So, recently, I put forward my theory of enlightened self interest, which is basically the idea that individuals can act in mildly collective ways to advocate for reforms that further their individual self interest and liberty. Heck, in general, I would say my political ideology largely relies on this idea. While a lot of the modern left seems to lean harder into collectivism and "caring politics", to the point of using the concept of empathy to shame and bully people into line, my own politics is based on my own rational self interest. And I don't see a problem with that.
A basic income would benefit people like me. Universal healthcare would benefit people like me. Free college and student debt forgiveness would benefit people like me. More accessible and cheaper housing would largely benefit people like me. Solving climate change would benefit people like me. A higher minimum wage would help people like me.
I feel like the left needs to do a better job pitching this stuff to Americans. Most Americans are self interested. We're a country based on individualism, liberty, and self interest to sociopathic levels, and people often have their self interest misdirected. They'll vote for people like Reagan or Bush (either one) or Trump in order to get a $1k tax cut, they'll oppose welfare because "it doesn't benefit them", but then they'll be against a UBI that functionally gives them say, $5k. It's insane, man. And it's because conservatives tend to do well with people who are individualists, and who have an egoistic outlook on their own financial well being.
Well, my core argument since 2012 has generally speaking been that the right is serving most working class americans a load of hooey. They think that if only you work hard and make your boss more money, that the wealth will "trickle down". maybe it will if you're in the top 20%, but if you're in the bottom 80%? Lol fat chance. Statistics kind of proves otherwise. You're basically on the same old treadmill of life and the only way things will improve for you is through systemic change. Have you ever looked at the economy and felt like you were on a treadmill and no matter how hard you worked or what you did, nothing seemed to change? It's because for most Americans, it doesn't. The economy is rigged, you're a wage slave to some rich person and you should advocate for liberal policies that improve your way of life. This is what I think is the ethos that is missing from the left today, that was present in 2012.
We were so close too. When I advocated for Bernie in 2016, I could see how his ideas would improve my life. And his ideas would improve many peoples' lives. That's the point, and that's why more people should've supported the guy. But, Clinton then used social politics to serve as a distraction, bringing back the same old toxic politics of liberalism from my conservative youth that during the obama era I had come to believe were a strawman. Instead we got this weird cult of caring. How we need to care for the women, and the minorities, and the LBGTQ community, and you shouldn't expect the government to push for policies that helped improve your life, you should sacrifice all of that stuff on the altar of white male liberal guilt, and vote for the team that does nothing to help you. Because it isn't all about you. You're privileged and can survive the next for years, but all of those women and minorities and LGBTQ people won't.
Honestly, I feel like this is what led to the fracture of that emerging obama coalition that the democrats started developing in 2008 and 2012. When I came over to the left in 2012, it was in part because I understood for the first time in my life that trickle down economics was a scam and that if I actually wanted solutions to improve my life, they would come from the left, not the right. But in 2016, we shifted to an ethos of "how dare you vote for your own rational self interest, don't you know that it's not all about you? You're selfish. You should vote for all of these "underprivileged" groups instead and blah blah blah.
And I know, i've been trying to play softball with these liberals as I believed they meant well, although I recognized some were just manipulative pieces of crap, but at this point I'm more openly hostile to this specific ideology, but here's the thing, I DON'T CARE, I REALLY DON'T CARE. And you can't shame me for not caring. Your privilege games don't work with me. While I support other peoples' rights in principle, if you force me to choose between a platform that helps me and one that doesn't help me, I'm going to vote for the one that helps me. Every fricking time. And I'm not gonna stop unless someone can demonstrate to me how it's not in my interest to do so. Shove your self righteousness and cult of caring BS where the sun doesn't shine.
Say it with me guys, I DONT CARE! Seriously, demonstrate to them they have no power over you, because that's what they're doing. They're weaponizing empathy, and the way to beat that is to demonstrate to people that you see through their grift and you don't care. So yeah, don't let the democrats pin 2016 on you because you voted for jill stein. After all, it was their problem for not supporting ideas that helped YOU. They might do a lot of handwringing about women and minorities and blah blah blah, but yeah, send them packing. Tell them you don't care. They might think you're an absolute horrible person for that, but you know what? Odds are they're a hypocritical piece of crap anyway. Because you know what? Most of those self righteous moralizers seem to be upper class suburbanite whites anyway. Social justice politics, despite the focus on the underprivileged, seems practiced most fervently by the most privileged whites. They're often upper class, they have healthcare, they have their college loans paid off, they have a steady income with a 401k and a job in middle management (they might even be YOUR boss, or your boss's boss), but you know what? The second you expect to self sacrifice for you by raising their taxes, they'll suddenly become conservative, imagine that. Because at the end of the day, they're hypocrites and pharisees. They love to be self righteous and push around others, but if you show them they can't push you around, then they have no power over you.
Honestly, I think if everyone voted in their actual interests, the world would be a better place. Sure, some people would vote against my ideas. But then again, those guys are generally like 20-30% of the population. In a vacuum, my ideas would help up to 70-80% of the population. And you know what? if they voted that way, then maybe the world would be a better place.
Unfortunately, this self righteous moralizing left likes to look at these people like the unwashed masses because they're not members of their cult and in some cases might have views contradictory to them. Well, unlike them, I don't expect moral purity. Because my pitch to those guys on social issues is this, you shouldn't care. I mean, I feel like a lot of people aren't TRULY bigoted against people, they just feel like the left with their social justice nonsense shoves stuff down your throat. My pitch to them is actually this. Why do you care? If this stuff doesn't affect you, why must you try to dictate what others do with their lives? And from there, if they decide their little right wing culture wars and associated authoritarianism and bigotry is more important than fricking $1250 a month, universal healthcare, and a socially libertarian live and let live platform, then goodbye, have a nice life.
You see, that's the thing. Even if I don't care, and even though I prioritize my interests, i don't actually support, on social issues, throwing anyone under the bus. If anything Im trying to neutralize their hatred of the left by asking them why they care so much. And if they have no good answer, and just wanna cut their nose to spite their face, well, you can't reason with everyone. But if we can build a coalition that talks people down from that ledge of literal alt right grievance politics, than that's good enough for me. Unlike most lefties, I don't demand moral purity for people. I don't treat them like the unwashed masses for not believing the right things. And much like everyone thing else, my ethos is one of "if it isn't bothering you, then maybe you should leave it alone."
So yeah, that's my actual pitch to America here. Practice enlightened self interest. On economics, vote for policies that benefit you. And on social issues, if something doesn't bother you, why should you care?
I feel like the left loses these days because on social issues they act completely morally self righteous and even when they support the right policies they do it with such an obnoxious self righteous attitude that it undermines them. And on economic policies, the left needs to do more to push for policies that help average americans, and then SELL THEM. I really feel like the modern left hits the wrong notes, and I feel like this general ideological approach is more positive. Instead of expecting people to give up their interests for this weird moral crusade in which they virtue signal all day about how much they care, we should embrace peoples' interests, and sell left wing politics on basis that is in their interests.
This is actually such an obvious part of my own philosophy I'm surprised I havent explicitly talked about it before. Better late than never. Amazing what outright rejecting social politics and mainstream leftism has done to my own ideological clarity at times.
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