In this latest blog I will argue against personal identity politics on the grounds that it creates fracture and division amongst the working class. Also it can create a petite bourgeois left not based on the working class. I will also strongly argue in favour of class politics as being the only politics that can lead to true human liberation. As the working class need to act in unity to fight capitalist exploitation.
Personal identity politics started to grow in the late 1960,s and early 1970,s. The proponents of identity politics were mainly middle class academics. They argued that the white working class in Western Europe and North America was now a conservative political force due to the growth of the affluent society and they were now opposed to radical political change. Clearly they did not foresee the growth of neo liberalism in the late 1970,s and globalization which has created a mass pool of casual low paid labor in both North America and Western Europe.
The supporters of PID argued that to bring about radical change you needed to create a new political coalition based on ethnic minority groups. Also gays and lesbians,women and also students. Of course they did not take into account the fact that being a student is only a short a temporary short phase in peoples life and that after they leave university many students gradually become political conservatives and strong supporters of the corporate capitalist system. Also some women are part of the capitalist class.
However in my opinion the real problem with PID politics is that it hides the real cause of oppression which is the capitalist exploitation of the working masses. Racial minorities and gays and lesbians are in my opinion usually exploited in their work places by the capitalist class.
Also if you place emphasis on one particular racial minority it can creates divisions with other racial minorities. It can also stop them uniting with other racial ethnic groups within the working class and also the white working class who are also exploited by the capitalist class.
This in why in my opinion in America and Europe the ruling class like to try and promote a liberal ‘left’ which is not class based but instead is based on personal identity politics as it does not challenge the power of the capitalist system and its exploitation of the working class.
Also under PID you now have the growing tensions between gays and lesbians on the one hand and transgender people on the other hand. Division which clearly suits the capitalist class.
Of course you must fight racism and racial oppression. Also you must defend the rights of gays and lesbians and also fight women,s oppression. However you must do this on a class basis inside the working class movement.
Only by fighting for working class liberation on a class basis. In other words class politics can you truly help fight for the liberation of women,different racial groups and gays and lesbians.
Working class unity and power is the key to the liberation of the human race. In other words class politics.
Best wishes to all for the future.
kevinclarion 