The Modern American Left Is Not Radical

written on 02/04/2023

I have always been an incredibly opinionated person. I think, in a sense, I have simply never had the privilege of not caring. Growing up with abuse, cults, racism, transmisogyny, and disability meant that I was constantly under attack, and constantly needed to know where I stood on my issues so that I knew how to stand up for myself.

This was why leftist ideology, particularly that of anarchy and marxism, always appealed to me. It spoke to what I always believed: that convervative capitalism is the death of creativity, of equality, and of respect in society, and that to make any difference in our lives we need to be willing to take bold stances for what we believe in.

As I got older, and as topics such as lgbt rights, disabled rights, and etc became more of a discussion, I thought that it would become easier for me to find people who agreed with my stances on what affects our world. The inherent corruptness of government, the need for full access to abortion and healthcare, the need for every single person to be treated with love and kindess regardless of who they are or what they've done. However, as I've gone out into the world I've discovered the exact opposite. Especially at colleges that call themselves liberal or left, where I've spent much of my time, people don't actually take very kindly to the discussion of genuine leftist ideas.

You can talk about equality, but you can't bring up dynamics of privilege in your immediate space. You can talk about issues with government, but you can't be too aggressive and you still have to be positive about the current democracy. You can push for love and for kindness, but only when it's for people everyone else considers acceptable.

This, I think, is not just something that happens in these spaces, but is a phenomenon that's very widespread.

Ever since "liberal" subjects such as gay rights first started to become very public discussion, saying you're on the left became more of a trend than anything. People who just mildly believed in things like respect of lgbt people and treating disabled people well were more willing to call themselves leftist, because it was more popular now (especially online) and would make them more well accepted.

This use of leftism, as a mild social stance and not a radical belief in ultimate change for people, has most certainly led to the deterioration of spaces that call themselves leftist. More and more people are willing to say they're on the left, but only when it's comfortable for them. Only when it doesn't interfere with their everyday life. Only when they can safely discourse about it online without bringing it into the real world.

It is no longer radical to be on the left in America, bevause the left has essentially become equivalent to centrism. It's stating that you believe something, getting praise for it, and then patting yourself on the back without ever considering genuine change in your world. Not even the entire world necessarily, but YOUR world - your community, your family, your everyday life.

To be clear, I don't believe that being radical is equal to excessive action. I don't believe that to be radical you need to always be out protesting, doing speeches, and generally putting yourself in danger by being loud.

What I do believe is that being radical is a way of life. It influences the way you interact with everyone, every day - and ideally, it comes from a source of genuinely believing that everyone on this earth should be treated with love and respect, regardless of who. That belief guides how you talk to and interact with everyone, and that is what it is to be radical.

Being leftist has lost its meaning in the public. And for me, I believe that more people need to be willing to stand out, to be radical, and to believe in things that genuinely imply change. Only then will said change actually begin to happen, even if only bit by bit.