https://redlib.catsarch.com/r/stupidpol/comments/1rxyd9x/opinion_most_young_people_who_identify_as/
There’s a lot of pressure for young people to be progressive and “Left-wing” these days and so many people, understandably, fall into line and identify themselves this way.
However, it doesn’t take long to notice that a lot of talking points coming from young “socialists” don’t align with left wing politics at all.
For example - the positive attitude towards mass immigration which is commonplace for young lefties. This goes directly against the fight for workers’ rights; when you have masses of cheap labour coming in willing to work for pennies there is no incentive to raise wages or provide better working conditions for the native population. You cannot support workers rights and mass unskilled immigration - this is a contradiction.
Same goes for intersectionality - a topic frequently preached about by young left wingers. The idea of dividing people based on race, sexuality, gender to give different levels of oppression goes directly against class unity. The whole point of labour movements is that it doesn’t matter the colour or gender or anything - we all are part of the workers of the world and we must unite to have power against the elites. Intersectionality inherently divides people and destroys class unity.
I was talking to a younger colleague the other day who would identify as Left-wing and he didnt even realise he could join a union and why thats important.
I truly belive that the majority of young self identified “left wingers” think that being left wing is just acknowledging people’s pronouns and being nice to trans people. Their knowledge of left wing politics does not expand beyond this.
Its why, these days, I have trouble calling myself Left-wing because so much nonsense is pushed by young people who identify under this label.
Sorry - this is kind of a rant I needed to get off my chest but does anyone else here understand where I’m coming from or have anything to add?
Cheers.
Same goes for intersectionality - a topic frequently preached about by young left wingers. The idea of dividing people based on race, sexuality, gender to give different levels of oppression goes directly against class unity.
This author glows in the dark
regarding immigration. it’s sad to see you fall for the nationalist take.
when the old man saw things much more clearly.
On The Lausanne Congress
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/iwma/documents/1867/lausanne-call.htm
“The power of the human individual has disappeared before the power of capital, in the factory the worker is now nothing but a cog in the machine. In order to recover his individuality, the worker has had to unite together with others and create associations to defend his wages and his life. Until today these associations had remained purely local, while the power of capital, thanks to new industrial inventions, is increasing day by day; furthermore in many cases national associations have become powerless: a study of the struggle waged by the English working class reveals that, in order to oppose their workers, the employers either bring in workers from abroad or else transfer manufacture to countries where there is a cheap labour force. Given this state of affairs, if the working class wishes to continue its struggle with some chance of success, the national organisations must become international.”
Left-Wing is a vague term, I consider myself leftwing, but you probably wouldn’t. Literally “wing” really means part of the left wing of a bird, so opposite of the Centre (body) and the wing on the right. There is no Leftwing™. What you are talking about is socialist, which is clearly defined; see eg Wikipedia; but even there you will see different flavors; social-demorates in Germany are still capitalists, whereas Die Linke are far more left wing; I’m doubtful they are 100% socialist though. Although I see myself as leftwing, I don’t see any future or anything compelling in socialism, I associate it with the USSR, and we all know where that ended for the workers.
