Yes the Left should be tolerant.
A leftist-ish interpretation of Jubilee's 'Surrounded: Expert vs 20 Disbelievers'.
The title to this post is deliberately provocative,1 and again starkly different from my typical prose/poetry but I just turned 20 dammit (I can wax philosophical theory if I want to!!!) yet it must be said I am not the ‘president-general’ on leftist behaviour towards political foes so salt my words how you see fit.
The idiom ‘the tolerant left’ has been coined by Right-Wing/Republican/Conservative leaning political voters as an insinuation of leftist or progressive hypocrisy2. It is an ‘ownage' of the ostensible paradox of leftist ideology traditionally being accepting of various marginalised identities yet ardently opposing Fascist, Capitalist, Sexist, Racist (truly all the ‘ists’ & ‘isms’) policies propounded by non-left political parties &/or supporters. Indeed, it is a bastardisation of Frankfurt School Theorist Herbert Marcuse ‘Repressive Tolerance’3, genuine tolerance, Marcuse argues, can only exist in a situation of absolute intolerance for politically motivated limits on personal freedom and rights. Marcuse, the father of the new Left- circa 1960s America, viewed political tolerance as the Hamartia (fatal flaw) of Marxist theory; this liberal acceptance of oppressive ideals coincided with an apparent failure to revolutionise the masses.
I am under no illusions of my proficiency to wrestle with deified neo-Marxist legends, additionally I agree that liberal centralism is the enabler of capitalist domination BUT my own experiences as a Pan-AfricancommunistqueerWoman have coloured my practices regarding political tolerance. My existence as a minority in various societies make me acutely aware of the pragmatic need to merge with the majority. Angela Davis, examining the fragile connections between the abolitionist and suffragette movement remarks “white middle-class women felt a certain affinity with Black women and men.4” Beginning from the 1830s, white women contributed money from meagre wages and lent community effort in organising and advocating an anti-slavery moment5 whilst conversely Black people of all genders advocated for the women’s movement.
Although a clumsy comparison, the truth stands that the political majority in todays world *or arguably throughout all time* are the conservatives, the mighty minority are the left leaning. The flavour of tolerance I propose is not the tolerance that reddit-scrolling, racism spouting, ‘nationalist democracy defending’ right wingers falsely attribute to leftist sentiments nor is it the tolerance that appeasing, centrist and ideologically harmful liberals promote. It is a tolerance that demands accountability from the omnipotent sectors of governance, a tolerance that critically analyses political candidates not for their ironic online presence or their unethically sourced wealth but for the substance of their manifestos, a tolerance that is not insulting to either house of the political spectrum but rather confronting in the face of error. A tolerance that counters the loss of nuance, the loss of class and gender solidarity, the rise of anti-intellectualism and it is a tolerance that must move from the Left and be reciprocated by the Right. 6
If this elusive neo-tolerance seems idealistic and unprecedented then I wholeheartedly recommend getting a delicious snack, perhaps an alcoholic beverage and a sturdy yet biteable strip of cloth so as to dissipate your frustration orally or conversely block your ears and eyes 7, then finally settling down to watch the infamous Jubilee Surrounded YouTube series. The premise of this show is an open debate between opposing political opinions on a ‘hot topic’, to make things spicier there is usually an unequal number of participants belonging to the progressive opinion compared to that of the conservative. Bearing witness to these debates might be; torturous, political self harm and aneurism inducing but it is essential. It is essential to understand how the spread of misinformation, the lack of nuance across the political spectrum and the damaging effects of insidious tolerance combined with absolute intolerance is harming humanity. In the most recent episode linked above, a licensed medical professional, handles the ignorance of anti-vaxxers with grace, counters misinformation with facts and most importantly does not compromise his personal values when faced with particularly obnoxious participants- TOLERANCE.
Upon completing the video, I felt both impressed and frustrated, the latter mostly a result of pure science now seen as radical and progressive, but I also felt humbled. I looked inward and called to mind just how many digital strangers and former friends I have debated with on various topics, was I handling ignorance with grace? countering misinformation with facts or not compromising my values to rage against the Machine sardonically? Or was I a privileged Marcuse, upon a throne wrought from principles? Perhaps pragmatism, movements of yesteryears and the current trajectory of humanity’s doomed fate has answered my personal musings already.
Davis, Women Race & Class.
Do debate me on this! I believe this to be necessary as it will be the most organic and the most effective use of tolerance if it stems from those who believe in freedom from all oppressive forces and a classless equitable society.
Shit you not, I watch these nervously clutching the belt of my Bathrobe , tried tested and true.
Beautifully written, nice seeing you step into different genre writing!
I think I have to quibble with your example of the jubilee video though. I'd argue it's a right wing network by virtue of platforming and paying right wing (often bigoted) people for videos. The very idea of a debate with validates fascistic ideas then profits off engagement to me feels very in line with right wing rage bait. But besides jubilee itself I wonder how left the doctor can be considered when he's in a room with all those people, validating their positions; and despite being a medical professional is unmasked in a room full of pandemic denier and anti-vaxxers. That very fact makes him politically closer to the rest of the people. Obviously outside of the video which you now know is him being Zionist so I think it's interesting to consider how this facade of bridging the political gap with poise hides a man uninterested in covid safe measures or in preserving the lives of colonised people.
In general I feel complicated about tolerance, I'm certainly for accountability. Part of me recognised the majority of people are hovering in centralist liberal position holding some right leaning and some left beliefs so realistically persuasion is a powerful tool. But then you have to wonder is having people who have to be persuaded to not be misogynistic or ableist really in aid to a revolution? I appreciated your take on the topic.
amazing piece!