I just read a provocative article entitled #JeNeSuisPasLiberal: Entering the Quagmire of Online Leftism, that articulates, in a way I have been incapable of doing, the odd antagonisms between what is broadly called “the left.” David Auerback, the author, argues that people
on the left hold radically different perspectives from one another with respect to trust (measured on a continuum from suspicion to solidarity) and agency (measured along a continuum from structural to ethical).
The concepts he presents are fascinating, if a bit hard to grasp at first; the article is not an easy read, in that the philosophical constructs he suggests take real thought to get through (at least it took me quite a bit of time to think through).
I’m not sure whether I agree with his entire argument, but I certainly can see how he came to explore the antagonisms within leftist movements. It will be interesting to go back to the article in a month or a year and see whether it’s any easier to grasp and whether my perspective changes over time.
