MEGA-THREAD!
We're living through a dangerous historical period, characterised in part by the ongoing ‘culture war’. It is driving division, increasing polarisation & destabilising democracy, especially here in the UK, across Europe & in the US.
We're living through a dangerous historical period, characterised in part by the ongoing ‘culture war’. It is driving division, increasing polarisation & destabilising democracy, especially here in the UK, across Europe & in the US.
The positions of both sides appear to be becoming more entrenched with each passing day.
History shows us that this doesn’t end well. We need to take urgent action to reduce the tension.
The main criticism from the Right is that the Left is obsessed with ‘identity politics’.
History shows us that this doesn’t end well. We need to take urgent action to reduce the tension.
The main criticism from the Right is that the Left is obsessed with ‘identity politics’.
The Left’s position is characterised by the view that bigoted behaviour is driven almost exclusively by people on the Right.
I want to sketch out some thoughts about how @UKLabour & the Left more generally might respond to this.
I want to sketch out some thoughts about how @UKLabour & the Left more generally might respond to this.
The basic claim from many on the Right is that the Left is obsessed by *some* aspects of identity, seemingly caring more about the race/ethnicity/religion/gender/sexuality of a person, than it does about white - & especially working-class - people.
The Right sometimes claims the Left must actively hate white working class people, because they relentlessly denounce ‘them’ as bigots, sexists, homophobes, racists & even ‘fascists’ whenever they raise any (often legitimate) concerns about, say, gender, Islam, and/or ethnicity.
Recently, we’ve seen this playing out in the negative stereotyping of Leave voters & Trump supporters as ‘thick white bigots’.
Let me give you a recent illustration of this.
Let me give you a recent illustration of this.
The Right have raised concerns about the problematic & controversial term #WhitePrivelege. They see it as a term which constitutes white working-class people as ‘privileged’, even though the evidence suggests that for any a wide range of measures (e.g. health...
, educational attainment, earnings), the outcomes for white working-class people are generally far worse than for, say, middle-class females, middle-class gay people or middle class people of colour.
This is a very powerful argument: how on earth can poor, white, straight working-class people be “privileged” when their outcomes compare unfavourably with, say, non-white middle-class people?
Furthermore, whenever straight, white working-class people raise (often legitimate) concerns about, say, the effects of migration on housing in certain areas, sexist aspects of Islam, or the negative effects on them of positive discrimination, they are immediately branded...
...as not only “privileged”, but racist, Islamophobic, sexist etc.
Frankly, the Left (& I include myself in this) has been awful in how it responds to these understandable arguments.
So how might the Left better respond?
Frankly, the Left (& I include myself in this) has been awful in how it responds to these understandable arguments.
So how might the Left better respond?
An interesting example recently came to light. In a discussion on @bbcquestiontime about the extent to which racism has played a role in shaping the actions of Meghan Markle, when challenged with the accusation of “white privilege”, privately educated straight white male actor...
Laurence Fox said ‘To say I’m a white privileged male is to be racist, you are being racist’.
He received a great deal of applause for saying this. The view of “Darren from Plymouth” is typical of many of the online reactions to his response:
He received a great deal of applause for saying this. The view of “Darren from Plymouth” is typical of many of the online reactions to his response:
“Laurence Fox speaks for us all when he is says he is sick of the race narrative rammed down our throats by the chattering classes, media elite & disconnected politicians”.
In response, I tweeted about the problematic concept of #WhitePrivelege, explaining how the term ‘does NOT mean you're racist, does NOT mean your life has been easy & does NOT mean you don't face struggles too. It means your life isn’t made harder by the colour of your skin’.
It received 22,000 retweets from people of all political persuasions:
This demonstrates the appetite for clear explanations of contested & controversial concepts connected to the complex issue of identity, which while designed & mobilised with the best of (in this case anti-racist) intentions, they clearly can & often do antagonise many people...
...consequently actually increasing division & polarisation, & helping to further entrench positions taken in the ‘culture war’.
To be clear: everyone knows that aspects of our identity – some basically immutable (skin colour, ethnicity, sexuality) & some less so, given appropriate conditions (class, religion) do NOT determine one's capacities, attributes or attitudes.
