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Identity Politics and the Issue of Class
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SwiftEscudo Offline
Actually Duelix

Posts: 174
Joined: Apr 2012
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Post: #1
Identity Politics and the Issue of Class

I've always been frustrated with identity politics. Y'know, stuff like feminism and the civil rights movements.

As with Marxists, they agree that oppression exists through existing inequality. They also agree that those being oppressed play a pivotal role in fighting said oppression.

However, they simply do not believe that those not experiencing oppression can ever play a role in fighting it. Feminists do not believe that men will benefit from the end of sexism, LGBT activists do not believe that straight people will benefit from the end of homophobia, and black rights activists do not believe that white people will benefit from the end of racism.

By extension, they believe that all facing sexism/racism/homophobia are united in opposing it and that they all have common interests. This is far from true. Barack Obama is a black man and he is the president of the United States. Hilary Clinton is a powerful female politician. Barney Frank is an openly gay politician.

These three people do not share the same interests as other oppressed groups, they have never demonstrated strong leaning to any of these movements. They are protected by the shield of class, they do not truly suffer from this oppression. The white male-led 'patriarchy' is not the true cause of this inequality, the identities of those running the system are not the problem. The system itself is, regardless of who is in charge.

Fighting sexism, racism and homophobia is important, but it is not enough to simply do that. Oppression is a byproduct of the exploitation that drives capitalism. A materialist analysis of class actually demonstrates how the ruling class shares a common interest in keeping capitalism going and how the working class shares a common interest in overthrowing it. A materialist analysis is a far better measure than the garbage that these special interest groups throw out, because it shows the systematic benefits of racism and sexism.

The ruling class 'divide and conquer' strategy makes the working class squabble amongst each other rather than fight against their natural enemy. No working class person benefits from this, the idea of wage differences (like those that existed in the south) benefiting white workers is untrue. When a black man came to work and earned less, the employers typically lowered the wages of everyone. Wages fall and profit is gained by the ruling class.

All working class people suffer from oppression and worker's solidarity is a far greater option than splitting up and fighting each other.

RIP GORE GOROTH
RIP SAINTVICIOUS
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06-18-2014 08:34 PM
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Identity Politics and the Issue of Class - SwiftEscudo - 06-18-2014 08:34 PM

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