Issues of poverty are being neglected by social justice movements because of the overwhelming focus on sexuality...

For a local campaign group in a small northern English town with rising homelessness and child mortality, I'd say that campaigning about Palestine was both pointless and an utter vanity project.

Like I say, wouldn't recognise actual left wing internationalism if it got up and slapped them in the face with a wet fish.

Actual liberation movements - that is to say, not bourgeois identity navel gazing - have always had an internationalist perspective.

Here is a recent film, Nae Pasaran, telling a story of leftist organising and international solidarity featuring Scottish factory workers and Pinochet's regime in Chile.

naepasaran.com/

I'm entirely sure you've never heard of either the film or the story. Incurious is as incurious does.

Completely agree that 1st world is navel gazing by addressing sexuality and genders. It’s because of it that we stopped progressing on big issues like poverty, hunger, climate/environment for 15yrs. (Late 90s to a couple years ago). It’s frustrating beyond belief and honestly why the phrase “first world problem” was coined.

Totaly agree, indeed the person who raised the issue, being from latin America must feel isolated from Western european support, as so much of European aid seems directed to the African continent or the Indian sub-continent. Poor South America does not get a look in.

In issues of homosexual rights and fighting persecution on sexuality (I will not buy into Ligbit) in the west it is one heck of a lot better (or less bad) than a great many developing countries.

I hate the phrase "First world problems" but there are times.....

@Imtootired

For a local campaign group in a small northern English town with rising homelessness and child mortality, I'd say that campaigning about Palestine was both pointless and an utter vanity project.

Yeah, all sources are equal! Who needs transparency or verifiability! These are great sources, the best sources! All other sources? Losers! And nobody knows sources like me!

Give me strength...

We have, ironically, arrived at a point where the self-identified left (aka neoliberals) won't platform the actual left, so you can only read left wing material on right wing websites.

Although having said that I’m listening to Douglas Murray’s book at the moment and some of the things he says make my eyebrows recede into my hairline

Me too. I'm nearly halfway through. I don't agree with everything in it but it's fascinating. He covers the replacement of class struggles with identity groups (LGBT, race, sex etc). Most interesting book I've read in ages.

Thank you for the Deptford link DuMonde

Wow @tumbleisatwat interesting to see you think Palestine is a “pointless cause”. Children and healthcare workers being assaulted by soldiers and protesters killed and families banned from ever returning to their homes is something everyone should be concerned about, especially when our governments (Britain, US, Australia) support and fund Israel and never once ask for any accountability, because the US has its military bases in the Middle East.

I’m bored of guilt-by-association, and more importantly I’m worried by the lack of intellectual curiosity exhibited. Telling people not to read or share sources, rather than engage in the actual topical debates has shades of authoritarianism
Sign me up too. I reckon we are quite a large number.
I refuse to apologise for the source of my links now. If journalists were doing their jobs properly this would be all over every form of media.

Makes me feel nostalgic for the News of the World

Although having said that I’m listening to Douglas Murray’s book at the moment and some of the things he says make my eyebrows recede into my hairline

Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining listen, although I feel I’m mostly being educated about Murray’s opinions

I’m bored of guilt-by-association, and more importantly I’m worried by the lack of intellectual curiosity exhibited. Telling people not to read or share sources, rather than engage in the actual topical debates has shades of authoritarianism

Yes, I couldn’t agree more

Turgid group think and refusal to engage

How dull

I’m bored of guilt-by-association, and more importantly I’m worried by the lack of intellectual curiosity exhibited. Telling people not to read or share sources, rather than engage in the actual topical debates has shades of authoritarianism.

I'll join that club. Message, not messenger. Substance, not smear.

Yes, OP! I agree!

Social justice movements are overrun with bourgeois fools banging on about "western colonialist" attitudes while exemplifying those attitudes themselves. Wouldn't know proper leftist internationalism if it got up and slapped them in the face with a wet fish.

And it's not better on the domestic front - hopelessly classist, as the Deptford People's Project thread above illustrates.

Agree all kids are talking about it at school, even over taken green issues. It seem to be the in thing.

Meanwhile I would prefer them to be talking about issues such as the poverty trap cycle, homelessness, animal cruelty, 3rd world suppression and a lot more...

I don't give a shit if you want to blame TRA's, Terfs or the tooth or the tooth fairy. It was bollox

I would agree. It infuriates me that so much energy is expended on what are, essentially, ideologies of extreme individualism when we face very real political and social challenges.

There is a thread on here somewhere where a woman claims to feel 'under attack' because Always took the fanny symbol off the packet.

I agree that trans people attacking anything that even hints at being for female only use is a disgrace and would like to know what that young female bodies person is doing for people with serious problems, such as poverty, the high numbers of females killed by males, the increase in sexual assaults on females, etc. I trust you do mean that you’re disgusted that the TRAs are causing such a fuss, aren’t you?

I do think that poverty, etc is being neglected because of the push from TRAs and wish they would do something more to help those with genuine issues, rather than bullying and manipulating schools, sports Cubs, etc into spending thousands extra on publishing literature pushing trans indoctrination. That money could be better spent.

Sexuality (in the media) is all about glitter and rainbow flags and fabulous people. Whereas poverty is about depressing stuff like malnutrition and bad housing and people in cheap clothes who don't know the latest woke buzzwords. So of course sexuality is the "sexier" issue for the young idealist of today.

I used to think like you,

Then I started to pay attention to individual writers, rather than publications.
I started to read the sources that stories were based on.

And I stopped apologising for sharing links that other people didn’t approve of.

I’m bored of guilt-by-association, and more importantly I’m worried by the lack of intellectual curiosity exhibited. Telling people not to read or share sources, rather than engage in the actual topical debates has shades of authoritarianism.

I don't think you can compare a venerable old actual newspaper to the likes of Spiked 😆

All written sources are biased- because they're written down... Spiked is along the lines of Britbart though. I'd be embarrassed to link to it.

Old thread on the Deptford People’s project:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3203804-The-Deptford-People-Project-and-the-impact-of-self-ID-and-transactivism-on-working-class-women

All sources, left and right should be approached with skepticism. Including The Guardian.

Does anyone have a link to that brilliant letter from the (Deptford? Dartford?) women's group when they were dealing with this as a local issue?

Spiked is not worth reading

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/07/us-billionaires-hard-right-britain-spiked-magazine-charles-david-koch-foundation

On ER: www.spiked-online.com/2019/10/17/finally-a-rebellion-against-extinction-rebellion/