Sanders is giving progressive proletarians a respectable way to express their natural anxieties about the deluge of Third World laborers because such people are unable to admit to holding reactionary prejudices. He's rediscovering the Old Left's demotic strategy of appealing to selfish, tribal impulses by using the language of selflessness and solidarity at a time when America's white workers feel left out by the New Left's obsession with minorities.
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Most of this is crud, of course, but it is true that the left wing has not been addressing the needs of white working-class folk. Joe Bageant wrote about this in Deer Hunting with Jesus and Rainbow Pie; there are people in places like West Virginia mining towns or Appalachian places that have to hunt literally so they can eat, or they have to choose between their electric bill and their food, etc. It doesn't justify reactionary prejudices, of course, but it is true that we haven't been looking out for certain working-class people. That's not because of evil; it's just an oversight on our part.
@Anonymous
100% true. There really is a point to this here lost amidst the nonsense. I don't agree with Sanders's stance on immigration which is just a step up from Donald Trump, but sometimes I feel like too many alleged "leftists" and "progressives" in America forget the fact that being white, male, and straight in America isn't an instant ticket to the middle class and above, and you can look at these rural counties with sizable poverty rates that includes substantial amounts of whites as proof.
We are going to appeal to selfishness by language about selflessness? Gee, who knew we could do that. And Trump will address poverty by talking about how much money he has, and Walker will appeal to the workers by shutting down workers' unions, and you, I suppose, are trying to appeal to intellect by spouting nonsense.
"appealing to selfish, tribal impulses by using the language of selflessness and solidarity"
WAR IS PEACE
SOLIDARITY IS SELFISHNESS
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Sanders is giving progressive proletarians
Except that actual support for Sanders tends to come from the educated, white middle-class.
He's rediscovering the Old Left's demotic strategy of appealing to selfish, tribal impulses by using the language of selflessness and solidarity
Which is far better than the Old Right's strategy of appealing to selfish, tribal impulses by using the language of racism and divisiveness.
Now this is just plain stupid.
Hopefully I'll be able to vote for Bernie next November, but if not, I'll take Hillary over any one of the warmongers, theocrats or shameless corporate tools the GOTP is offering us.
the Old Left's demotic strategy of appealing to selfish, tribal impulses by using the language of selflessness and solidarity
How does that work? I honestly would like to know.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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