Identity Politics is Dead
For those unfamiliar, identity politics has been the default method of leftist organizing for as long as I can remember. The idea originally entered the public discourse in a 1974 manifesto by the black feminist activists of the Combahee River Collective.
The idea is relatively straightforward. Every person is a collection of different identities. For example, some of my identities might be as a white, heterosexual man with ADD. Every single identity you have changes the experiences you have in the world. My life might be radically different if I were born a woman or as a member of a different racial group, even if everything else about me were identical. The combination of your unique identities that affect your life experience is called intersectionality. For example, a white lesbian might face discrimination for her orientation, while a black lesbian might face that same discrimination with the addition of racism.
Nobody shares the same combination of identities and life experiences. As initially proposed, identity politics realizes that all individuals are unique, and need to work together to find solutions that benefit all. Unfortunately, that is not what identity politics has become.
I am about to be heavily critical of identity politics. I want to be clear that I am not criticizing the aims of identity politics. Rights for queer people, ending discrimination, and healthcare access are a few examples of critical goals that intersectional activists work on. I cannot overstate how needed these reforms continue to be. I am not criticizing the goals of identity politics. Instead, I am criticizing it as a fundamentally flawed method of organization.
A big problem is that people are individualistic, selfish creatures. Everyone faces a unique set of issues that are more important to them than everyone else’s problems. This leads to a problem that critics have dubbed the "Oppression Olympics.” In certain circles, you can see individuals essentially claiming that they belong to more oppressed identities or have faced more hardships and deserve to have their issues addressed first.
In theory, the more oppressed identities a person has, the more people you can help by solving their problems. In practice, identity politics tends to advocate for a minority of the population while ignoring the needs of the majority. Again, I would like to restate that these needs are essential. I am only criticizing the method of organization. The problem is that intersectional politics does not usually visibly help the majority, and often indirectly contributes to making their lives more difficult. As an example, while I would agree that protecting the environment is critical, I would have a tough time supporting a bill that raised gas and electricity prices when I’m already struggling to pay my bills.
Intersectional organizing also tends to splinter when it becomes time to decide which problem to address first. Instead of a significant effort to combat something like discrimination, you end up with a considerable number of smaller groups dedicated to tackling discrimination against their particular identity. These groups all have different goals, ideas, and methods. Instead of unifying, you end up with a large number of small efforts.
When you organize around an identity, be it race, gender, culture, or any other number of things, you label yourself with that identity. The problem with labels is that they have historically been used to define and isolate a group as different and undesirable, which is how MAGA killed identity politics.
The Trump administration tends to attack a specific identity. For example, they have recently attacked transgender athletes. Most Americans are not transgender or athletes, and are therefore unwilling to make the sacrifices it takes to protect transgender athletes. Most Americans are not undocumented immigrants, or Muslims, or queer. Divide and conquer is one of the oldest tricks in the book, and it will continue until Americans truly create some solidarity with one another.
Starting with Clinton’s signing of NAFTA, which gutted American manufacturing, the Democratic Party has increasingly leaned towards pursuing intersectional, minority, and elite interests while ignoring the working class. This needs to end.
Rights are useless without money. Your First Amendment rights mean nothing if nobody listens to you. Your right to free travel doesn’t do much if you can’t afford a car or bus ticket. Your Second Amendment rights mean literally nothing if you cannot afford a firearm.
The most effective path to social equality is economic equality. It is time for politicians to take the needs of the working class seriously again. Even without politicians, unionization is a powerful tool.
If you work, you deserve a roof over your head, food on your plate, and affordable access to medical care. Many might criticize this statement for not going far enough, but it isn’t supposed to be the absolute answer to everything. Shelter, food, and medical care are fundamental human rights. This is an apolitical statement. There are many ways to make sure these rights are met, and we do not need to share the same political worldview to make meaningful progress towards meeting this goal.
When people’s needs are met, it’s a lot easier for them to help out a struggling neighbor or friend. Right now, we need politicians who support labor unions and workers who are willing to organize. When the system fails, individuals must rise to the task and fix it.
Featured image from Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash.
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This article was originally published to the James' Substack, Sarcastrophe. Consider taking a look at other published works.