William M.
Sep 2, 2018 · 2 min read

I have a ton of feelings about this article. While I agree with the overall point that Leftbook is toxic, overly focused on identity politics, and that it fosters an anxiety-inducing ban-happy culture where people get dogpiled rather than learning, I’m not sure where this random attack on Psychology fits in or about the supposed rampant Stalinism (with that said, unlike Leftbook I would like to talk about those views and potentially change your mind, or see evidence you could provide, rather than banning you or shaming you). I admittedly was only in two Leftbook groups before I decided to leave, so maybe the Stalinism just didn’t occur in those groups, but if anything they seemed pretty hostile to tankies. Screenshots would help your case a ton! Then again, they seemed pretty hostile to most groups in ways that shut down discussion. There was a different type of authoritarianism though — mostly based on a very ban-happy interpretation of social justice.

I think it is important to emphasize that there is nothing wrong, inherently, with talking about identity-based issues like discrimination against certain groups. Those groups being small isn’t a reason to ignore their concerns. I think/hope you agree with that but in your article it could come across differently. I do totally agree though that a lot of people in these groups really overlook economics, and I would also emphasize that a lot of them do not really address at all issues that would make a difference in the lives of many people — like universal healthcare, higher minimum wage, better welfare, etc. I see what you are saying when you connect that to Democrats under Obama, but I would actually compare it more to Hillary’s loss. I don’t think Obama coasted on identity, as he at least really addressed the healthcare issue. You are right that many do not learn much about economics and can get out-debated as a result. If you take a dip into the world of right-wing YouTube or Reddit, you will find people much more openly expressing their views and learning/strategizing with each other. Even when you have abhorrent views there, they learn how to provide (false) evidence for them. Leftbook on the other hand drives people away from the Left. If we keep up like this, the Right Wing will be welcoming people and giving them evidence of their views, while the Left will drive people away with bans, shaming, and platitudes. This isn’t everything I think about this article, but I think it hits most of the main points.

This basically sums up the whole issue with Leftbook and why it doesn’t work.

William M.

Written by

Politics, especially of a Progressive nature, William & Mary alum

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