I read a very thought-provoking post from the Independent today with the title Why this radical activist is disillusioned by the toxic culture of the left. It started as a post on Medium along with a follow-up post both written by Bailey Lamon (UptheCypherPunx on Twitter). As someone who doesn't really like the left/right paradigm (I prefer no rulers), I have to be careful promoting a post that appears anti-left because many will immediately assume I'm well over to the right (please, try to understand me as a human, not a label).
Aspects of this post really stood out to me and got me thinking. Here's an example:
This is because the process of conflict resolution is now driven by ideology rather than a willingness to understand facts.
To me, this article explains well the rise of what some are calling "the regressive left." Freedom of speech has to be at the forefront of any movement claiming to care about wellbeing because the absence of it leads to no communication which leads to tragic expressions of unmet needs (violence).
Yes, words can cause real harm. They shape our thoughts which dictate our actions. They can cause emotional pain or other physical responses due to past trauma. Empathy, compassion, and love are key. Ideally. IMO, we should all work towards having no emotional buttons to be pushed. For those who are too vulnerable for that ideal, we have to ensure our efforts to help don't end up creating systemic problems of their own.
The ultimate goal, I think, is to raise the wellbeing of those who are victimized by bad actors. From a logic perspective, things break down if we create systems to police actions alone since they are not, by themselves, an accurate indicator of a bad actor.
For example, two people might say something racist or sexist or whatever. One may be ignorant and lacking self-awareness, simply repeating what their community says often without realizing the very real emotional pain it causes others. The other may know all-to-well the impact of their words, and they choose them carefully to inflict the most pain. It's a tragic expression of their own unmet needs.
The bad actor will continue finding creative ways to cause harm, no matter how much activity policing is done by the community around them. The ignorant actor can be educated, maybe even someday becoming a helpful advocate.
Understanding facts with good communication is key. We can't have healthy dialogue and understanding if we can't agree on what is. This is another reason why epistemology is so important.
Reading these posts will take up 5 minutes and 6 minutes of your time, and I think they are worth reading. Any attempts to silence communication will ultimate hurt us all, so we should be aware of the various movements out there which are effectively doing just that.
I appreciate Bailey Lamon's perspective, because her experience gives her an insight into the issues I won't ever be able to fully understand. I learned a lot from her perspective and her experience sharing it. I hope you enjoy it also.
- Why This Radical Leftist is Disillusioned by Leftist Culture
- A Follow Up: “Why This Radical Leftist is Disillusioned by Leftist Culture”
Another voice I appreciate along these lines is Dave Rubin of the Rubin Report. Check out his stuff, if you haven't already.
If you read the posts mentioned above, what did you think of them?
