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What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

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Re: What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

#2
I totally get wanting to stray away from the empty signifier of "woke", but doesn't just calling it "social justice" make you kind of sound like the baddie if your opposing yourself to it?

"The scourge of social justice must be stopped!"

From a grim tactical point of view, it is smart to start finding ways to force an antagonism between your evil teens and regular liberals. I think that will work very well in the long run.

Because gosh darnit we must keep those statues standing up! Literally can't think of anything more important.

Re: What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

#4

I totally get wanting to stray away from the empty signifier of "woke", but doesn't just calling it "social justice" make you kind of sound like the baddie if your opposing yourself to it? "The scourge of social justice must be stopped!" From a grim tactical point of view, it is smart to start finding ways to force an antagonism between your evil teens and regular liberals. I think that will work very well in the lon…

The term social justice has been in popular use for at least a decade. "Woke" is just a dogwhistle. "Social justice warrior" had already been a polarizing term that came and went in popularity.

Re: What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

#5

I totally get wanting to stray away from the empty signifier of "woke", but doesn't just calling it "social justice" make you kind of sound like the baddie if your opposing yourself to it? "The scourge of social justice must be stopped!" From a grim tactical point of view, it is smart to start finding ways to force an antagonism between your evil teens and regular liberals. I think that will work very well in the lon…

It's probably best to name political ideologies for the ideal they believe in rather than whatever criticism their opponents hold for those ideas.

Conservatives want to conserve the status quo. Progressives want to see society progress. Liberals want liberty. Authoritarians want strong authority. "Social justice ideologists" doesn't roll off the tongue, but it does a decent job of conveying who we are talking about.

Re: What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

#6
> certain items measure differences between conservative and liberal positions on culture war issues

I strongly dislike the oversimplified left/right dichotomy. If your political views strictly adhere to either side, it suggests a lack of independent thought. I have very little interest in engaging with someone who can't appreciate alternative perspectives.

Re: What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

#7
I have no idea why someone thought to post the blog of Dr Thomas Prosser, Reader in European Social Policy at Cardiff Business School.

https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/prossertj

It's a terse dot point summary of some observations on recent surveys.

What I do know, however, is that a table of correlations does not identify "What drives social justice ideology". Not in the slightest.

It's not age that drives an outlook in the UK - that comes from particular issues and circumstances that are mainly affecting the young.

Similarly it's not being female that drives an outlook in the US, it's specific issues that predominately affect women, eg: abortion.

Dr Prosser might have the technical chops to cover his subject but his blog post title could use some work.

EDIT: Oh, of course it's entirely possible that 'ContrarianBrit' is Dr Prosser: https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=ContrarianBrit

Re: What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

#9

At its core, communism. Social justice is the means, not the ends. Which is why so many of us are so skeptical of it.

I think it goes beyond communism. There is a victim/outrage mentality in some people, and I get the impression they will always look for something to be outraged about. From what I have read of communism it is not based on a personality of playing the victim, and constantly looking for something to be outraged about.

Re: What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared

#10
post #9

At its core, communism. Social justice is the means, not the ends. Which is why so many of us are so skeptical of it.

I think it goes beyond communism. There is a victim/outrage mentality in some people, and I get the impression they will always look for something to be outraged about. From what I have read of communism it is not based on a personality of playing the victim, and constantly looking for something to be outraged about.

It is, at least, classical communist strategy:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguardism

> Secondly, it would educate the proletariat in Marxism in order to cleanse them of their "false individual consciousness" and instill the revolutionary "class consciousness" in them.

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