Originally a radical feminist concept to bring private issues like abortion into public discourse, the idea that 'the personal is political' was later adopted by conservatives like Phyllis Schlafly to scrutinize political opponents' private lives.
Political discourse often fixates on emotionally charged, minor components of legislation (like the 10% of a healthcare bill for immigrants) to control the narrative and divert public attention from the larger, more complex financial or policy implications that affect the other 90%.
A faction on the right is adopting the language of oppression and victimhood, creating a "woke right." If mainstream conservatives fail to reject this identitarian fringe, they risk polluting their entire movement and losing the support of the moderate majority, repeating the same mistake that damaged the left.
Jodi Cantor, who broke the Weinstein story, identifies the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation as the turning point for the #MeToo movement. Before it, there was broad factual consensus and figures from both parties faced consequences. The Kavanaugh allegations politicized the issue, splitting public perception along ideological lines.
Charlie Kirk's political power grew by strategically positioning himself as a direct opponent to the "woke movement" and "cancel culture" on college campuses. This narrative was highly effective in persuading conservative donors that his confrontational approach was a necessary fight, turning cultural discourse into a powerful fundraising mechanism.
A fringe element of the political right is beginning to mirror the 'woke left' by adopting similar tactics. This includes a focus on identity-based victimhood narratives and a preference for destroying and deplatforming opponents rather than engaging them in genuine debate.
A savvy political strategy involves forcing opponents to publicly address the most extreme statements from their ideological allies. This creates an impossible purity test. No answer is good enough for the fringe, and any attempt to placate them alienates the mainstream, effectively creating a schism that benefits the opposing party.
Productive conversations about men's struggles are stifled by a societal "gag reflex." This is caused by the far-right co-opting the issue with regressive solutions and the far-left reframing it as men *being* the problem, leading to immediate accusations of misogyny.
Effective political propaganda isn't about outright lies; it's about controlling the frame of reference. By providing a simple, powerful lens through which to view a complex situation, leaders can dictate the terms of the debate and trap audiences within their desired narrative, limiting alternative interpretations.
The notion that identitarianism is exclusive to the left ("woke") is outdated. A powerful, mirrored version has solidified on the right ("Groypers"), indicating that identity-based politics has become a central, and polarizing, framework across the entire political spectrum.
Following the failures of grand social movements and projects like Soviet communism, the 20th-century political left turned away from material and social progress, refocusing its energy on the private self and personal behavior.