One of the big problems I have with identity politics is its certitude that you can never even imagine what it’s like to be a member of some other group, to be oppressed, or to experience suffering in some particular way.
Of course, no, you cannot 100% understand what it is like to live that way each and every day.
But it’s actually quite easy to generalize individual experiences to get an idea of what it’d be like to not be able to go certain places without risk of assault. Or to risk being arrested for run-of-the-mill activities. Etc. Humans have this thing called empathy if they choose to use it (many unfortunately do not use it which is where identity politics should really focus).
The identity politics canard of “you can’t possibly understand so shut up!” is not even helpful to the people experiencing the oppression because human nature being what it is, the response of 99% of people will be, “Well, ok then, I give up and don’t care anymore.”
Only stubborn people like me will persist; the rest will vamoose.
I understand oppressed groups shouldn’t have to cater to my needs or to anyone else’s. But it’s strange when they harm their own causes greatly when it’s just not necessary.
If people get the message that they cannot possibly understand, help or otherwise be of use, they won’t bother trying — and unfortunately most of the identity-politics sends this message loud and clear every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
But it’s actually quite easy to generalize individual experiences to get an idea of what it’d be like to not be able to go certain places without risk of assault. Or to risk being arrested for run-of-the-mill activities. Etc. Humans have this thing called empathy if they choose to use it (many unfortunately do not use it which is where identity politics should really focus).
Is it? I manage periodic surprise at the limits of empathy and imagination of most people. This stunting happens early. It’s actually funny sometimes to see people reject reality because it does not comport with how they know the world to work or how they think it should work.
“I know nurses are always female, so I’m going to correct you several times whenever you say ‘he’ and ‘His name is Mike’ and then be surprised when I’m transferred to a basso profundo on the phone!”
My working assumption is that hardcore identity politics is not about easing oppression which is why they don’t want empathy or allies. It’s about reinforcing identity in a particular group as something special and forever closed off to those outside the group.
“you couldn’t possibly imagine” is less addressed to outsiders than aimed at insiders.
The rise of antagonistic identity politics in recent years is part of the overall trend of members of groups backing out of shared public spaces in favor of smaller more cohesive groupings.