this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2025
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Where the HELL are left-wing influentials and intellectuals!? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 days ago by GrammarPolice@sh.itjust.works to c/politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world
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A new study on Gen Z men revealed that Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson are among the most trusted influencers.

It also found that 52% of UK men believe a "strongman" leader is needed to improve the country. Meanwhile, this article highlights how the right has been incredibly successful at indoctrinating young men into their ideology.

Why the hell is right-wing content so much more effective at gaining support? And why do left-wing influencers consistently fail to do the same? I’ll tell you why: we decided that social issues should take precedence over everything else, and by so doing have thrown all nuance out the window in the process.

The left—and I don’t want to hear Marxists bitching about how progressives “aren’t really leftists” because this kind of in-fighting is part of the fucking problem—needs to radically rethink its approach. Right now, the priority isn’t pushing our agenda. It’s stopping the worldwide fascist takeover.

And yes, this might mean abandoning identity politics entirely, as it is largely responsible for driving people away from the left and toward right-wing populism.

We need left-wing influencers who can effectively use populist tactics. We need less extremism from the progressive left, because in our obsession with social issues, we’ve lost the plot. We need to refocus on the economic needs of the people and stop alienating those who would otherwise support us.

The clock is ticking. Germany's elections are coming up, and Elon Musk has already shown support for the AfD—the most far-right party in Europe. If we don’t correct course now, we’ll soon be living in a world where fascism dominates and equality is a pipe-dream.

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[–] PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat 34 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I suspect that the right played up a lot of culture-war issues into major parts of the left's identity, and was carefully and conspicuously silent about a lot of the economic and regulational core that used to form the backbone of the left. And, the left bought it, and obediently tried to set a counterpoint to particular ignorant stuff the right was saying, and spent all their time talking about trans issues and the value of inclusion and safe language. Is that important? Absolutely, we need to fight for it. Does it win elections? Is it important enough to justify stepping away from working people's issues and environmental issues that used to be the core, and translated into concrete governmental action that would make a compelling argument for why this particular person is better suited to run the country in ways that 99% of the country can understand and agree with? Well...

And so the left "influencer" space is talking about things that, outside the people who want to make politics a particular and strong element of their identity, people generally don't give a shit about. Whereas, Jordan Petersen and Joe Rogan are talking about how to actualize yourself as a person, the tension between "free speech" and corporate overreach and government censorship, and other things that a lot of people care about. Even if their solutions and framings are bullshit, it's what people like to hear. It's not a lecture, addressed to someone who is being defined as "bad" if they don't agree with the message.

There's also a significant factor that malicious people invest tons of money into promoting the right-wing thought leaders, whereas any particular influencer on the left is more or less on their own to promote themselves, painstakingly building a small audience year by year, without huge boosters attached to anything and everything they want to do.

[–] GrammarPolice@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Exactly. The right dictates the battlefield, and the left obediently marches onto it. We follow like their lapdogs and push back against their own agendas instead of forging ours. This always happens. Instead of setting our own agenda - focusing on worker issues, wages, housing, and healthcare - we keep reacting to right-wing provocations. Now left-wing politics is all about what it's against than what it’s for. The core of our platform should be based on our economic and environmental prospects and policies rather than playing up culture wars that are secondary to the issues at hand.

Whereas, Jordan Petersen and Joe Rogan are talking about how to actualize yourself as a person, the tension between "free speech" and corporate overreach and government censorship, and other things that a lot of people care about

This is a crucial failure on our part. Right-wing influencers make their followers feel empowered - like they’re unlocking hidden truths about the world. Meanwhile, too many left-wing influencers have taken the approach of "my morals are better than yours" rather than educators or motivators. If we want to win, we have to stop lecturing and start leading.

