Has the right monopolized the anti-capitalist conversation?
I’ve been wrestling with something for a while, so I figured a good way to play with some ideas would be to write about it. Maybe it’ll get you thinking a bit more as well, and maybe you can even enlighten me about what’s going on because it’s all extremely confusing.
For a while now, I’ve been trying to understand why traditional Democrats loathe progressives even though we’re “on the same side”. Something that just hit me is that I think it’s because the right has monopolized the conversation in this increasingly polarized time.
Why does the left have beef with progressives?
This is honestly just such a strange thing to me. As mentioned, we’re on the same “side”. In these tribal times, you’d think it’d bring people together even more on the left, but that’s not what’s happening.
And don’t get me wrong, I think progressives cannibalize themselves, and it’s a hot fucking mess. But that’s something to discuss another day.
As a progressive who has a lot of resentment toward our current system of capitalism and the rich in general, I’m regularly blown away at how many people on the left defend them. Whenever I see people on the left defending billionaires or establishment Democrats who do more for corporations than working people, I’m flabbergasted.
If I had to bet, I’d bet that the majority of these types are upper-middle-class Americans. It’d make sense because they’re on the rung of the ladder right below the extremely rich, so anything taken away from the rich would most likely affect them pretty soon as well.
As for the middle- and lower-class lefties defending these people, I imagine they’re just as silly as the Republicans who live in trailer parks and believe Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump are fighting for them.
Also, I apologize for the trailer park stereotype, but it’s what I think of when I think of poverty-stricken people in red states voting for these right-wing politicians who don’t care about them.
Anywho, the amount of vitriol I see from people on the left is astounding. It happens when I criticize something that should be university accepted as terrible like Nancy Pilosi’s shady stock bullshit.
I could write a whole different piece about the people celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act like it’s the biggest thing since desegregation or allowing women the right to vote. Or the CHIPs ACT, which is going to make a whole lot of rich people a lot richer.
I legit had someone the other day call me a cultist for thinking people should have healthcare as a human right. That’s where we’re at with the left right now.
What started me thinking about how the right has monopolized this conversation is how these people who talk mind-numbingly stupid shit to me often relate it to MAGA supporters.
Real progressive values and the war of the woke
I’ve also noticed that for some reason, people on the left think that progressives are against social justice and progress. It’s literally in the label “progressive”, so that’s also strange to me.
For example, when corporate democrats virtue signal, the woke left think we’re against it. A great example is all of us who think Hillary Clinton was a garbage candidate. “Oh, so you don’t think a woman should be president?!” No, we just think she’s garbage for her loyalty to corporations over citizens along with every other awful thing shes’ done in her lifetime.
We would love a female president. Actually, if I’m being honest, we don’t give a shit who is a president or congressperson. Female, trans, Muslim, Black, or any other marginalized community, we don’t give a fuck. We love representation, but we also know that it’s a shallow gesture to just put someone in the position as a way to virtue signal.
Overall, we want the best possible quality of life for the most amount of people.
This is also why the right is annoying. I just want to scream, “Hey assholes, we want you to have free healthcare, a livable wage and everything else we’re fighting for.” But they can’t grasp that concept for some reason.
We progressives often bitch about corporate democrats who try to check boxes of what they believe the left wants, and then the mindless defenders of establishment Democrats act like it’s something life-changing.
Listen, getting more representation and teaching people about systemic racism, our patriarchal system and every other problem is awesome. But if we can’t pay our bills or have a decent quality of life, literally none of that matters.
So, where we progressives often split from the traditional democrats is that we have a lot of issues with capitalism. We know that capitalism is the root of a lot of these systemic issues, but democrats who are basic as fuck or are just too privileged to know what a real struggle is don’t get that.
Because of this, the right has monopolized the illusion of being “for the working class”, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth.
How the right manipulated so many people
Do you know how stupid it is to watch people actually believe multi-millionaires and billionaires who act as though they’re against the elite and the establishment?
I was inspired to write this because I was watching this new video “How Fox News Conquered America” from Then & Now.
Toward the end, he discusses how Donald Trump ran on draining the swamp and tricking millions of people into thinking that he’s just so rich that he can’t be corrupted by the wealthy elite.
I hate to break it do you, but rich people want more money. You think people get rich by realizing there’s an endpoint to their desire for wealth and power? They always want more, ya dummy.
Meanwhile, Fox News has done the same thing. They made millions of their viewers believe they’re for the working class, and it’s absolutely insane. They’ve built it into their language. Everyday, they’re talking about the wealthy elites and the college-educated who look down on you.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: rich people don’t care about you.
It’s all just a manipulation.
Listen, for as many criticisms I have of capitalism, I’m still not sure if I think we need a different system or this one can be repaired. But what I do know is that the right sells people on the dream that anyone can become a millionaire like them thanks to capitalism, and that’s just false.
The greatest predictor of wealth in this country is being born into a family that has wealth.
But, like I said, Fox News has woven this into their narrative, and so have all of the right-wing politicians like Trump and all of the congresspeople.
Tribalism melted our brains
And now we’re here. We’re at the point where I explain what inspired this piece.
I had a little “aha” moment.
If you look around, it’s extremely clear that the left-wing and right-wing tribes have their talking points. Without knowing anything about a person, I could probably figure out their political ideology based on a few simple questions:
Should critical race theory be taught in schools?
Should teachers be able to discuss LGBTQ topics?
Are you vaccinated?
By the way, I know a lot of people on the right are vaccinated. But just asking them the question, if they’re on the right, they’ll go into some big dumb rant about it like drawing a moth to a flame.
Well, one of the talking points the right has grasped onto is being anti-elite. Because of this, the left can’t talk about it.
Because…well, you know…we can’t agree with them on anything or it means we agree with everything they say. (that was sarcasm in case you didn’t get that)
So, Fox News has monopolized anti-elite conversations, and the left-wing outlets like CNN and MSNBC have taken all the social justice topics.
And this is why I think so many traditional democrats turn into assholes when progressives criticize how Democratic politicians care more about their own money and the money of corporations than whether or not we can all put food on the table.
When we criticize the rich and the powerful or how Dems are only out for corporate interests, traditional dems get triggered and instantly think about the right. They start seeing us as a “them” even though we criticize the right as much or more than they do.
I just needed to get this thought out of my head to play around with it a little, and I hope it made sense. Tribalism has made us dumb, and people automatically group others based on talking points and have completely disregarded the concept of nuance. It’s really tiring.
So, I guess, well-played Fox News. You jacked one of our talking points and made it your own. Now we have left-wing voters who want equal opportunity but don’t mind if that opportunity doesn’t pay you enough to support your family or get medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Fox News can be as pro-capitalist as they want with the cover that they’re fighting for the working class.
I like to end with a solution, so here goes:
If you happen to be on the left and don’t understand us progressives, talk to us. We don’t just want the social justice equality, we want wealth equality. We know that it’s going to hurt the pockets of some wealthy liberals, but that’s the price we have to pay to reach true equality.
Being a leftist is about making sacrifices for the greater good. That’s a big ask, but it’s the only way we’ll reach what we say we’re fighting for.
If you enjoyed this post, it’d mean a lot to me if you shared it. Forward it in an email, share it on social media, or whatever suits your fancy.
To stay updated follow me on Twitter and Instagram @TheRewiredSoul and subscribe to the Substack.