Economic and social inequality exist. There are so many privileges people have in this society based on social class. In particular, how they are treated by our judicial system. But also our labor market and our health care system. Motor and I may have our disagreements, but I often find him an enjoyable voice in the wilderness on reminding people about those things. Anybody saying we have an unfair system that favors our economic elites is telling the truth. So I'm not going to disagree with them. Much like race, ignoring social class, and the impacts of poverty, on our society, won't make the suffering it creates go away. So people who say talking about the real problems of social class is fomenting class warfare can go bite me. I prefer to throw a little Warren Buffet at them: "Yes, there is a class war in this country, but it's my class, the rich, who's waging it on the poor."sam lefthand wrote: ↑Wed Nov 10, 2021 9:07 am We've talked a lot about populism over the years X. I agree with you. For just a brief moment it can seem like a good thing if it's focus in on a good thing, but it's something which even under the best circumstances doesn't age well. It always turns sour so quickly.
When it's blended with nationalism and patriotism it becomes a nightmare.
So, no, the left populists don't bother me that much. They are pointing to realities. What does, though, is when left populists in Britain point to an anti-Semitic mural in Britain that clearly seems to be implying all those economic elites are Jews, that I have a problem. Left populism can slip on the horseshoe over to right-leaning anti-Semitism and I've seen it in action. Even Marx knew the dangers there which is why he called anti-Semitism "the socialism of fools".
Right populists often claim that intellectuals like myself, especially Jewish intellectuals in media/Hollywood and academia, are part of a plot to corrupt our country's traditional values etc. etc. etc. That takes the straighter road to fascism. It worries me more. Right populism leads to aggressive anti intellectualism, and before you know it people are on the White House lawn telling you to avoid demon seed, alien DNA, and drink your HCQ. Eventually it morphs into QAnon, and suddenly starts saying Hollywood celebrities, which oddly often shockingly enough have Jewish names, are doing Satanic rituals on our kids, and drinking their adrenochrome.