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Jeffrey Sachs @JeffreyASachs
, 3 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
@conor64 has it right. Political correctness: good or bad? Identity politics: good or bad? Answer: who cares? These are the wrong questions to be asking.
I've read more articles from Quillette than I care to admit and I can say with 100% certainty that two things are true: (a) They hate PC and ID politics; and (b) They have no idea what they are. Seriously, there's massive disagreement about what these terms mean. That's not good!
Rather than strain to draw tortured distinctions between PC and civility, or between ID politics and politics more generally, why not just admit that we should judge these things based on their goals? That just seems more rational to me.

It will, however, generate fewer clicks.
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I’d reframe this. One rarely asked, but quite legitimate, question is this: What do we owe to our allies? If structurally oppressed people are going to say that their allies have an obligation to defer to them (politically, epistemically, etc.), what is owed to them in return?
It’s a big thing, asking someone to entrust their energy and political judgment to you! I think Jade Schaff (Oberlin) wrote something about this, but can’t find it now. Anyway, it’s a legitimate issue that will not/should not go away.
To be clear: I don’t mean “what is owed” in the “what do we get in return?” sense. Rather, what obligation of care, of consideration, of caution does such a relationship create for the allied-with party?
Read 4 tweets
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This doesn't mention me directly, but it's obviously directed at me. And since it reflects the objections that many people had to my thread, it merits a response.
Objection #1: What about Trump/Orban/Brexit/Bolsonaro?

What about them? Yascha knows better than anyone that the illiberal/authoritarian turn in consolidated democracies long precedes contemporary SJW activism. See Brownlee 2002, Wright 2008, Levitsky and Murillo 2013.
As for populism in Europe and the United States, that too predates any kind of social justice activism. In fact, its rise is probably due much more to neoliberal failures (e.g. austerity) than left-liberal ones.

books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr…
Read 7 tweets
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The SJWs Are Winning and You're All Just Going to Have to Deal With It: A thread.
Reading this @JohnHMcWhorter piece is an exercise in vertigo. The central claim is that "third wave anti-racism" (i.e. the broad nexus of PC, social justice, and ID politics) is doomed to failure. That the aims are good, but strategically it's a dead end.

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
This is a common view among centrist liberals and libertarians: "Yes, racism and sexism are serious problems and must be addressed, but the SJW Left is going about it all wrong. In fact, its tactics are actually making these problems worse, not better."
Read 23 tweets

Related threads

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@ScottPresler I'm with U, man. U can't ignore any voter be it black or white. But path 2 victory in 2020 is 2 solidify white vote & get single white college ed women 2 vote @GOP in larger numbers as well as "suburban GOP white voters"

Trump has 2 run "Comfort Game"

@RationalMale @parscale
@ScottPresler @GOP @RationalMale @parscale Look I've looked at the data closely. Unless there is a major sea change, we will get 50 percent latino vote before the black vote. Thats the trend. We shouldn't ignore any group.
@ScottPresler @GOP @RationalMale @parscale That said, what will absolutely destroy our chances is if white voters dont show up or defect to Democrats.

A split up white vote dooms us

The midterm wins for Democrats were driven by white liberals who are brainwashed by trump. Our voters of course didnt show up as strongly
Read 32 tweets
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1. Jesus described this #ElectionDay :
This generation...is like children sitting in the marketplaces and
calling to their companions, and
saying: ‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not lament.’
.
EXPLAIN...
video.foxnews.com/v/585732312900…
2. In Christ's Parable, the #children are upset because their companions didn't follow their #Leadership . The children were so entitled that they thought it inconceivable that their companions did not jump at the #chance to follow.
@NewsHour @CBS @PBS
.
video.foxnews.com/v/585732312900…
3. This describes the #Dems perfectly. They are not seeking to EARN #vote s, they are TELLING #People how they MUST #VoteBlue simply because the #Democrats are calling the #Republicans #racist or other derogatory names.
@CBSNews @nbc @NBCNews
.
video.foxnews.com/v/585732312900…
Read 11 tweets
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So a lot of the rightwing has been crowing lately over a survey that revealed that, basically, effectively nobody wants political correctness.

They think this vindicates them when it actually undermines their position terribly.
See, it's true, and I've been saying it for years: nobody, and I mean nobody, wants political correctness. The people who said yes on that survey are almost if not entirely people who mentally translated what the survey was asking to try to make it something meaningful.
The right rails against "political correctness" for the same reason they rail against "virtue signaling". They can't conceive of the idea that anyone ACTUALLY cares about stuff that doesn't affect them personally, and they won't be bothered to understand others' actual concerns.
Read 30 tweets
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(1) #TaosCompound New Mexico case updates thread #3 starting 8/26/18.

List of links to my series of threads about this case:


If you're new to my tweets about this case, you might want to read the earlier threads before commenting.
(2) At the end of the previous thread I wrote:

You can't outlaw religion. You can't outlaw thought crimes such as fundamentalist beliefs. You can outlaw delusional adults being around small children.

Sane adults had multiple opportunities to rescue these children in 2017-18.
(3) People on both the political left & right are so caught up in identity politics that they have lost sight of the central issues in this case.

A medically vulnerable child was abducted by people who told others they oppose modern medicine. LEOs had opportunities to save him.
Read 39 tweets
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Identity Politics:

The notion that the treatment, access, resources and representation that a specific group has or has not historically enjoyed affects their specific political needs.
The concept of identity politics is not new. It is in fact the very core of campaign and political strategy.

In a diverse set of populations there is a diverse set of needs.

Politicians have always angled to court votes by appealing to the needs of various groups
When a politician goes to Iowa or California to preach about their positions on the Farm Bill, this is identity politics.

They are playing to the concerns and needs of farmers.

Farmers are an identity group with needs unique to them.
Read 6 tweets
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"#ChuckAndNancy" #LimousineLiberals #Politics -- #DemExit #EPluribusUnum

Genevieve Wood: Schumer Shutdown Makes Clear Democrats’ Real Priorities
dailysignal.com/2018/01/21/sch…

#SchumerShutdown | #tcot #PJNET
#SJW #LiberalFascism -- #FreeSpeech #Faith #ProLife #EPluribusUnum
Democrat Shunned By Own Party After Speaking At March For Life
dailycaller.com/2018/01/21/dem…
| #MarchForLife #IL03 #tcot #PJNET
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Read 107 tweets

Trending hashtags

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