There does seem to be a growing awareness of the “crazy left” phenomenon. This isn’t just a political problem, it seems largely a personal one: a lot of these people just aren’t doing very well, psychologically speaking.
One worthwhile thing to note: I recently read George Orwell’s Road to Wigan Pier, and it included a lengthy section about how socialism would never take root in Britain so long as socialists remained so singularly unappealing as people. That makes me wonder whether this is in fact a new problem or not, or if there really is all that much of a difference between the “online left” and “the left” as such.
In any event, while it’s been encouraging to see a bit more self-awareness within the left about the toxicity of its culture, I’m really most curious about what the response is, beyond simply lamenting it. That doesn’t seem to have clearly materialized yet, and it seems like it could go in several directions.
There does seem to be a growing awareness of the “crazy left” phenomenon. This isn’t just a political problem, it seems largely a personal one: a lot of these people just aren’t doing very well, psychologically speaking.
One worthwhile thing to note: I recently read George Orwell’s Road to Wigan Pier, and it included a lengthy section about how socialism would never take root in Britain so long as socialists remained so singularly unappealing as people. That makes me wonder whether this is in fact a new problem or not, or if there really is all that much of a difference between the “online left” and “the left” as such.
In any event, while it’s been encouraging to see a bit more self-awareness within the left about the toxicity of its culture, I’m really most curious about what the response is, beyond simply lamenting it. That doesn’t seem to have clearly materialized yet, and it seems like it could go in several directions.
Thanks for Chomsky's wise comments on the current situation in the universities.