One of the reasons that identity politics and the Culture Wars distract the working class so effectively from the type of class unity we need, and from completely rejecting the Capitalist Duopoly that controls all three branches of the government, is that it encourages us to pick and choose between two extreme ideological views: conservativism and (contemporary, post-modernist) liberalism.
This works so well for the ruling billionaire class in maintaining a status quo that is increasingly impoverishing us with an inability to afford even our basic necessities; making work harder and less rewarding, both materially or psychologically speaking, than it has been for many generations; infringing more and more upon our civil liberties; and increasingly transforming the United States and its closest partners Israel and Britain into brutal war states.
This is because neither “side” opposes the root cause of the above problems, which is an archaic, dog-eat-dog economic world order that is far past its years of being a progressive system now that the Industrial Revolution has turned us into a post-scarcity and rapidly moving us towards a post-work civilization.
Conservative thinking defends capitalism in an overt manner even as a new breed of the ideology frequently laments the problems that it causes — but without lamenting the system itself. They tend to believe that the solution to the problems that capitalism creates can and must occur within the context of that system itself.
Liberal thinking may give some lip service to opposing capitalism now and then but in actuality its adherents in political seats never do anything that challenges the main characteristics of the system — private ownership of the industries & services; production for profit; reliance on money; tolerance of material inequality — and instead do everything in their power to take advantage of a system that bequeaths and maintains power for the few. Even if some among their number happen to be Social Democrats (while absolutely zero adhere to Classical Marxian Socialism) they still seem to believe that the main “solution” to the problems caused by capitalism is simply to put more people from designated “marginalized” groups into positions of power within it — which is the equivalent of putting a different coat of paint on your beat up old car and expect it to run better because it’s now red instead of blue.
This is because both ideological belief systems focus heavily on culture and social issues that the capitalist class are “above” due to the obscene material luxury they enjoy. Their social values more or less begin and end with maintaining the economic status quo for themselves and their genetic heirs. They couldn’t possibly care less which racial, gender, sexual, or religious demographic has more positions of authority at any level of the Hierarchy within capitalism.
That’s because unlike all but a current handful within the vastly large working class the truly small handful of the population who comprise the capitalist class are fully class conscious. This includes loyalty to their class above and beyond any loyalties to their specific racial/ethnic/gender/sexual/religious/et al. demographic, or to whichever political party they belong to. In either case, their main job is to preserve class rule, not to “help out” or improve the lives of any group within the working class—let alone the working class as a whole.
So, the Republicans and Democrats respectively bamboozle the conservative and liberal members of the working class into thinking their wing of the Duopoly cares about these social values and groups rather than the prime concern they actually have: making increasingly large amounts of profit and taking control over everything — utilities, property, land, entertainment/recreation, all means of mass communication — for the purpose of keeping the profits flowing in. And doing this while pushing everyone in our economic circumstances into the position of a “renter” class who owns virtually nothing and are rapidly becoming a post-industrial version of serfs to a new type of hi-tech feudal lord.
This is because the conservatives in the Republican party have convinced workers that they have a profound interest in “improving” the lives, civil rights, and social standing of white male heterosexuals, people of the Jewish ethnicity & religion, and “traditional” family and Christian-based value systems…
… and because the liberals/centrists in the Democrat party have convinced workers that they have a deeply heartfelt interest in “improving” the lives of “marginalized” demographics — PoC, women, LGBTQs, Muslims, atheists,* and those who repudiate any lifestyle choice remotely resembling what is considered “traditional” in Western culture…
… many in the working class align themselves with one Duopoly party and ideology over and “against” the other based on their demographic and/or sense of emotional sensibilities they may have about this or that group. They pick purely emotionally-fueled biases against other demographics and blame the majority of the problems on said group(s) being “in charge” of our capitalistic society, not the economic world order itself. And they do this while ignoring the fact that it’s capitalists regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion etc. who are actually in charge of the world — and our collective lives.
The resulting race wars and conflicts between men and women, and due to internecine conflicts within those groups — such as between gay and trans people both sandwiched into the “LGBTQ” alphabet pot — within the working class keep us all pissed off at our neighbors while deflecting from the only group of people who are truly against us and making our lives miserable (hint: that group is not one defined by its immutable genetic traits or personal choice of religion).
In fact, identity politics results in both conservatives and liberals supporting and hero-worshiping any economically powerful person of any particular demographic who acts as a figurehead for Wall Street, BlackRock, the MIC, Big Tech, Big Pharma, or AIPAC who so happen to belong to their favored wing of the Duopoly no matter what they do or do not do. They will always insist that their party and its form of bigoted identity politics are the “lesser evil” compared to the other one.
As I have said before, taking sides between two extremes is both unnecessary and counter-productive. Beating up on whichever demographic of people you dislike causes us to continuously delay becoming class conscious and puts us in the position of prolonging and supporting the status of billionaire rule. It provides a virtue-cloaked rationalization for playing an adult version of the schoolyard bully or the “mean kids” we all knew in our younger years. It gives us a sense of dark satisfaction while acting as minor lieutenants for the worst and most powerful of the bullies at the top of the food chain.
Remember, one extreme is never “better” than the other. It may simply feel better to you based on whatever your personal biases against certain groups of people or certain lifestyle choices happen to be — with emphasis on the emotionally-laden word “feel.” All supposedly “oppositional” extremes are in actuality flip sides of the same coin, and both will cause you to aid and uphold the obsolete and destructive economic system at the expense of the international working class. Further, adhering to any extreme will make you become the worst version of yourself while going after the wrong targets. And like all bullies, you’ll go after the easiest targets, not the ones who can truly kick your ass.
All the supposed animosity between capitalist contenders for the presidency and various high positions in Congress is simply public theater to get the working class voters excited, much as when Muhammad Ali used to throw performative poison on his boxing opponents during public interviews despite usually having nothing against them personally.
This is why you will see the Clintons and the Trumps attending each other’s family weddings and Obama and The Donald smiling at each other while engaging in friendly conversation at Jimmy Carter’s funeral while, in contrast, you see working class people unfriending family members and longtime friends on Facebook simply because they support the other wing of the Duopoly.
Do not play the billionaires’ game for them. Instead, unite with all of your neighbors to create an entirely new system that works for everyone and doesn’t constitute any type of “game.”
*Of course, the youth community legally designated as “minors” under the law is not considered an oppressed demographic by contemporary liberals. They respect younger people even less than they do adult conservatives and MAGA folks.
Amen to that! Capitalism is the problem. What was the question?
The only difference between capitalism and cannibalism is the spelling, basically. The sooner we move to post-capitalism (i.e. post-scarcity, post-work, and post-growthism), the better we will all be. Everyone but the oligarchs, that is. But even they will be better of in one respect: they just might get to keep their heads!
There are really only two sides: OLIGARCHY vs HUMANITY. Choose Humanity.