Maurice Mitchell's viral essay on what progressive organizations have been getting wrong

[NZA]

dealing with highly neurotic people who think their trauma is a personality trait, and neoliberals at the same time is hard as hell. i can only commend the breh for trying to clarify what the problems are and move forward as much as can be expected in this environment. people who dont want to at least acknowledge the constant progressive political failure in america are either mentally ill or agents.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

this is how white progressives end up escaping accountability for their conservative relatives voting for Trump.

They got their new Deray

 

[Professor Emeritus]

dealing with highly neurotic people who think their trauma is a personality trait, and neoliberals at the same time is hard as hell. i can only commend the breh for trying to clarify what the problems are and move forward as much as can be expected in this environment. people who dont want to at least acknowledge the constant progressive political failure in america are either mentally ill or agents.

Yeah, he does a great job of pointing out why some of the intra-organizational behavior has been irrational and counterproductive, while not disagreeing with anyone regarding the bigger objectives. The issue isn't really our larger goals because most of the people fighting have generally the same hopes and dreams. The issue is just learning how to work together effectively to achieve those goals, as opposed to the people who always divide.

 

[John Reena]

1. The constant overbearing down talking to black democrats. “Clyburn needs to retire” “South Carolina has low info voters” “Who is Hakeem Jeffries?”

2. Trying to primary black caucus members

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

1. The constant overbearing down talking to black democrats. “Clyburn needs to retire” “South Carolina has low info voters” “Who is Hakeem Jeffries?”

2. Trying to primary black caucus members

These people never ask: "why are white voters the last people to the coalition?"

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

 

[re'up]

dealing with highly neurotic people who think their trauma is a personality trait, and neoliberals at the same time is hard as hell. i can only commend the breh for trying to clarify what the problems are and move forward as much as can be expected in this environment. people who dont want to at least acknowledge the constant progressive political failure in america are either mentally ill or agents.

Would you touch on the neurotic part please? I'm not not unfamilar with those tendencies, and severe anxiety/paranoia, but I rarely carry myself like that, at 37. A lot of people my age, and younger, seem to fully embrace their neurotic tendencies, to almost unbearable degrees, it's accepted behavior. I always wanted to overcome it, but they seem to, because of social media/ other generational cliches, embrace it.

 

[NZA]

Would you touch on the neurotic part please? I'm not not unfamilar with those tendencies, and severe anxiety/paranoia, but I rarely carry myself like that, at 37. A lot of people my age, and younger, seem to fully embrace their neurotic tendencies, to almost unbearable degrees, it's accepted behavior. I always wanted to overcome it, but they seem to, because of social media/ other generational cliches, embrace it.

when people externalize their trauma into the real world in a way that makes coalition building or political strategy overly difficult. things like safe spaces and centering marginal voices have an important place, but knowing when and how to do that is something that seems to come easier to level-headed, resilient people. people who are hysterical and overly dramatic have tendencies to be conversation killers to anyone who wont patronize their behavior. they also turn off the "normies" who are often needed in situations that require mass numbers, like voting or worker unionizing.

and that is assuming these people are well-intentioned. i suspect some are simply trying to harm certain movements without being right wing. a centrist or neoliberal can battle progressives on matters of practicality (ie, this proposal is not popular enough, not affordable, etc.), but they often can only ideologically battle progressives on matters of symbolism (don't disrespect that black pharma CEO!, why are you bigoted against that bisexual eskimo CIA agent?)

attacking progressive movements from a position of rooting out micro-aggressions or unexamined bias can be good when done with good intentions by mentally strong people. it can also be a movement killer when done by those who are too afflicted by trauma or who are just cynical political shills.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

when people externalize their trauma into the real world in a way that makes coalition building or political strategy overly difficult. things like safe spaces and centering marginal voices have an important place, but knowing when and how to do that is something that seems to come easier to level-headed, resilient people. people who are hysterical and overly dramatic have tendencies to be conversation killers to anyone who wont patronize their behavior. they also turn off the "normies" who are often needed in situations that require mass numbers, like voting or worker unionizing.

and that is assuming these people are well-intentioned. i suspect some are simply trying to harm certain movements without being right wing. a centrist or neoliberal can battle progressives on matters of practicality (ie, this proposal is not popular enough, not affordable, etc.), but they often can only ideologically battle progressives on matters of symbolism (don't disrespect that black pharma CEO!, why are you bigoted against that bisexual eskimo CIA agent?)

attacking progressive movements from a position of rooting out micro-aggressions or unexamined bias can be good when done with good intentions by mentally strong people. it can also be a movement killer when done by those who are too afflicted by trauma or who are just cynical political shills.

