Reforming the left is a lost cause. The stifling, moralizing attitude runs deep in the culture. You would be removing one of the key psychological appeals. The frivolous acts of piety are an easy way for followers to feel enlightened, intelligent, moral, and hip. Great for their self-esteem.
Relatedly, the left is simply unable to acknowledge many provable and easily observable facts about reality. As long as that persists (and it will persist) the left will be a prime target for mockery, and people will seek alternative ideologies. That's why you see people associating with the ideological untouchables you mentioned - and they are correct to do so.
I recommend opening your mind and reaching outside the leftist bubble for a while. You will end up more intellectually free, and there is nothing stopping your from retaining the few aspects of leftist thought that are actually useful.
I wonder if Obergefell was a pyrrhic victory in some ways. It was a good thing for the LGBTQ+ community (or at least the assimilationist majority of it), but it had the effect of officially putting state violence ON the side of the...well, we can't call them freaks anymore? Pete Buttigieg is the new face of the movement; forget about Stonewall.
At the same time, trans issues became visible to the mainstream, who reacted somewhat predictably. And despite the claims of my blue tribe friends, gender and sexuality are QUITE different things, at least for us normies. And the only way trans people can be "authentic" requires a lot more accommodations than the mainstream expected. (Is gender a fact or opinion? Whichever suits the people making the rules.) And when the state gets involved...we live in a country where, in one state, you can lose your kids for "affirming" their stated gender identity, while in another state, you can lose your kids for not "affirming." Is there any objective truth? Who knows.
Reforming the left is a lost cause. The stifling, moralizing attitude runs deep in the culture. You would be removing one of the key psychological appeals. The frivolous acts of piety are an easy way for followers to feel enlightened, intelligent, moral, and hip. Great for their self-esteem.
Relatedly, the left is simply unable to acknowledge many provable and easily observable facts about reality. As long as that persists (and it will persist) the left will be a prime target for mockery, and people will seek alternative ideologies. That's why you see people associating with the ideological untouchables you mentioned - and they are correct to do so.
I recommend opening your mind and reaching outside the leftist bubble for a while. You will end up more intellectually free, and there is nothing stopping your from retaining the few aspects of leftist thought that are actually useful.
I wonder if Obergefell was a pyrrhic victory in some ways. It was a good thing for the LGBTQ+ community (or at least the assimilationist majority of it), but it had the effect of officially putting state violence ON the side of the...well, we can't call them freaks anymore? Pete Buttigieg is the new face of the movement; forget about Stonewall.
At the same time, trans issues became visible to the mainstream, who reacted somewhat predictably. And despite the claims of my blue tribe friends, gender and sexuality are QUITE different things, at least for us normies. And the only way trans people can be "authentic" requires a lot more accommodations than the mainstream expected. (Is gender a fact or opinion? Whichever suits the people making the rules.) And when the state gets involved...we live in a country where, in one state, you can lose your kids for "affirming" their stated gender identity, while in another state, you can lose your kids for not "affirming." Is there any objective truth? Who knows.