A New Day; A New Way?
Part Two of Cindy Sheehan and Mickey Z's Analysis of the Captured Left
“The modern state is an engine of propaganda, alternately manufacturing crises and claiming to be the only instrument that can effectively deal with them. This propaganda, in order to be successful, demands the cooperation of writers, teachers, and artists not as paid propagandists or state-censored time-servers but as ‘free’ intellectuals capable of policing their own jurisdictions and of enforcing acceptable standards of responsibility within the various intellectual professions.” Christopher Lasch, 1968
Last week, Mickey Z. (POST-WOKE) and I (CINDY SHEEHAN’S SOAPBOX NEWSLETTER) had an ONLINE COVERSATION about the state of the “Left,” today. We received so many good comments, I think a Part Three will be in order. As promised, we read your comments, and here they are with our further comments:
From reader, Lynn:
Great conversation about how easily the masses are manipulated and how frustrating it is for those of us that see this happening and know the dangers lurking in every piece of media propaganda pushed 24/7. While I've lost 99% of my family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and activist friends, I've picked up others who DO see the larger picture and many are from "political" spectrums I'd never thought I'd have anything in common with or align with. Basically, the last 2 years have weeded out the weak and impressionable non-thinkers, and helped me to "see" others (whom I might have cast aside - maybe because of dogmatic religious principals) to join forces with them in pursuit of the education they afford me and I them. I don't have to agree with everyone, and I rarely, if ever, do; but I can push aside the 10% to 15% that I don't agree with as long as their principals are solid, strong, and passionate. I have also learned that people are afraid to speak up. But now, more than ever, is definitely the time to do so. We need voices of reason, like Cindy and Mickey.
Cindy Sheehan: I think the main point I took from Lynn’s thoughtful comment was that we don’t have to CANCEL everybody with whom we may have a slight difference. Cancel culture has led to an even larger working-class divide than we had before. Media outlets like Fox, MSNBC, and CNN (as well as some we would consider “liberal) have contributed to the dumbing down of discourse.
Mickey Z: Thank you, Lynn! I hear you, loud and clear, and have adopted a similar short-term approach. I say short-term because I do worry about what the “elites” are cooking up for us next. Until we’re better able to resist the allure of psyops, they will keep coming — and working. None of us is fully immune. What if the next psyop drives a wedge between us and the new allies we’ve created? So yeah… let’s stretch our personal comfort zone by connecting now with people we may have previously viewed as “the opposition.” But, on a parallel track, we need to address the conditions that make it so easy for the powers that (shouldn’t) be to manipulate us.
From Reader, Friendly Brilliant:
I've also watched as liberals I've marched with have turned into pro-establishment zombies whenever the Democrats get into power. Even when Trump was in office, a lot of faux liberals fell in love with the CIA and FBI. It's really sad. and I think that people are showing who they really are right now. What kind of person deserts family and friends over choices as to what goes in their bodies? I wish more people would stand by the values they once professed to hold.
Cindy Sheehan: This reader reminds me of 2016’s discredited distraction of “Russia-Gate.” There was such an understandable rejection of Trump, that many Demo-libs had to literally grasp at straws to figure out why their war criminal candidate lost. Many said to me: “Cindy, do you know better than 17 intelligence agencies?” Um, yes I do. I also know that they serve a valuable purpose to the so-called Ruling-Class and have manufactured many crises in their histories and/or “fixed” “intelligence” around the policies they are trying to foist on an ever-gullible U.S. public.
MZ: Wow, this comment reminds me how deeply embedded the two-party lie is. As long as “they” keep us divided by fake party lines, we can’t forge much-needed alliances. Plus, we just might have to accept the possibility (likelihood?) that we'll be eventually circling back to re-connect with some of the people we're currently calling weak zombies. Again, if more people go deeper to fortify themselves against the power of propaganda, we’d all be much better off.
Due to limited space, here is the final comment for this column by a reader on Facebook, Emmar:
I wish more people understood the history of leftism in the USA, how leftist movements are about working class people, not billionaires, not nonsense immaterial idpol, and that they were brutally smashed for this, by the very same powerful people a lot of people keep calling socialists. I find it extremely difficult to have my interest held by people who keep left-bashing and billionaire-bashing and considering themselves “awake.” To say neoliberals are the new Left is as dumb as saying men are the new women.
It is never going to be easy or popular to fight back against powerful capitalists, and one of their favorite weapons is cooptation. “Leftist” sounds cool and edgy to a lot of (different crowd) of people who aren’t really serious about giving up any economic edge they hold. The McCarthy trials were all about leftism. So if someone bashes leftism, they’re anti-working class, pro-billionaire, pro-slavery, and pro-capitalism. But they think they’re just mocking idpol because they know nothing about this history and in fact, by doing so, they are promoting idpol. A leftist is anyone who identifies as a leftist, yay!
CS: Emmar’s comment hit upon a lot of my themes over the past few years: we need a new dictionary of terms. If Bernie Sanders is a “socialist,” that makes me so far left, I am somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “Leftism” should mean the things Emmar outlines, but it is all about Identity Politics (IDPOL). Leftists used to think “if one person suffers, we all suffer,” now it’s “as long as the underpaid worker can deliver my groceries, I am fine quarantining.” (As an example).
MZ:I literally just wrote a post called “We need a new word for ‘Left’” for my Substack. As with “feminism,” the word “leftism” has been highjacked. I’m seriously wondering if it can be redeemed and if it’s even worth it to try.
CS: Hopefully, we will be continuing this discussion next week - and eventually come to some doable solutions to combat this insanity.
Please stay tuned, same bat-time, same bat-station!
(Not too late to comment!)
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Thanks so much for making this series happen, Cindy!
Spot on!!!! Very similar to a Chris Hedges podcast with Vijay Prashad on how the hard right has taken over democratic institutions with no challenges.