Thread by @DavidDecosimo

At the heart of the ascendant ideology are three insidious moves:

1. The reduction of strictly every relationship & institution to power dynamics, and the concomitant erasure of realities of goodness, beauty, & love.

But we all know there is more to life than power. 🧵1/

https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1338586940157927427

2. Equating every power difference with domination, & denying the basic distinction b/w just & unjust power differences.

But we all know parent/child, coach/athlete, & teacher/student relations are essentially unlike master/slave, colonizer/colonized, & tyrant/serf relations. 2/

3. Reification, moralization, & weaponization of hierarchical identity categories, & denial of individuality & agency.

But we all know people are individuals & should be treated as such, not as tokens of some type, reduced & conformed to group identity. 3/

That’s the ideology.

There are true believers, but none who believe it consistently. No one can.

It’s unlivable.

It’s a pose. A self-image & self-deception.

Berlatsky doesn't call CPS on himself.

Those who rant loudest about 'white men' often go home to white husbands. 4/

Above all, it's a weapon.

Whether borne of seething resentment, frustrated mediocrity, utopian cosplay, or real grievance, it's for seeking & wielding power, getting the upper hand, ruining 'enemies.'

It's not about mutuality or truth.

And it's certainly not about justice. 5/5