Family political background

[Jimmie Higgins]

Did your family talk about politics? How political were/are they?

If you came from a liberal or right-wing family, when did you start to question that and how’d your family respond?

If you grew up in a leftist family, what were their politics like - if your parents were radicals, what was it like encountering classmates or friends who had very mainstream views (did you ever feel isolated because your leftie parents had political views and references that were outside the mainstream?

My parents were pretty standard liberal-labor type folks. Always voted Dem (except in 2000 when my dad might have voted Nader) and took part in strikes, but were not activists or organizers in any way. I think seeing the deficiencies in labor leadership and the DNC, made me have to look more closely at their assumptions.

[Exister]

What are politics?

That term baffles me. I don't think "the political" exists. The political is embedded in everything. So I don't really separate politics and not-politics.

My family is conservative. The horror!

I guess that is why I have the mindset I have... conservatives pretend not to be political while everything with them is political and based on warped, reactionary ideology. At least the liberals are honest about being political (not that I'm a liberal, of course).

[ckaihatsu]

What are politics?

That term baffles me. I don't think "the political" exists. The political is embedded in everything. So I don't really separate politics and not-politics.

My family is conservative. The horror!

I guess that is why I have the mindset I have... conservatives pretend not to be political while everything with them is political and based on warped, reactionary ideology. At least the liberals are honest about being political (not that I'm a liberal, of course).


'What *is* politics' -- it's a *singular* term, not plural.

Politics determines social *policy*, as in what rationale-over-everyone is active for whatever political matter, be it abortion rights or the criminal justice system, etc.

Sure, we have the Marxist legacy of calling everything 'social', congruent with what you're saying, but 'politics' confers a more-formal sense of uniform, consistent, conscious *ideology* over all socio-political-material matters, and definitely not just one's own lifestyle in how they live their own life.

Here's a framework that correlates 'lifestyle', 'logistics', and 'politics' according to relative scale, small-to-big:


History, Macro-Micro -- politics-logistics-lifestyle



http://s6.postimg.org/44rloql0x/160309_History_Macro_Micro_politics_logistic.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/r686uhkod/full/)


I think the reason why conservatives can pretend to be 'not political' is because they have the clock on their side -- the socio-political-material world already favors them with politics and policies that cater to their wealth and elitist societal outlook, thus entrenching institutional racism, sexism, etc., to benefit white supremacy and privilege.

Those who *lose* in the current status quo -- social minorities, liberals, and revolutionaries -- *want* to change the societal / 'social' system, and would *benefit* from a commonization and collectivism around social production, to tear down all existing elitist practices and protections.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Jezus Christmas, this is a pretty straight-forward small-talk type question I meant as an ice breaker for some of the new posters here.

[ckaihatsu]

Jezus Christmas, this is a pretty straight-forward small-talk type question I meant as an ice breaker for some of the new posters here.


Are you referring to *my* post, JH -- ? Did I do something inappropriate, in your opinion -- ?

[Stardust]

Are you referring to *my* post, JH -- ? Did I do something inappropriate, in your opinion -- ?

I think he was referring to Exister's post, as he was objecting to the thread from the base.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Yes, sometimes it’s important to question “common sense” assumptions or frameworks, but other times it’s like... how the hell do you talk to average non-radical folks if you have to argue semantics on every little thing?

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to make concrete or abstract revolutionary ideas relevant to people’s lives and experience (not because people need someone to tell them, but there is a need to challenge the ready-made answers to these questions popularized in the media and through electoralism etc) as it is relevant to me (especially initially) because of lived experience and conditions. But damn, sometimes it seems like radicals WANT to remain as isolated cliques or cynical Facebook commenters.

It’s not just RevLeft, it’s in the rest of social media too... not trying to single you out exister... you’re just getting my rant about general frustrations [emoji4] and it’s not like it was an uninteresting point—just not the “off topic” ice-breaker thing I intended or asked for. In response I’ll say that in my experience, liberals also think they are non-political or “objective”. A lot of modern liberal ideas are thought of by liberals as objective “technocratic” solutions and so they attack the conservatives for “being irrational” or “living in another world”. Not challenging your observation — I think it’s true too, just thought it was interesting different experiences of interacting with people who hold conservative or liberal views.

[ckaihatsu]

Yes, sometimes it’s important to question “common sense” assumptions or frameworks, but other times it’s like... how the hell do you talk to average non-radical folks if you have to argue semantics on every little thing?


I'll argue that you *may* want to look at it a bit more positively -- once you've initially defined terms / understandings in common with the other person you can then proceed to making arguments in the context of that custom-made 'glossary', so that you're both 'speaking the same language'.

In any kind of computer programming it's customary to define one's variables upfront, so that the variables can then be used anywhere throughout the rest of the program, with that pre-defined, explicit meaning or quantity.


---


Thanks, SD.

[Stardust]

Yes, sometimes it’s important to question “common sense” assumptions or frameworks, but other times it’s like... how the hell do you talk to average non-radical folks if you have to argue semantics on every little thing?

I sympathise with you Jimmie... :(

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Thanks, SD.

You're welcome Chris.

[ZippyJuan]

It's really mixed for my family. It runs the gamut. I have several relatives who don't like me at all and my views. We've have some really heated discussions in the past. It makes holidays tough. A couple of them constantly refer me to "that commie." lol

[ckaihatsu]

It's really mixed for my family. It runs the gamut. I have several relatives who don't like me at all and my views. We've have some really heated discussions in the past. It makes holidays tough. A couple of them constantly refer me to "that commie." lol


Here's a favorite of mine: Ask them who the world is *made for*....

[ZippyJuan]

Here's a favorite of mine: Ask them who the world is *made for*....

Thanks! I will.

[TheRightfulEmperor]

My parents were pretty much liberals, and I suppose that set me off on the right mindset, although not specifically the one I wanted. We really never talked about politics that much, but I remember during the elections they were pretty much behind Hillary. They were also big supporters of Obama's admin

[ZippyJuan]

My parents were pretty much liberals, and I suppose that set me off on the right mindset, although not specifically the one I wanted. We really never talked about politics that much, but I remember during the elections they were pretty much behind Hillary. They were also big supporters of Obama's admin

I became even more liberal.