Thank you Guanporense for taking the time to write such a long and articulated reply.
Though I agree on many factual points (for exemple the influence of many Marxian concepts to look at the world and try to understand it), we reach completely opposite conclusions. One reason for this, I think, is that you (ingenuously, I'm sure) misrepresent identity politics or its supporters on a few critical points.
I'm not sure I want to debate those, or that I could change your mind, but just for the sake of fairness I'll name a few:
- 'Identity politics' does not say that 'White people are evil', but rather that they belong to a world in which Blacks are systematically treated unfairly. There is strong evidence for that, and most of the time it's not even intentional (for example, there are historical reasons why race is highly correlated with wealth)
- It just isn't true that 'those who do not care about race are called racists'. What is true, though, is that those people who are oblivious to the systemic oppression of Blacks/Gays/Women/Atheists etc... tend to be straight wasp males.
- In my opinion, one shouldn't see 'Identity politics' as an ideology, but rather as a set of conceptual tools which help understand the world a little better. I absolutely agree with you that those tools can lead to broad generalizations and doesn't seek to see people as individuals. That is just not the purpose of those tools, and it does not prevent one to see his fellow humans as individuals.
Funny how a small number of key differences make us reach opposite conclusions on the matter.
Though I agree on many factual points (for exemple the influence of many Marxian concepts to look at the world and try to understand it), we reach completely opposite conclusions. One reason for this, I think, is that you (ingenuously, I'm sure) misrepresent identity politics or its supporters on a few critical points.
I'm not sure I want to debate those, or that I could change your mind, but just for the sake of fairness I'll name a few:
- 'Identity politics' does not say that 'White people are evil', but rather that they belong to a world in which Blacks are systematically treated unfairly. There is strong evidence for that, and most of the time it's not even intentional (for example, there are historical reasons why race is highly correlated with wealth)
- It just isn't true that 'those who do not care about race are called racists'. What is true, though, is that those people who are oblivious to the systemic oppression of Blacks/Gays/Women/Atheists etc... tend to be straight wasp males.
- In my opinion, one shouldn't see 'Identity politics' as an ideology, but rather as a set of conceptual tools which help understand the world a little better. I absolutely agree with you that those tools can lead to broad generalizations and doesn't seek to see people as individuals. That is just not the purpose of those tools, and it does not prevent one to see his fellow humans as individuals.
Funny how a small number of key differences make us reach opposite conclusions on the matter.
__________________
In my own land, I’m in a far domain
[...]
Welcomed gladly, and spurned by everyone
In my own land, I’m in a far domain
[...]
Welcomed gladly, and spurned by everyone