We live in an era of tribal politics, and each of the two main tribes has its internal divisions, usually defined loosely and with significant areas of overlap. Conservatists include libertarians, traditionalists, advocates for strong defense and punitive criminal justice, nationalists, ethnic supremacists, etc. Liberals have those who prioritize climate related issues, others who focus more social welfare, gender and ethnic minority rights, and so on.
It often seems, however, that the forces that unify the various internal factions of conservatists towards significant effective political action in recent years seem much stronger than similar forces on the left. Why is that?
Further, it seems that politicians on the right are able to say and get away with more. What was going on with
the 'Joe the Plumber' incident during the Obama administration? or the Gates arrest incident? What did these incidents
disclose?
Given this asymmetry in what is tolerated from the left compared to that from the right, and given the left's propensity for greater inter-nacine conflicts that are politically important, an examination of the discourses of the left, while uncomfortable is very important.
In
this podcast episode, David Swift discusses his book A Left for Itself:
Left-Wing Hobbyists and the Rise of Identity Radicalism, as he provocatively challenges those he
considers don't have real skin in the game, but who often take political positions which alienate people who otherwise would have many areas in common with them. The net effect of this is to separate the left into two camps politically, which often act at cross-purposes, unlike the right, where (except for small splinter segments), action is more unified.
I didn't agree with Swift on many of his assertions, but his examples were thought provoking. Who has benefitted form 'BDS' -- not the Palestinians usually. How do we feel when male feminists in their 20's heavily criticize female feminists in their 50's and 60's for not being 'woke' enough? Do some left-leaning people (let alone independents), who are comfortable with government spending on infrastructure and on social programs, and with the government's regulation of corporations, get turned off by others on the left who in their view go to certain extremes, and insist that everyone do the same (while not truly having a genuine political stake).
In December 2019, the Times of London published a review of the book.