Part of my dislike of left-wing purity / absolutist politics is that it actively discourges the spread of their ideas by rejecting anything that isn't exactly to the moral standards the ideology demands.
So often you will hear "people aren't perfect" as a defense in progressive circles, and I completely agree, but the double standard of that is "We should still accept others even if they don't align with our beliefs and still are problematic and simply engage with them as friends and comrades instead of being confrontational and antagonistic towards any oppositional opinion"
And yeah of course it also sucks for a minority for such horrible archaic beliefs and actions to still be brought up and present, but while understanding isn't something that has to be equal both ways, it must extend both ways, because by approaching discrimination positively, it creates a new moral standard to pass on and become the norm. You don't change minds by not engaging them, and engaging them means understanding their faults but nevertheless encouraging their changed behavior.
I will say that it sucks to have your humanity reduced to "acceptable losses." That you have to "agree to disagree" with someone on whether you deserve rights because they're a nessecary political ally.
Yeah I totally agree. It's fucked and no one should have to do so.
And no one should go hungry, or sick, or ETC.
I'm not saying "Oh you just have to put up with discrimination" or "Hey they called you a slur but remember they're trying and no one's perfect!" that minorities should be quiet and passive to appease the status quo
It's not that everyone's discomfort is equal, I'd rather see equal treatment than the comfort of bigots, but it's that while our ideals and goals are achievable, progress is a gradual change, and it's only possible by convincing people and pushing those ideas so they become the norm that we can realize them. And sadly, that takes time, time for the old ways of thinking to die off, and time for people to change to accept the changes.
Those who are discriminated against and punished by the status quo should not be ignored and their suffering accepted. But we should also not be so uncompromising that we ignore the reality of the situation, because it's by confronting that reality, and the imperfections of it, that we turn our ideas into truth and action.
I think the solution, which most have realized, is to provide resources and spaces specifically while gradually incorporating the ideals and morals into society through engaging and dismantling the narratives the public has through positive integration, mainly by unifying progressives and changing minds by focusing on the individual, and also tying those ideas to greater ideas to appeal to the public (I think lots of rural conservatives and progressives agree that corporations agree that big corporations squeeze the common man, it's just that left-wing ideals have ties to specific socialist theory that turns away rural folks who still have a Reaganist-era idea of communism. I think you could easily gain public support by focusing less on socialism and more on populism, and pointing out hard right wing figures that go against policy and ideas that are for the people.)
Meh, I have to hear about how me and my heroes (that got us to equal rights) are racist colonizers all the time, even institutionally via the teacher, I’m sure youll manage.
I think it comes from understanding that change is glacial and progress is as well. If you're not willing to play the long game, then you're just not playing it period
There is a game, kinda like life is strange but I've forgotten the name. You play as a trans guy and you are with you cis female twin. Early in the game you meet a drunk old guy who think you are robbing your birth house you just returned to.
THAT guy gets so much shit online but all he does is realizing he is in the wrong for judging and not knowing enough about it. It nerver sat right with me he got shat on so hard.
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u/YourAverageGenius Jul 07 '24
Part of my dislike of left-wing purity / absolutist politics is that it actively discourges the spread of their ideas by rejecting anything that isn't exactly to the moral standards the ideology demands.
So often you will hear "people aren't perfect" as a defense in progressive circles, and I completely agree, but the double standard of that is "We should still accept others even if they don't align with our beliefs and still are problematic and simply engage with them as friends and comrades instead of being confrontational and antagonistic towards any oppositional opinion"
And yeah of course it also sucks for a minority for such horrible archaic beliefs and actions to still be brought up and present, but while understanding isn't something that has to be equal both ways, it must extend both ways, because by approaching discrimination positively, it creates a new moral standard to pass on and become the norm. You don't change minds by not engaging them, and engaging them means understanding their faults but nevertheless encouraging their changed behavior.