Glenn II claimed, with regard to Glenn Sr’s rejection of identity politics:
“I don’t think you reject identity politics. I think you play a different brand [of identity politics]. I mean, if you’re calling yourself a conservative, you are embracing some sort of identity. I think people who are against identity politics are always being, by and large, disingenuous. ALL POLITICS IS IDENTITY POLITICS” (my emphasis).
That is a fundamental misunderstanding of identity politics. Sex, race and ethnicity are factors into which someone is born. One is not born into being a conservative, moderate, liberal, or progressive. In identity politics, people advocate that those within a particular sexual, racial, or ethnic group must band together, no matter what other features, ideas, or characteristics individual members of the group may have, against an opposing sexual, racial and ethnic group(s) (again, no matter what other ideas individual members of that group may have). That is grossly reductionist thinking: It’s an Us-versus-Them contest that is rooted only in a particular immutable identity. It is not based on arguments (such as a conservative or progressive arguments).
“I belong to Group X — therefore, as a member of Group X, I, and the rest of the Group X members, are entitled to A, B, C,...n. AND, YOU, as an opposing member of Group Y must do D, E, F,…n.”
No arguments. Just identity and DECLARATIONS of Truth™︎.
“You are the oppressor! I am the oppressed!” Or “The entire explanation for racial disparities is ‘systemic racism’! There are no other relevant factors!”
Identity politics are also authoritarian. I can have a good faith discussion about contentious issues with anyone along the political spectrum IF they don’t demand I simply accede to their worldview or their “lived truth” (such as insisting that “Racism = Bias + Power” as though that is an incontestable proposition).
So, no, quite emphatically, “All politics is NOT identity politics.”
I agree with you that when used within the term "identity politics", the word "identity" is equivocated down to a small handful of inborn characteristics.
The true identity of a person is something mediated among the person's inborn characteristics, their mental and physical development, and their social setting (credit to Jordan Peterson for pointing out the last one).
We often have to attach labels--like "conservative" or even "black conservative"--to particular aspects of a person's identity to facilitate efficient discourse, but we should be cautious in how much accuracy we can ascribe to these labels in conveying information about the person's identity.
Glenn II claimed, with regard to Glenn Sr’s rejection of identity politics:
“I don’t think you reject identity politics. I think you play a different brand [of identity politics]. I mean, if you’re calling yourself a conservative, you are embracing some sort of identity. I think people who are against identity politics are always being, by and large, disingenuous. ALL POLITICS IS IDENTITY POLITICS” (my emphasis).
That is a fundamental misunderstanding of identity politics. Sex, race and ethnicity are factors into which someone is born. One is not born into being a conservative, moderate, liberal, or progressive. In identity politics, people advocate that those within a particular sexual, racial, or ethnic group must band together, no matter what other features, ideas, or characteristics individual members of the group may have, against an opposing sexual, racial and ethnic group(s) (again, no matter what other ideas individual members of that group may have). That is grossly reductionist thinking: It’s an Us-versus-Them contest that is rooted only in a particular immutable identity. It is not based on arguments (such as a conservative or progressive arguments).
“I belong to Group X — therefore, as a member of Group X, I, and the rest of the Group X members, are entitled to A, B, C,...n. AND, YOU, as an opposing member of Group Y must do D, E, F,…n.”
No arguments. Just identity and DECLARATIONS of Truth™︎.
“You are the oppressor! I am the oppressed!” Or “The entire explanation for racial disparities is ‘systemic racism’! There are no other relevant factors!”
Identity politics are also authoritarian. I can have a good faith discussion about contentious issues with anyone along the political spectrum IF they don’t demand I simply accede to their worldview or their “lived truth” (such as insisting that “Racism = Bias + Power” as though that is an incontestable proposition).
So, no, quite emphatically, “All politics is NOT identity politics.”
I agree with you that when used within the term "identity politics", the word "identity" is equivocated down to a small handful of inborn characteristics.
The true identity of a person is something mediated among the person's inborn characteristics, their mental and physical development, and their social setting (credit to Jordan Peterson for pointing out the last one).
We often have to attach labels--like "conservative" or even "black conservative"--to particular aspects of a person's identity to facilitate efficient discourse, but we should be cautious in how much accuracy we can ascribe to these labels in conveying information about the person's identity.