A lot of people are confused right now about what the Left is doing to Alex Morse and why. And understandably so. But it’s a really instructive case for understanding what is happening on the Left in this moment. What’s happening is confusing for two reasons:
First, it's such an extreme act of political self-sabotage. Alex is the Left's chance to unseat one of the most powerful corporate-backed politicians in Congress, replace him with a young exciting progressive, and send shockwaves throughout the political system
The other reason its confusing is that the Left is doing this by adopting a conservative puritanical culture that aims to regulate personal behavior, which has always been more associated w/ the Right and something that the Left traditionally fought against in the political arena
To answer the first question you have to understand that this iteration of the Left—an elite-educated, professional class quasi-leftism—is only interested in politics insofar as it allows it to advance culture war. Political outcomes are secondary, and often not a priority at all
And a primary activity within this culture war is to "expand the terrain” in terms of when and where this culture war can be fought. The way that is done is primarily through the endless expansion of victimhood claims and narratives.
The lifeblood of this culture is the generation of new claims, forms, and targets of victimization, which can be endlessly repurposed and repackaged to create victimhood narratives to apply to every segment of culture and society
So what happened in the case of Alex Morse's campaign is that it became a platform to generate a new class of victims and a new narrative of victimhood — in this case consenting young adults of legal age, in college, who enter relationships with 30-year-olds
A new branch of critical theory has emerged on Twitter about power dynamics and imbalances in relationships involving college students, which is the entire point. It's a mutating, invasive species that is constantly finding new parts of culture and society to invade and redefine.
Alex's campaign is simply the collateral damage, and an acceptable outcome. For them politics is largely just a platform for culture war. Not only is the act of political suicide acceptable, it is desirable and honorable. It is a display of purity and commitment to the cause.
So that's what explains the second part about the Left adopting a moralizing, conservative, puritanical culture. Generating claims and narratives of victimhood requires making moral claims and the enforcement of strict moral codes.
Relatedly, you may have noticed another integral feature of this new Left culture: the acceptance of accusations as prima facie evidence of their veracity. All accusations are automatically believed, often with no investigation, and often with no concrete allegations made at all.
Accusations are treated as evidence of harm done. If someone makes an accusation, they are a victim to be centered and elevated. This stems from the same dynamic: Accusations “expand the terrain” of culture war. They create new territory for waging it.
Accusations mean more victims and oppressors, which means more critical theory that can be applied to new areas of life — new ways to redefine our relationships with one another and our relationships with cultural and societal institutions.
In other words, accusations are a currency, and they must be honored at face value in order for this woke culture war economy to work.
On a broader note, this rejection and subverting of politics should be of concern to those who care for tangible political outcomes and who specifically believe in Left politics as a vessel for achieving those outcomes.
If that is you, attempts to minimize the threats posed by this quasi-Left culture should not be given credence. Your vessel has been hijacked to do insane things that have nothing to do with achieving tangible political goals. It is political zombie-ism.
They are using this vessel to commit friendly fire on the things you care about — progressive campaigns, candidates, and causes. Political suicide is good and honorable in this culture.
And the vessel itself is also sinking, because most of the country finds this to be very extreme and very foreign. It is not a mainstream political proposition.
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