think today’s the day i leave the left

The few responses thus far are exactly why I no longer wish to identify as a leftist. No, I am not returning to the right. No, I am not abandoning my ideals. But y’all have proven why people *who don’t have a politicical identity* likely will never have one with the left. 1/?

The assumption that if you are not “on the left”, that you must be a right winger, shows how those anywhere within the left put themselves in a box, and honestly one that’s not too inviting. 2/?

The “if you’re not with us you must be against us” approach is why when the left finally gets power, it never retains it. People from “outside of the left” (aka most people) don’t feel welcome, and so they they give the Left the bare minimum of attention, if that much at all. 3/?

Rather than self reflect & ask “why do I lose power once I get it? Why do people voice concerns with our leaders? Why do we who should be unified, fight amongst ourselves?”, the Left deflects all criticisms of itself onto the next issue-focused group standing nearby. 4/?

It’s about finding faults rather than building from strengths. It’s a contest within the Left to claim the crown rather than share the treasure. There’s unity only by name, but not by solidarity. 4/?

If we were unified, all of our navigable rivers would lead to the same ocean, and our time would be spent floating down them in parallel, learning from our individual strengths & sharing our platforms, instead of poking holes in one another’s boats. 6/?

But that’s not this reality. We have a unified Right vs a divided Left, and while I don’t feel wanted or welcome on the Left in any of these groups, I’m going to spend less of my time funneling people “into the left” and more of my time guiding people “away from the right.” 7/7