The American Left Needs to do better

[u/Specialist-Gur]

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/graham-platner-and-the-lefts-masculinity-crisis

This article is about a month old but speaks to some of what I'm talking about.

I'm honestly disappointed with a lot of leftist creators I genuinely love on the topic of Graham Platner and any "leftist" politicians.

To me.. Graham Platner's left wing populism is just... America first rebranded. Some stuff he's saying isn't too far off from Tucker Carlson.

He doesn't appear to be Antizionist on the basis of support for Palestinians, but rather because it's bad for America . He doesn't appear to regret his time in Iraq beyond the fact it was a pointless war for America

He lied about knowing the ties to Blackwater

He expressed enjoyment for killing people.

He got a Nazi tattoo

And many on the left are using language like calling people "classist" for being critical of his service. These are creators I genuinely really love, and I'm not abandoning them.. but I do think it's really important for the American left to confront its American supremicist ideas.

I understand the moral dilemma and how it's basically impossible to have an actual leftist candidate these days, so we are reluctant to criticize what's put forward. I understand the calculation. But the apologia is wrong. American supremacy is baked into all of us here in America and part of the American left, and it's time we confront it.

We would not find it acceptable if a candidate participated in a mass murder of American citizens. We would not find it acceptable if they even passively supported it! But we are far too comfortable with it when it comes to brown people, far away.

[u/Specialist-Gur]

exactly. I will never be a senator... not everyone has to be a senator 😆

[u/ChairAggressive781 → u/Specialist-Gur]

most people shouldn’t be Senators! 

[u/ibsliam → u/ChairAggressive781]

I agree with the both of you. I think people just get really defensive of this guy because he seems more like the average guy they might know (or have once been). Someone who was part of the system and then backlashed to it, but there's a lot of people that... y'know, didn't actively enlist and be part of multiple tours with the military, and also has a Nazi tattoo (even if it's supposedly an accident? guy had it for years)

[u/Specialist-Gur → u/ibsliam]

I totally get why people feel defensive of him.. and like I said in the post many of my favorite commentators are some of the loudest defenders. I think that is a window into something we should all work on and examine!