The Nefarious Techniques Of The Social Justice Police Force
Uri Harris writes at Quillette:
While individuality is often celebrated as an accomplishment of modernity, Foucault pointed out that it could actually be used as a tool to produce more conformity. By examining people as individuals, one can determine more precisely how and why they deviate from the norm and figure out more accurately how to make them conform.And indeed, what separates contemporary social justice activism from earlier approaches like Marxism is the extent to which it has become more fine-tuned, most notably through the development of the analytic framework of intersectionality. What characterises intersectionality is that it allows for many dimensions of privilege. In principle, each person has their own unique combination of privileges.
This individualized conception of privilege clearly has its advantages over, say, the sweeping class accusations of former communist regimes, which in many cases condemned people for privileges they didn't have, but it also has its downsides. The more precisely privileges can be specified, the more precisely they can be corrected for. So, while this might be more effective at reducing inequalities, it's also more effective at producing conformity.
...More importantly, people can be reformed through privilege training, which can be broken down into specific types of privileges based on race, gender, sexuality, class, and many other dimensions. People are taught their specific privileges and how to correct for them. The more their privileges can be broken down and individualized, the more precise the reformation process can be.
He ends with this:
We might be experiencing an institutionalization of social justice in a way we haven't seen before, perhaps mirroring the development of the modern criminal justice system, which it might eventually replace, at least in part....Contemporary social justice has increasingly let go of what now look like naïve Marxian ideas of revolution and universal liberation. Instead, it has solidified from within to encompass large parts of society, from academia to the culture to major corporations to the legal system to politics, while adopting a more incremental and pragmatic approach. This is what happens when something becomes institutionalized.
But there's a lot to be concerned about. The extent to which highly progressive universities have become conformist and dogmatic as they have adopted this is troubling. But we can now see why: use of analytic individualization tools to reform people of their privilege combined with a self-governing structure where people internalize the norms of social justice and continually monitor themselves and each other for violations is bound to produce a high level of conformity.
Yet, even these concerns of conformity and suppression of dissent pale in comparison to what might happen as technology continues to develop. China, which has already instituted a system of social credit combined with wide-ranging surveillance technology, provides a glimpse of this. This could become totalitarian very rapidly, especially as governments continue to work with Google, Facebook, and other technology companies to regulate speech.
Makes it very difficult to discuss what is attributable to genetics.
Snoopy at November 18, 2018 3:27 AM
"This individualized conception of privilege clearly has its advantages over, say, the sweeping class accusations of former communist regimes, which in many cases condemned people for privileges they didn't have"
No, it still has that problem. Rich urban blacks are still counted as less privileged than poor rural whites. Which if you have a lick of common sense doesn't work.
Ben at November 18, 2018 6:31 AM
When you combine intersectionality with good old-fashioned racism you get a monster. The SJWs are institutionalizing hatred for men, for whites, for the rich in ways that cannot be "corrected for". No number of struggle sessions or confessions can atone for the sin of being male or white or rich (and now they are even after white women who don't vote dem). Recent confessions by "woke" men of their disgust at their maleness are simply pitiful self-loathing but STILL they are not forgiven. There is no one to forgive you. No one to issue a pardon. Even a white man with a black wife is claimed to be simply exploiting her or something. Extreme feminists do indeed claim that all men are rapists, that marriage is just patriarchal oppression, etc. It is all hate all the time. The demands can never be met. The guilt for slavery 150 yrs ago is still to hover over the heads of whites, even those who emigrated here after slavery ended.
cc at November 18, 2018 8:32 AM
And your average SJW still won't figure out that the biggest threat to his/her/zer psychological well-being isn't a conservative meanie.
It's a more radical, more "woke" SJW, ready to pounce on him/her/zer for not being sufficiently something-or-other.
Actually, for basically being prey.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at November 18, 2018 9:15 AM
I agree with much of what he's describing but disagree with his analysis of how social justice operates. The 'system' of social justice isn't nearly as consistent or coherent as he portrays.
In fact a lot of its power comes from the fact that social justice sentiment and criticism is very ad hoc. Its byzantine 'critical theories' and made up terminology are designed to conceal that fact and justify whatever attack its advocates wish to make. This is one of the explicit claims of 'deconstructionists' and social justice advocates, which they pose in opposition to 'neoliberal' demands for rationality and justification because they believe those are simply tools to justify oppressive power relations.
This is the same observation made by Leftists like Freddie de Boer who recognize Social Justice (tm) as a power play by cultural and institutional insiders. That they're cynically co-opting the ambitions of marginalized groups to cement their own power and privilege over those groups.
marlo at November 18, 2018 9:19 AM
"reform people of their privilege"
It sounds like the goal is to drag the "Haves" down to the "Have not" level rather than to elevate the "Have nots".
Steamer at November 18, 2018 11:02 AM
That's always been the goal. A little bit of revenge with your social engineering.
Conan the Grammarian at November 18, 2018 11:27 AM
It's not even revenge Conan. Everyone views themselves as the have nots. Same reason everyone is ok with taxing the rich to pay for everything. No one realizes they are the rich. So this is just simple greed. They figure they will be getting a payout. By the time they find out they were the haves it is too late.
Ben at November 18, 2018 3:04 PM
We might be experiencing an institutionalization of social justice in a way we haven't seen before, perhaps mirroring the development of the modern criminal justice system, which it might eventually replace...
Yikes!! Is it just me, or did this get anyone else's attention? The hair on the back of my neck stood up when I read this.
bkmale at November 19, 2018 5:27 AM
"In fact a lot of its power comes from the fact that social justice sentiment and criticism is very ad hoc."
Yeah, the author supposes that intersectionality and critical theory are surgical tools. But they aren't; they are sledgehammers. And that can't be anything else, because leftism is narcissism rendered as politics, and narcissists divide the world into Good and Bad and there is no in between. The other thing that narcissists do is change the rules at whim. So someone who was a member in the guild in good standing suddenly finds themselves hauled into the star chamber, because of something that they said that was copacetic yesterday.
"Is it just me, or did this get anyone else's attention? "
The ultimate goal of the Left is to reverse modernism and take humanity back to feudal times. Insomuch as the Enlightenment concept of justice is a foundation of modernism, it has to go. Droit de seigneur will replace it.
Cousin Dave at November 19, 2018 7:30 AM
One of the attractions of being a SJW is that it is so easy to find your place in the world as a virtuous person. You don't need to read the bible, study philosophy, pray, go build houses in the tropics, adopt an orphan or anything. You just identify the oppressors (already done for you) and scream at them. If you are one of the oppressors (ie you are a white male), you write an op-ed full of self-loathing to show how pure you are. Odious, but simple.
cc at November 19, 2018 11:44 AM
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