A Brief But Angry Post

Today's post is about a thing that frequently makes me angry. This particular blog post is sparked by this piece on the breakdown of a dispute resolution process in a chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. It's worth reading the write up and reflecting on it. But that was just the catalyst for posting, and the thoughts stand or fall entirely independently of what one thinks of that case. Finally, as ever, I have a policy of not linking to negative exemplars. (In fact I think I will just moderate away comments on this post since I don't really want discussion of instances.) If you don't think I am picking up on real dynamics in this post so be it, we'll just have to pin it down to different life experiences.

I have often witnessed the following combination of characteristics in a person or organisation on the left, specifically those from (or drawing heavily from) the professional middle classes. First, re the justice system a commitment to restorative justice as opposed to punitive measures wherever possible, an extremely-critical-up-to-the-point-of-abolitionist attitude towards incarceration, and where not abolitionist then at least in favour of reduced sentencing and more lenient judgements. Second, re disputes in their local sphere, a mercilessly punitive attitude, using the full scope available of whatever communal norms or local organisational procedures exist to seek out and punish to the full extent possible rule violators. 

Now these are quite consistent in a certain technical sense. It could be, for instance, that they think there is some special distinction between the state being highly punitive versus employers being highly punitive. Or it could be that they think that being incarcerated is above a threshold of harm that should make us extremely wary of it, whereas being fired and shunned is below this threshold and so more or less always fair game. However, I suspect just based on my own observations of the characters involved that nothing like these sort of resolutions is in play -- though upon being challenged I am sure people will reach for them.

Instead, I think, the resolution is quite simply this -- people are punitive towards things they care about, and lenient towards things they do not care about. The sort of things people are incarcerated for wherein they want penalties to be lessened are things like participation in the drug trade and the violence surrounding that. The sort of things people are fired for which they wish prosecuted to the full extent are things like saying insensitive things about a demographic group they care about or writing book reviews they do not care for. And it turns out that, in their heart of hearts, many on the activist left just do not think that poor (and disproportionately black, I might add) people killing each other is really so bad, whereas they think that that their sensibilities being offended is entirely awful. That is to say, what explains the discrepancy is nothing other than self-centred callousness, disdain for the poor and their lives combined with narcissistic aggrandisement of the problems of the upper middle class like myself. 

This is obviously not the most charitable interpretation. But I ask you just to observe people for a while and try this hypothesis on for size. See for yourself how well it predicts behaviour, the level of passion displayed, the sort of things that will and will not generate extended discussion and rapid action. I think at least some of you may come to be persuaded once you have given this perspective a serious go.

I am not indifferent as to how this inconsistency should be resolved -- I think we should combine a deep and genuine appreciation of the harms people face in all cases, with a commitment to real and genuine forgiveness despite that. Which is to say I think we should adopt the willingness to see wrongs as actual wrongs characteristic of people in their punitive moods, with the willingness to none the less generate pathways to redemption and reconciliation characteristic of people in their abolitionist moods. This is certainly psychologically difficult and it's far from the case that I have lived up to it myself; it is a straight and narrow path and I am sure we will all stumble off it from time to time. But if we want a humane society, that really acknowledges the value and worth of all therein, then this is the only path available to us.