The Finger Pointing on the Left, is a Problem
Performative Leftism Isn't Helping Any of Us
Recently, I woke up to a message on IG from an acquaintance, stating that he no longer wanted to be in touch due to a difference in our value systems. When I asked him to clarify what he meant, he outlined a number of ways in which he felt I was living hypocritically as a Leftist.
He criticized me for having limitations around the work I will do while sharing that I still owe lots of school debt that creates financial burden, for travelling with my partners and for having a tenant. He accused me of not “walking the walk” of the Leftist I “preach” that I am on my social platforms.
This person did not approach with non judgement and curiosity. They did not seek more context before establishing an opinion of me. Instead, they l angrily finger pointed to all the ways he felt I was doing Leftist wrong. Forgetting that I am a fellow person trying to survive the capitalistic hellhole, we are all forced to live under and
There was no acknowledgement of my history as a foster kid. No acknowledgement of my history as a queer person who has experienced homelessness. No acknowledgement of how in my social work practice, I offer support to other marginalized groups and offer sliding scale pricing. No knowledge (because it’s no one’s business) that my travel is often paid for by my anchor partner. No knowledge (because it’s no one’s business) that I do not own the house I live in and that the tenant living in the basement, was there before my partner moved in. Rather than displace the tenant during a rental crisis, my partner opted for him to stay.
It isn’t my job to educate this person that his supposed “arguments” about why I shouldn’t call myself an anti capitalist, is surface level and demonstrate a lack of understanding on his end, of what Leftism actually is. Perhaps if he approached me with respect, I would have taken on that emotional labour. However, I opted to save my capacity.
This type of judgemental finger pointing on the left, is an infuriating “holier than thou” bullshit, illusionary and performative “political act”. Wearing a “fuck the system” shirt at a punk rock show, doesn’t make you a Leftist. It’s performative. Pointing fingers with anger and shaming others because they have access to resources without seeking the surrounding context, isn’t Leftism. It’s exclusionary. Leftists who are more focused on the nuances rather than the issues at large, are frankly part of the crippling problem on the Left. The diversion of our attention into too many directions, allows for the Right to continue to organize in ways that we just seem to sit around a table and talk about, but struggle to put into action.
Shame never works. Excluding people without context and proper critical analysis, only weakens our fight.
Many historical Leftist social movement leaders had access to financial means and privilege (Fidel Castro for example). However, the way they utilized their resources, was what made them a Leftist. The shaming of those who have access (or perceived access in this case), to privilege is similar to the shunning within the Left of actual organization, goal setting and the need for basic hierarchal structures to get shit done. We are so worried about hurting each other’s feelings and being anti establishment that we let the Right speed right past us because they have concrete and focused goals. Tearing down the system does not work if there is nothing to replace it with. What happens, is disorganized chaos and a fizzling out of any progress made.
What makes someone a Leftist, is the actions they take part in that benefit the greater good of society and not just themselves.
What makes someone a Leftist, is the ability to see things through a class lens and not blame the individual for the impact of late stage Capitalism.
What makes someone a Leftist, is the ability to focus on the core issues of Capitalism needing to be addressed using critical analysis and reflection on the mass Leftist movements that have occurred throughout history.
What makes someone a Leftist, is their value system.
What makes someone a Leftist, is actually understanding what Leftism means, beyond performative and surface level statements.
What makes someone a Leftist, is the sharing of resources they have access to. Whether that be financial, educational, personal connections etc.
What makes someone a Leftist, is that their success does not come at the cost of others.
What makes someone a Leftist, is how they vote.
What makes someone a Leftist, is how they engage in non violent communication with people who are in the political centre.
We need to take the anger we are feeling and rather than direct it at each other, redirect it to the actual issue at hand - the Capitalists.
Photo by Delaney Turner on Unsplash