I reckon a subculture/subspecies of ostensibly centre-left/liberal but essentially amorphous politics has indeed developed in recent years - sometimes referred to as 'woke' or 'idpol', detached from the traditional preoccupations and philosophies of socialist/left thought 1/
Like all ideologies it has a real material basis and history. In this case, in the decline of organised labour, the ideological fragmentation which has accompanied economic liberalisation and a (sometimes overstated) decline in community/filial etc affiliation 2/
Its essential class basis is a section of the downwardly mobile middle class. We aren't talking about a lot of people here. But they are well represented in academic, media and cultural institutions. 3/
They are not driving the decline of western civilisation or any of that wank. They are a symptom more than a motivating factor in contemporary social dynamics. The problem they pose is that they are the best possible enemy the right could ever hope for 4/
And also that the items of their ideology militate against serious political organisation or any confrontation with the powerful forces that actually dominate our society. The approach of mediating language and social norms is a kind of 'petitioning' of power 5/
That is to say it is a fundamentally deferential and submissive form of politics. It spends much of its own time avoiding confrontation with the powerful, and is often more interested in attacking its 'own' side/joe public 6/
Can't say I really find it as titillating as some appear to. The reaction to it from conservatives is hardly less obnoxious. It's just that it badly wants put in the bin and replaced with something which actually believes in people as the agency of social change 7/
But I'm starting to see people deny it's existence. On the one hand this is welcome if it means folk are moving away from it. But it's a problem if people just start to equate it with opposition to racism/misogyny/homophobia. It isn't that. And it is a real phenomenon 8/8
