"helpful advice" to the social change movement


Rather oddly, one still hears the argument that left demonstrations should concentrate on specific messages (e.g., for the March on Washington yesterday, "stop the war") and (somehow or other) prevent participation by kooky "identity" types, who just want to flaunt their non-conformity -- usually, these days, non-conformity to heterosexual norms. The argument for this position is that the "identity protesters" turn off the "Peoria" folks whose support is needed for the anti-war campaign to succeed.

But, the people who make this argument usually continue, this kind of identity protest is not needed anymore, because the American people are much more tolerant than they were in the Sixties, when identity protest (they say) took over the left. If that's so, then why would these oh-so-tolerant Peoria residents be turned off by non-conformists? It seems there is a bit of a contradiction here.

Can such contradictory thinking really be helpful advice?

Posted: Sun - September 25, 2005 at 06:13 PM           | |

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