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Comment by zozbot234 | Hacker News Reader

It could well be the other way around. Progressive activists hate the hard-hitting 'dirtbag' left, they see it as a dangerous threat to their own worldview.

BTW, discussed at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23679425

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Not so much a threat to the progressive worldview, but a threat to progressive politics having a positive impact. From what I understand, the 'dirtbag left' consider themselves the gatekeepers of progressive politics, and do a good job of alienating as many other people as possible. The Trumpists of the left, sounds like a reasonable description.

Some argue they were a big part of the reason why Bernie's campaign was unable to find much traction outside his core. Of course they blame it on others, even calling other progressives, like Elizabeth Warren, traitors.

I'm really conflicted on this. On one hand I wish we could improve civic discourse and dialogue and combat tribalism in politics but on the other I recognize that one of the factors that seems to have led to the rise of the alt-right is that the left just vacated a space that appeals to a large group of people - impolite, combative and (sometimes) witty. When I was growing up it was natural for rebellious, cynical young people to be drawn to this kind of politics. That hasn't changed but now it seems to alarmingly be the primary recruiting tool for a particular brand of regressive politics.

I understand these two impulses are probably in direct opposition. I can't want both but I also fear what will happen if we lose a chunk of an entire generation to the far right.

Obama made the best warning/observation (better than any during his presidency imho) it turned into a circular firing squad.

Impolite, combative and witty is fine, and there's plenty of that among progressives. It's the step towards destructive and burning all bridges, that I don't like. I also believe in democracy, and want a society that works for everybody, and not just a small in-crowd. Maybe it's because I'm not as young as I was in my punk days. But it's also that I care more about results than about ideological purity. Compromises are unavoidable. Nobody can have exactly everything they want, because you're not the only person in the world, and we've got to do this together.

Agree. I've noticed that the word "centrist" seems to have been irreparably tainted to mean something like "crypto-conservative" and seems to be a target of bile more than being, you know, an actual conservative. (Good old Judean People's Front behaviour from the left as always).

But I wish it could be reclaimed to mean "willing to compromise to move forward" and "doesn't regard anyone who disagrees with him as either a crook or an imbecile".

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