To say or imply they do is itself negative stereotyping & at the heart of prejudiced beliefs about certain groups. However, institutions, policies & attitudes can & often do negatively influence the opportunities of people who fall into certain categories with certain attributes,
- such as being working class - & this is not only something that the Left wants to remedy, so do the Right: indeed this is at the heart of the ‘American dream’ & ‘aspiration’ (one of the foundational values of the conservative Right) – the idea that...
...accidents of birth should not limit or unduly negatively influence the opportunities of *anyone*. The reality is that all too often, despite much progress, they still do.
The big problem is, what should we do about this?
The big problem is, what should we do about this?
Left & right broadly want the same thing: for people to be judged & rewarded based on the way they behave & their contribution to society, rather than being based on certain identity-based attributes they happen to possess. But their strategies differ:
The Left prioritises the ways in which institutions & policies result in disproportionately negative outcomes for certain groups - the Right prioritises the ways in which measures designed to prevent this *can* negatively impact on people outside of certain ‘protected’ groups.
The Left tries try to ‘level the playing field’ by adjusting not just institutions & policies (eg with sex/race anti-discrimination legislation), but also attitudes, sometimes by mobilising problematic concepts like ‘white privilege’, which (understandably) antagonises the Right.
Unfortunately, too often the Left responds defensively to the accusation that white people (especially straight white working class men) are excluded from (& are themselves being discriminated against by) those very measures designed to address the discrimination...
...experienced by those other groups, by implying this critique is not just misguided & illegitimate, but that it's symptomatic of a mindset that is either too stupid to understand, or is motivated by racism/sexism or other forms of bigoted behaviour.
This is a profound mistake.
This is a profound mistake.
Let me say now, I believe most people – regardless of any aspect of their identity – are generally kind, friendly, intelligent & want to contribute to society in a meaningful way. Virtually everyone buys into & believes in the post-war social contract, in which the more you...
a positive contribution, the better the rewards should be, with the caveat that those people who for whatever reasons are less able to contribute, should receive the help & support they need to live a meaningful, productive & rewarding life, as long as they don’t ‘take the piss’!
Let me also say that racism, sexism, homophobia, disablism, ageism, transphobia, islamophobia, antisemitism - & all other forms of prejudice - certainly exist, appear to be becoming more widespread, & are often profoundly damaging to society.
I believe that @UKLabour, @TheDemocrats & all of us on the Left must try harder to listen to & understand the right’s critique of ‘identity politics’, & perhaps especially when it is expressed by white working class people.
We must try harder resist the temptation to dismiss heartfelt concerns as symptoms of bigoted views – although of course bigoted views exist throughout society, on the Left as well as on the Right.
While some on the Right knowingly weaponise ‘identity politics’ to attack the Left, this certainly does not mean that everyone does. Far from it: while traditionally one of the foundational objectives of the Left is rightly concerned to represent & ‘liberate’ the working class...
...and to improve their 'material conditions', the Left certainly does not have a monopoly on finding workable solutions to the problem of the way class shapes opportunities.
As I said at the beginning, the ‘culture war’ has been profoundly damaging for society & democracy. It is clearly increasing division & polarisation across vast swathes of the world.
A fairer, more equal society in which nobody is exploited or left behind remains a correct & noble ambition. But to resolve this issue, the Left must listen to the people making the critique of our approach, reflect, & find a better strategy for delivering a society...
...which genuinely works in the interests of the many, rather than the few, & which doesn’t alienate the very people we’re trying to help.
In 2012, theorist Stuart Hall said @UKLabour “has no sense of politics being educative, of politics changing the way people see things.”
In 2012, theorist Stuart Hall said @UKLabour “has no sense of politics being educative, of politics changing the way people see things.”
If @UKLabour are serious about winning back 'hearts & minds', it must urgently & seriously reappraise its strategy for achieving this.
My thoughts are always a work in progress, so I’d value your feedback on this thread.
Thanks for reading.
-ENDS-
My thoughts are always a work in progress, so I’d value your feedback on this thread.
Thanks for reading.
-ENDS-
@UKLabour @ThreadReaderApp please "unroll".