There's also a significant factor that malicious people invest tons of money into promoting the right-wing thought leaders

I agree, but that doesn't mean left-wing populism is doomed. Leftist movements have thrived without major funding because they connected with people’s material concerns. Instead of relying on corporate funding, we should be building mass grassroots networks, leveraging crowdfunding, and focusing on organizing rather than just content creation. There are already people like Bernie Sanders who represent our sentiments on the grander stage, however where are his supporters? They're mute in comparison to the right-wing supporters.

There are already quite a few left-wing content creators and influencers, but they're responsible for the same moral gatekeeping i criticized earlier. We need the Ben Shapiros and the Charlie Kirks of leftism.

[–] PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah. Although I wouldn't discount the significant of having wealthy backers, or not, in setting the landscape. The only leftist influencer I can think of that's really talking about these issues is Jon Stewart, with this as a shining example of what the conversation should be looking like on the left:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeheoxWzf2o

Why is that relegated to an oddball Youtube channel, which is obviously nowhere in my recommendations because of course it isn't, such that I almost would have missed it if not for seeing it on Lemmy? Because Apple told Jon Stewart to stop pissing off China, and he told them to go fuck themselves, and so he had to switch platforms.

Also it's significant that for a lot of Democratic politicians, it's a hell of a lot easier to talk about performative issues of social justice, in ways that are only ever pretty indirectly connected to specific policies, than it is to talk about issues of economic justice and get angry phone calls from the super-wealthy people who finance all their campaigns and operations.

[–] GrammarPolice@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 days ago

Jon Stewart is one of the few left-wing figures actually making the right arguments (although i haven't seen that specific video), and the fact that he got pushed to the margins for it proves that media conglomerates don’t want real leftist messaging getting mainstream traction. This is why we need independent platforms, community organizing, and alternative funding sources. The right didn’t build their media empire overnight, and neither will we, but we have to start.

get angry phone calls from the super-wealthy people who finance all their campaigns and operations.

This is exactly why corporate-backed liberals love identity politics. It lets them appear progressive without challenging the structures that keep the wealthy in power. A perfect example is how corporations slap rainbow flags on everything in June but continue union-busting, exploiting workers, and funding right-wing politicians behind the scenes. This shit is right in our faces but we're blindsided to see that we're only dancing to the tune of conservatives.

[–] JamesMichaelElmore@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Right Wing Content - Is never fact checked by its audience, as long as it aligns with the brand of hatred they follow it Left Wing content - Is always fact checked by the audience, requires thinking skills, comprehension skills

[–] GrammarPolice@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This doesn't mean that left-wing populism is dead though. There can absolutely be left-wing movements based on facts that appeal to the majority

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[–] Drusas@fedia.io 14 points 2 days ago

Jon Stewart, John Oliver

[–] janus2@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

the left wing "influencers" I can name off the top of my head:

  • J.T. (Second Thought), Hakim, & Yugopnik (The Deprogram)
  • Cody Johnston & Katy Stoll (Some More News)
  • Roz, Liam, Nova, & Gareth (Well There's Your Problem)
  • Jake Flores, Alex Ptak & Anders Lee (Pod Damn America)

but yeah none of them use the types of manipulative communication that got Tate and Peterson so famous in the mainstream, for better or worse 🤷‍♀️

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[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 1 day ago (7 children)

We need left-wing influencers who can effectively use populist tactics. We need less extremism from the progressive left, because in our obsession with social issues, we’ve lost the plot. We need to refocus on the economic needs of the people and stop alienating those who would otherwise support us.

I am trying to get UBI (Universal Basic Income) implemented, and i am against migration. (Read that carefully: I am against migration, not against migrants)

So ... the left constantly shits on me for being "a racist", while the right are ... idiots.

What do i do?

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[–] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It sounds like you’d enjoy and find useful George Lakoff’s Don’t Think of an Elephant.

Edit: His most recent edition of the book not only talks about frames, but also institutional incentives, as well as the history of Republicans and why they have succeeded in framing and Democrats haven’t.

[–] GrammarPolice@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Thanks for this resource! I didn't know this was something that had been previously well articulated.

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