Okay, I need to do some bitching. Recently I moved to Europe from the states and it’s actually bonkers to me how identity politics have been drilled into people through academic infrastructure.
People here seem to treat marginalized groups like religious figures, like it’s modern blasphemy to challenge or question anything they do or say simply because they’re marginalized.
Even some of the more “socialist“ people I’ve met are absolutely indoctrinated into this way of thinking. When I try to circle the conversation back to Marx and the idea that our material conditions allowed us to reach these conclusions about marginalized groups, they still refuse to budge.
They seem to be of a particular persuasion that because we’re white, we’re not allowed to have ideas that aren’t culturally approved™️ by a marginalized academic person. That somehow our skin color strips us of the ability to perceive information and form our own opinions. Their reasoning always returns to this undefinable notion of “privilege”.
I have tried to help them understand that we’re all oppressed by capitalism and that our primary focus should be on solving that first before concentrating on ultra niche micro communities.
They are intelligent enough to understand that capitalism is a huge problem, but also refuse to acknowledge the historically tested methods of combatting it i.e. Lenin, Stalin, Mao.
Now, the far right here in Europe is gaining ground because the progressive intellectual monolithic “left” has spent way too much time and resources playing with their twats about marginalized groups. Instead of doing things that regular people give a shit about.
It feels like America all over again(only with better food this time) watching politicians that claim to be for the people do basically nothing while having a performative wank sesh about being the “bigger person”.
I am liking Europe quite a lot, despite all of my above moaning. People here in general are much more sociable and outgoing. It is also cool to see the history of places.
TL;DR Europe is a fun cool place, just don’t expect to experience much class consciousness here.