Hey Scott. I’m not really interested in your question. Exploring it was a helpful learning experience, but in the end it’s still a complete departure from what I had been talking about before you jumped in: how whites in the last decade have co-opted the tools of the so-called modern identity politics movement.
To challenge me and say there’s no such thing as a “new” identity politics movement is ultimately a non-sequitur for me. That’s an important point of order to you, and it helps me reflect and be a more sensitive person to marginalized people. And maybe you’re right about it and I’m wrong. That’s okay, because I’m setting that part aside to focus on other more practical and immediate things: I’m fascinated by how whites are abusing these same political tools for their own purposes. It’s also what concerns me the most, given what’s happening in the world right now.
Does that intrigue you at all? In effect, the marginalized finally found a way to make their voices heard. That’s great! Yet now whites are using the same techniques to further their vicious, racist goals and erase some of the progress that’s been made. It’s scary, it’s ironic, and it feels like there’s a lesson that ought to be learned there if the goal is to end white supremacy and prevent its rise again in the future.
On the other hand, I just thought of something while reflecting on this: perhaps the use of these tools is still a net benefit. Even if white supremacists appear to be revitalized, at least the marginalized are now on the same playing field. That’s worth it, right? I’m curious to hear from people that think about this a lot more than I do like pwk (who I think might be sick of this issue).