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posted ago by LeftiesAreTheRacists ago by LeftiesAreTheRacists +15 / -0

He says the left usually has duelling impulses, the "Utopian" impulse and the "Revolutionary" impulse. The utopian believe giving government control can lead to a perfect society. The revolutionary think the system is oppressive and should be torn down.

However in the past these two impulses came into conflict since the government is part of the system. For example CRT (revolutionary impulse) and identity politics was around in 80s and 90s but anyone who was a utopian was basking in the glow of things like the government's actions during civil rights movement were happy with the system's work, and therefore didn't respond as much to work of revolutionaries.

He explains however that it was Obama who really found a way to combine them, as a way to drive minority group votes for his re-election since he knew he was going to be unpopular with straight white voters, his only chance was to have supreme support with minorities by dividing people up with identity politics, but at the same time making people feel that more government is good. So it's essentially "revolution from inside the government". The Democrats, corporate america, big tech are in fact the revolutionary activists in this scenario, and by giving them more power they have the ability to make the revolution happen, hence they appeal to both the revolutionary and utopian impulse. The "system" the woke are rallying against is this overarching "systemic racism" type of thing which is independent of the government and corporations, hence they are now allies instead of enemies.

Perhaps combining these two impulses is always how you got communism. Lenin would have been saying the system was the bourgeoise, I'm sure.