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 [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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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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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 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

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

All populism is dangerous. We need sober technocracy, not exciting words.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 hours ago

So you're admitting that you're fine with the status quo then? Technocratic governance is great in theory, but it doesn’t win mass support because most people don’t engage with politics at a purely rational level. The right understands this, which is why they use emotion, identity, and simple narratives to drive people to action.

People don't vote based on spreadsheets! They vote based on what feels right to them, and i think we should have realized this by now. If all that mattered were competence and policy expertise, we wouldn’t be watching the rise of populist strongmen across the world. Until we learn to communicate in a way that resonates with ordinary people we’ll keep losing ground to reactionaries who have no problem using populist rhetoric to mobilize their base.