One of the great observations I’ve made, at least on social media, but also in person is that half the problem American leftists have with their arguments for societal change is that they aren’t popular and they tend to shame people rather than offering them a different vision of the future.The mother superior, finger wagging attitudes are not a way to make friends. This can be observed across the pandemic and climate change. Many people were shamed for choosing to not take the vaccine. People lost friends, family, and relationships over that debate and instead of engaging in a conversation about it and addressing the real concerns, anyone who questioned it was simply dismissed.
The climate crisis is even worse. Anyone who objects to some of the science or the conclusions reached is dismissed at the face. People will complain “the planet is burning and no one is doing anything about it!” The hysteria has sapped the climate debate of seriousness that should be afforded to the crisis and yet the narrative has completely devolved into unnecessary shouting that accomplishes nothing.
It annoys me that these progressive policies can’t get more traction. It’s always a fight to move society forward to a new vision and view. So why do Leftist arguments just seem to fall flat?
Not-so-welcoming
When it comes to how welcoming the Left can or cannot be I know first-hand what it is like to join up to the Liberal cause. My ex-girlfriend always thought I was a bit suspect because I used to be a republican and only started voting left and becoming more liberal in 2012. A life-long democrat herself (her parents too!), she just couldn’t understand why someone with my identities would be anything other than liberal. This attitude is also often observed about other BIPOC who don’t align with the Liberal cause of the Democrats. President Biden said, “If you don’t vote for me you’re not black,” flatly in the 2020 race. If someone is considering making a shift in their political alignment these strategies are the not the way to make friends and influence people.
One of the charges I also hear often is that people on the right are more “open-minded” than people on the Left. As the observation goes, people on the Right are open to different view points on things and consider more sources than…
