The struggle in the Left between those who favored a class analysis and those who favored identity politics was one I kept returning to because I couldn't resolve it.
I learned from reading Wittgenstein that if nobody can answer a philosophical question after many years of asking, there’s something wrong with the question. It has been formulated in a way the will forever block a satisfactory response.
The question here is that which problem matters most: class, race or gender? If you are, like me, a straight white male who grew up in a working class family, your focus may not be on race or gender. I've always been more comfortable with class issues. But that, of course, isn’t the answer. The question sets up a false quandary. I should focus on all three issues, which cannot, in a real society, be disentangled.
Which effective organizations work on class and identity issues at the same time? Some say that they do, but in fact the best effective organizations seem to stress one main issue. NOW, for example, is by reputation focused mainly—but not solely—on how white, educated women get treated. Black Lives Matter, largely led by black lesbians, according to gay literature I’ve read, considers gender and class issues, too, but the core seems to spring from a racial identity that rules out white membership.
What we need is an effective change organization that addresses class and identity at the same time. (How long have people been saying something so obvious?)
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