Now that the Democratic primary is well behind us, A THREAD about the current leftist movement in the US.

Specifically I want to talk about why intersectionality is important, and why I'm scared that the movement is being co-opted by the worst kinds of people.

For the record: I consider myself a socialist, and my ideal government is a few degrees left of Bernie Sanders. I personally voted for Sanders in the 2016 and 2020 primaries.

I'm not speaking to some out-group here. I am pretty far left.

Also, to save some of you a "PLEASE VOTE" tweet response: I voted for Hillary in the 2016 general and will be voting for Biden in the 2020 general, just as soon as my ballot arrives.

I think you should vote for Biden, too.

Like, seriously.

Please vote for him.

Anyway! Let's talk about white guys.

In my experience, there are LOTS of white guys who exist in a bubble of shame. They've been told since youth that their value is fully linked to their ability to be a successful provider.

but late capitalism makes that harder & harder.

Since American capitalism is so tied up in the cult of individuality, these guys secretly feel like their lack of success is an indictment of their own character. That something must be wrong with them.

But that's too scary to look at, so they look for someone to blame.

Historically, this is the lever that the 1% has pulled to prevent solidarity among the working classes.

If you can convince working class whites that black people are "cutting the line," or stealing jobs or whatever, now you've got  racists who are mad at the wrong people.

It's not a coincidence that racism/fascism are on the rise at the same time that income inequality is at historically high margins.

There's a lot of angry white people out there who need something to blame for their lack of economic success, and they routinely turn to racism.

A decade ago, the leftist movement in the US was tiny. It's still small, but growing fast.

It's in large part because a lot of these white guys who are looking for something to blame for their shame & lack of success have correctly identified the source of their ire: capitalism.

So now we have a bunch of angry dudes boarding the Trump Train, but we also have a bunch of angry dudes going out and canvassing for Bernie Sanders and starting leftist podcasts and demanding socialist policies.

Which is great!

It's also...kind of scary?

You know how rich white male Trump voters are ~convinced~ they're the REAL victims whose "values are under attack" even as they vote to cage black & brown people?

Well, a lot of the white guy leftists are kind of in it for the same reason. Finally, THEY get to be the victims!

For them, victimhood is a path to absolving themselves of their guilt & shame over a lack of capitalist success.

If it's all capitalism's fault, then they never really had a chance. They can sleep easy without feeling like a failure.

Which - let me be clear - is mostly true!

Problem is, privilege isn't binary. Privilege is a spectrum.

Class privilege is a thing, but privilege is also about race, gender, sexual orientation, and 1,000 other things.

Late-stage capitalism sucks for everyone, but white people have advantages that BIPOC folks don't.

It can be really hard to admit that you have privilege, especially when you feel like a failure.

Acknowledging that your race, gender, able body, etc. made life easier for you is tough when you are trapped in a job you hate, barely getting by.

So! Back to the leftists. Some of these guys come around and become amazing allies, but many do not.

It's easier to keep yourself centered in the conversation if you engage in class reductionism.

Make everything a class issue, and you never have to acknowledge your privilege.

Class reductionism incorrectly simplifies everything.

Racism? That's a class issue.

Sexism? A class issue.

Rights for queer folk? Class, class, class.

A lot of these folks are arrogant & dismissive of these concerns, because "once we fix income inequality, it'll be fine."

These (mostly cishet white male) class reductionists are unaware that existing power structures amplify their voices, making them seem like the de-facto leaders of the movement, even when they're not.

They can often dominate the conversation on podcasts, videos, etc, too.

This brings us to Bernie Bros, where the following things were both somehow true:

1) The "Bernie Bro" thing was overblown, amplified by the GOP, and unfairly pinned on Bernie, a truly intersectional candidate.

2) "Bernie Bros" were real, and god were they awful & insufferable.

I can't tell you how many of my queer and female friends were reluctant to vote for Bernie.

Not because his policies were too far left, but b/c the aggressive class reductionist rhetoric from his loudest online fans was toxic and off-putting.

Not the way to build a movement!!

"Vote for the candidate, not the fan base," you say, and I agree! I voted for Bernie myself.

But you can see why a bunch of marginalized ppl are reluctant to throw their lot in with very loud white guys who want to bulldoze their lived experience in favor of class reductionism.

This brings me to the main point I want to make today.

The thing that scares me most about the Class Reductionist Left is that I don't trust them as long-term allies.

At the end of the day, many of them just want "theirs" & they'll throw my rights under the bus to get it.

BIPOC folks I've talked to know all about what it feels like to be used as a prop by white folks who want to fight for equal rights...

...right up to the point where white folks are given the option to cut them loose in exchange for a slight upgrade on their economic conditions.

It's also a lot easier to call for a revolution when you're pretty sure that you'll survive it no matter what.

And it's a lot easier to blow off harm reduction/stopgap solutions when it's not you or your family that might die as we wait for "the revolution" to begin.

I'm also sick of white guy leftists who believe that "woke-ness" about class issues gives them carte blanche to be an asshole.

Cool, you've figured out that capitalism is bad! That doesn't make it okay to go around dunking on people like you're writing a bad South Park spec.

The real irony is that these guys are kind of right about some things. Class/economic issues *are* a major part of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. etc.

But they've got it backwards. The fight against those things is *also* the fight against capitalism.

That's why intersectionality is so important. If we fight on all fronts, we've got a shot.

Or we can let class reductionist white men run things, watch as they alienate allies, and be stuck in the passenger seat when they crash the movement on the rocks of their shame & anger.