makes some good points, but what he doesn't delve deeply enough
into is that the leadership of the Democratic party - those at the DNC, the
Clintonites, and other centers of neo-liberal power who push identity politics
the hardest have absolutely no interest in a "progressive agenda". They want
to gain power and wealth. Winning elections is only a piece of that dynamic.
Above all else, their allegiance is to their Wall Street paymasters to whom
they will depend on for a paycheck long after their political careers are
over. They would much rather lose an election with Wall Street backing, then
reject their Wall Street funders and win. For this crowd - grifters - that
would defeat the whole purpose of entering politics. How does one run as a
"Progressive" Democrat with a Wall Street agenda? Identity politics! As long
as the focus is on race, and gender, and "identity", the focus is not on
economics, privacy, or endless war. The DNC crowd thought they could have it
both ways if they just hammered identity politics hard enough and tried to
shame people into voting for them. They ended up losing to Trump - a half-
retarded, corrupt, boorish clown - literally the worst candidate you can
imagine. The Democratic party is rotten from the head down. Unless and until
we cut off the neo-liberal head of the snake and purge the party of identity
politics zealots the Democrats are destined to be the Washington Generals.

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legostormtroopr
I'd believe anything that Salon had to say on the matter of identity politics,
if their editorial stance couldn't be clearly summed up as "white men are bad"
[1].

Here are a few of the choice articles they've published:

* White men must be stopped: The very future of mankind depends on it [2]

* Mass shooters: Part of a larger epidemic of white male rage [3]

* Is male fragility to blame for Charlottesville violence? [4]

If racial identity or gender identity are such an important facets of life, it
was only a matter of time before people started strongly identifying and
collectivising openly as "white" or "male". When you start a dialogue with
"you have too much privilege and you can't talk on certain topics" you are
closing discussions before they begin and are fracturing groups so they can
collectivise based on more important line such as "class" or "wealth"... which
is probably the intended goal of those fanning the flames identity politics to
begin with.

[1]
[https://www.salon.com/topic/white_men](https://www.salon.com/topic/white_men)
[2]
[https://www.salon.com/2015/12/22/white_men_must_be_stopped_t...](https://www.salon.com/2015/12/22/white_men_must_be_stopped_the_very_future_of_the_planet_depends_on_it_partner/)
[3] [https://www.salon.com/2018/03/07/mass-shooters-part-of-a-
lar...](https://www.salon.com/2018/03/07/mass-shooters-part-of-a-larger-
epidemic-of-white-male-rage/) [4] [https://www.salon.com/2017/08/18/is-male-
fragility-to-blame-...](https://www.salon.com/2017/08/18/is-male-fragility-to-
blame-for-charlottesville-violence/)

~~~
tropdrop
Are you not engaging in identity politics yourself, at this moment, if you
choose to dismiss an idea because it is published by x? How is that any
different from the root sentiment that breeds the types of articles you're
denouncing in this comment?

~~~
networthless
The amount of mental trickery you have put yourself through to believe that a
magazine's ideology is the same as an individual's identity is astounding.

~~~
tropdrop
I think you misunderstood what I meant by "x" \- (x - publication).

legostormtroopr says:

-> I'd believe anything that Salon had to say on the matter of identity politics, if their editorial stance couldn't be clearly summed up as "white men are bad"

 _Because_ a magazine is not an individual, and is instead comprised of
individuals, it is possible to honestly engage with an idea published by an
individual in said publication even if you have qualms with that publication's
ideology. So it is not fair for legostormtroopr here to dismiss the article
because of Salon's editorial stance.

------
api
Identity politics isn't even a progressive idea. It's one of the central
tenets of fascism.

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mesozoic
You know it's going bad for them when Salon.com starts realizing how wrong
they are.

------
Bucephalus355
“When racism is blamed, capitalism is exonerated”.

Identity politics has been INCREDIBLY supportive of the global rich / elite.
They don’t have to give up any of their money or assets.

