2024-07-28 - @Westenberg - Fuck Progressive Purity Politics. - Omnivore

# @Westenberg | Fuck Progressive Purity Politics. #Omnivore ## Colophon title:: @Westenberg | Fuck Progressive Purity Politics. type:: [[clipped-note]] tags:: [[&omnivore]] url:: https://joanwestenberg.com/whatever-it-is,-im-against-it archive:: https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a date:: [[2024-07-28]] ## Highlights tags:: > They're the political equivalent of that one friend who's always into fringe music and hates any artist who goes viral. They've got all the answers, as long as nobody asks them to actually do anything. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#42268038-1523-4eab-86fa-dce1c8f52a9f) ^42268038 tags:: > Not to mention, there's social capital to consider. In certain circles, particularly in academic and artistic communities, there's significant prestige attached to being the most progressive voice in the room. It's a form of competitive virtue signaling, where the prize goes to whoever can articulate the most radical critique of the status quo. This dynamic creates a perverse incentive structure where pragmatism is punished and impractical idealism is rewarded. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#f1636c40-53dc-4b5b-a00b-7a49feb67eb9) ^f1636c40 tags:: > But perhaps the most powerful incentive is the avoidance of responsibility. By remaining on the periphery, these progressives never have to grapple with the complex trade-offs and compromises that come with actual governance. They can maintain the comforting illusion that if only their pure vision were implemented, all societal ills would be cured. It's a position that offers all of the moral satisfaction of political engagement with none of the frustration or potential for failure that comes with trying to effect change within the system. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#cb20a26c-652f-4c1a-80a1-37fce97dad6a) ^cb20a26c tags:: > This pattern repeats across a range of issues. Climate change legislation is criticized for not going far enough. Economic reforms are dismissed as band-aids on a fundamentally broken system. Any compromise is seen as a betrayal rather than a step in the right direction. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#13a99da7-9e5a-4fc6-b43b-4b44893ff122) ^13a99da7 tags:: > politics is messy. It's complicated. It requires compromise and coalition-building. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#004f8b77-3fb7-4824-9955-20996313b312) ^004f8b77 tags:: > Politics, by its very nature, is the art of the possible. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#10d9ea9f-9931-4bb6-abdc-21496bdb1c35) ^10d9ea9f tags:: > perfect can be the enemy of the good. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#8562d391-095b-4afa-ad48-f456e6f4db65) ^8562d391 tags:: > This is not to say that we should abandon ambitious goals or stop pushing for transformative change. Far from it. The progressive movement has been a vital force in politics, driving conversations and shifting the Overton window on crucial issues. But there's a difference between advocating for bold ideas and refusing to engage with the reality of implementation. A reality that can only be met through pragmatism. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#67e19b04-98b7-4189-9ea8-bf7095f03aee) ^67e19b04 tags:: > "Pragmatic progressivism" gets treated like a dirty concept. It’s an approach that maintains ambitious goals but couples them with a willingness to engage in the incremental work of change. It recognizes that progress comes in fits and starts, that compromise is not capitulation [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#90fa3dbf-88f5-4509-ba1b-ceb8b356bdfb) ^90fa3dbf tags:: > The challenge for the progressive movement is to find a way to harness the passion and idealism of its base while also developing the pragmatic skills necessary to effect real change. This isn't about abandoning principles, but about finding effective ways to put those principles into practice. The true measure of progressivism is not the boldness of its vision, it’s the concrete improvements it brings to people's lives. Healthcare expanded, rights protected, opportunities created. These are the fruits of engagement, of the willingness to step out of the periphery and into the arena of action. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a#d46d7c52-d497-4b23-bb81-9921931a0bbe) ^d46d7c52 [Read on Omnivore](https://omnivore.app/me/https-joanwestenberg-com-whatever-it-is-im-against-it-190f8bd249a) [Read Original](https://joanwestenberg.com/whatever-it-is,-im-against-it)