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Identity politics is just a useful way to refer to groups of people. You can't really have (useful) politics without identity politics. For example, how do you
by Miner49er 7y ago
Identity politics is just a useful way to refer to groups of people. You can't really have (useful) politics without identity politics.
For example, how do you talk about helping homeless people, without using their shared identity (the fact that they are homeless)?
Obviously it's not always a useful thing, and grouping people by shared identities can be messy. I don't understand how it can be avoided though, unless you just want the world to stay exactly the same it is.
- PeterStuer 7y ago'Homeless people' are in the context of homelessness policy are not a 'shared identity' but an accurate identification of the (mutable) attribute the policy should target. It is the exact opposite of the (immutable) identity politics approach.
- Miner49er 7y agoThat doesn't really make much sense. Why should it matter if the identity is immutable or not? What matters is whether or not it is a useful way to talk about an issue and people. It's immutable that a kid is a kid. It's immutable that some kids have cancer. What's so wrong to use identity politics to say we should help kids that have cancer?