Todd Gitlin, characterising identity politics, as a “conservative move” that balkanizes the Left into interest groups and “detracts from mobilizing for overarching goals”.
One thing that is not in short demand is the proliferation of unassociated groups, organisations, expertise, technological playgrounds, art projects, community projects, publications and political groups of every persuasion.
How does the young person or activist swimming in a sea of endless options be encouraged to connect to solid over arching goals such as for instance; health, education, housing, employment. How does the activist student as Gitlin puts it. “Get to know people who don’t spend their days monitoring petty slights or working out theoretical positions”
How are we to engage with working class communities in solid useful ways?
The splitting of activists groups into distinct sect-like organisations with no interchanging goals or communications isolates both people and ideas. It goes against what needs to be done to build community solidarity discovering what the community thinks and wants and has in common with others.
We can still be individuals, pursue different aspects of work, be as diverse and creative as we want to be, so long as we remember: What we are fighting is a well organised, focused, determined, powerful, collective tyranny of parasites who know exactly what they want and how they are going to go about getting it.