This all seems misguided. What progressive organizations should really be trying to do is de-centering transgender and sexually oriented activists, and focus on racial minorities and economic issues.

And most of this trauma, psychologically burdened, ablest language comes from a prevailing interaction with sexual politics. This is more than abortion. This is non-mainstream edge-case sexual liberalism. This is not about race.

That’s where the real base is. Anything beyond that is the sort of insurgent distraction that is the elephant in the room. It’s not black issues, and if you note, they ignore all of the sexual/gender issues to focus on “Black people are complaining too much and hurting our ability to interact with white conservative voters”. You never hear them remark on how drag queen story hour, and having two dozen gender preferences is hurting our ability to speak normally.

@the cac mamba @Adeptus Astartes @CrushedGroove @NZA @THEREALBRAND @Consigliere @storyteller

 

[re'up]

when people externalize their trauma into the real world in a way that makes coalition building or political strategy overly difficult. things like safe spaces and centering marginal voices have an important place, but knowing when and how to do that is something that seems to come easier to level-headed, resilient people. people who are hysterical and overly dramatic have tendencies to be conversation killers to anyone who wont patronize their behavior. they also turn off the "normies" who are often needed in situations that require mass numbers, like voting or worker unionizing.

and that is assuming these people are well-intentioned. i suspect some are simply trying to harm certain movements without being right wing. a centrist or neoliberal can battle progressives on matters of practicality (ie, this proposal is not popular enough, not affordable, etc.), but they often can only ideologically battle progressives on matters of symbolism (don't disrespect that black pharma CEO!, why are you bigoted against that bisexual eskimo CIA agent?)

attacking progressive movements from a position of rooting out micro-aggressions or unexamined bias can be good when done with good intentions by mentally strong people. it can also be a movement killer when done by those who are too afflicted by trauma or who are just cynical political shills.

That part makes sense to me, the WHY is where I am curious. Why do people in my age range, and esp. younger seem to be hysterical and dramatic? I think about phrases like "I'm over that/this", "I'm DONE with____", "I'm BLOCKING you"

 

[mastermind]

That part makes sense to me, the WHY is where I am curious. Why do people in my age range, and esp. younger seem to be hysterical and dramatic?

Because we have a lot of existential crisises currently happening all at once and millennials and generation Z are feeling it.

When you step back and look, it makes sense but that’s not a defense Because wallowing does nothing.

You gotta get away from your WASPy company and content and start seeing how everyone else is living—not talking about criminals and going back to your old life , I’m talking about everyone else.

 

[NZA]

That part makes sense to me, the WHY is where I am curious. Why do people in my age range, and esp. younger seem to be hysterical and dramatic? I think about phrases like "I'm over that/this", "I'm DONE with____", "I'm BLOCKING you"

i think what @mastermind said is the case; too many social problems are happening at the same time. but i will also add that when we last had a situation like this in america in the 1960s, the people that would give us laypersons a lot of psychological definitions and concepts to latch on to were just starting to use acid and go to college and test the boundaries of old society. we are now living in the full development of what hippies developed - for good and bad.

 

[mastermind]

i think what @mastermind said is the case; too many social problems are happening at the same time. but i will also add that when we last had a situation like this in america in the 1960s, the people that would give us laypersons a lot of psychological definitions and concepts to latch on to were just starting to use acid and go to college and test the boundaries of old society. we are now living in the full development of what hippies developed - for good and bad.

You had street dudes appying Marxist and leninist concepts to their neighbors. We don’t have that today.

We had stronger unions as well. Now we all fight each other.

It makes sense why people carry themselves like they do, imo but its not an excuse but doing nothing and fighting each other will lead to our demise.

 

[mastermind]

ut knowing when and how to do that is something that seems to come easier to level-headed, resilient people. people who are hysterical and overly dramatic have tendencies to be conversation killers to anyone who wont patronize their behavior. they also turn off the "normies" who are often needed in situations that require mass numbers, like voting or worker unionizing.

I used to work on a college campus and a lot of these students exhibited issues like that which were harrowing as fukk. Angry as fukk but were only interested in their views and no one else’s.