Good take. I'm starting to feel like "tone policing" isn't inherently a bad idea, but only within the left. We can go ahead and be as awful and mean as we want to the bourgeoisie and fascists (in fact we should be) but I find people use that same snarky attitude against people who are ostensibly on their side. It takes some restraint, but I don't think it'd hurt for the left to be less hostile to the people they're trying to radicalize. Keep bullying the right tho
True. I didn't mean that tone should be our biggest priority, I just think it's important for solidarity. Our first priority is uniting the working class, and in order to do that we need to show them that we're on their side. Bluntly telling average working class people to read theory won't get us anywhere, but neither will scolding them for not already being class conscious. One of the right's strengths is how welcoming they are to new members regardless of how knowledgeable they are, and that's something we should emulate (within reason).
To add to that, this also explains why libs come across as so abrasive to non-libs. The "it's not my job to educate you" attitude is exactly the kind of individualist smugness we need to avoid when talking to alienated people.
Good take. I'm starting to feel like "tone policing" isn't inherently a bad idea, but only within the left. We can go ahead and be as awful and mean as we want to the bourgeoisie and fascists (in fact we should be) but I find people use that same snarky attitude against people who are ostensibly on their side. It takes some restraint, but I don't think it'd hurt for the left to be less hostile to the people they're trying to radicalize. Keep bullying the right tho
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True. I didn't mean that tone should be our biggest priority, I just think it's important for solidarity. Our first priority is uniting the working class, and in order to do that we need to show them that we're on their side. Bluntly telling average working class people to read theory won't get us anywhere, but neither will scolding them for not already being class conscious. One of the right's strengths is how welcoming they are to new members regardless of how knowledgeable they are, and that's something we should emulate (within reason).
To add to that, this also explains why libs come across as so abrasive to non-libs. The "it's not my job to educate you" attitude is exactly the kind of individualist smugness we need to avoid when talking to alienated people.