going off a post i made some time ago about the dismissal of and refusal to understand one’s political opponents, given stuff that’s been happening on here1 i think it’s also prudent to say that understanding the mechanisms at play will also help you see similar things happening in leftist communities and be better-equipped to deal with it.
being leftist doesn’t inherently make you more morally virtuous2, and you don’t get to stop worrying about stuff like racism and transmisogyny and ableism and things like that, just because you’re a leftist and you’re in leftist communities so you and everyone around you have the Correct Opinions by default. no, the right wing aren’t racist and otherwise bigoted because they’re just Inherently3 Terrible People and thus were drawn to the terrible people ideology. the mechanisms for racism occur regardless of ideology or perceived moral character, and if you think that only right wingers and liberals and Bad People can be racist or bigoted, if you think you’re on some kind of moral high ground and are Superior to them because you have Good People Politics, you need to level the playing field in your mind and not make yourself out to be something you’re not.
you have a mind that thinks, just as they do, one capable of falling for shit, but also one capable of climbing back out of it with critical thought. find worth in that act, and the acts that will follow, rather than sheer belief that You’re Right. because just thinking the right things rather than doing them will get you nowhere. you must not grow complacent.
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this post was in my drafts for a while so for reference i think i was referring to the general latent whiteness on cohost that causes problems, but also i’m talking more broadly than just that
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i honestly wonder how many people are leftist entirely because they were sold on something that seems like a better target for their cultural-christian purity complex than the alternatives
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key word INHERENTLY. VERY IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.