Dear Liberals or Conservatives, When you say left, you probably aren’t actually talking about the left. Find another name. Or at least understand the difference between the woke left and the traditional left which although largely silenced does still exist. Here is a crude guide for liberals and conservatives who want to know the difference. PS: If you want a stark demonstration of the differences between the current woke left and traditional left, and see how the woke left has become the intersectional pet of the ruling elites, watch this 2 minute CIA recruiting video or read: Anti-Oppression Politics is a Red Herring to Divert Our Attention from Empire, Inequality, and Class Solidarity.
| Issue | Traditional left | Woke left |
|---|---|---|
| Free speech | Yes, a core value historically, although there is debate about the boundaries | No |
| Speech is violence | No | Yes |
| Anti-capitalist | Yes | Sometimes lip service but belied by funding and support they receive in the halls of capitalism |
| Anti-authoritarian | Yes, no, depends. Historically, plenty of both. The anti-authoritarian strands generally consider that leftist ideology was hijacked and distorted by authoritarians, such as the Bolsheviks | No |
| Class analysis | Yes | No |
| Antiracist | Yes, but sees working on material benefits for everyone as a path to diminish real, historical racism | Centers on race as an explanation for everything, perpetuates grouping of humanity by race |
| Universalist | core | No, centers on grouping people by race and race as an explanation for all the world’s ills |
| Anti-empire | Yes although sometimes blindspots for some leftists in being able to see non-american imperialism for what it is | Speaks about anti-colonialism of the past but is supported by the most imperialist of corporations and supports many imperialist policies based on party partisanship |
| Workers’ rights | Yes, including worker ownership of enterprise | Limited to some unionization but because it centers on race, not workers in general it is divisive and supports the status quo |
| Social justice | Yes, but focused on improving material well being of all, not centered on race | Centered on race and identity |
| Transgender ideology | Neutral, individuals could go either way but is not relevant to core leftist ideology | Core issue |
| BLM | Yes to the underlying cause of social justice, but sees the BLM organization with skepticism | Yes, unequivocally |
| Anti-war | Historically against war which is seen as elites grinding up working class | Neutral but partisan pro-democrat, woke elites appear to be more Raytheon influenced |
| Materialist analysis of social ills | Yes, primarily concerned with material well being | No, primarily concerned with subjective identity and magical thinking |
| Challenges power | Yes | No |
