We fail each other on the left in the United States.
This may piss people off.
Look, as a human rights historian, disability rights advocate, abolitionist vegan, Black Lives Matter ally, abject poverty born and bred, neurodiverse transgender lesbian, I understand the need for moral clarity and absolutism. Sometimes, drawing a line in the sand is the only way to remain sane in this cruel world.
However, politics doesn't work in absolutes. Or rather, it certainly doesn't win in absolutes. Sometimes, you have no choice but to align with people you fundamentally disagree with on key human rights issues to make progress on other key human rights issues to progess toward a kinder world. It sucks, but there's no way around it.
Countries with multiparty political systems call it coalition building. In many countries, coalition building is the only way to effectively resist Fascism. Coalition building helps some. Fascism hurts everyone except the oligarchs.
I have been involved in every U.S. election since 2008. I've invested copious amounts of literal blood, sweat, tears, time, and cash into making our society better for everyone. I've had to support, work for, and ally with some candidates I fundamentally disagree with on many issues to attempt to resist candidates I fundamentally disagree with on EVERY issue. I've sacrificed Mental Health, physical well-being, and put myself in danger in the name of progress. I have been physically assaulted on the campaign trail. I've had a gun pointed at my face and had to outrun attack dogs released on me while door to door canvassing in hostile environments.Just to watch Fascists win.
The left loses more than we win because we eat our would-be allies on many issues because we don't agree with them on every issue. The fascists know this and exploit it. It's their main strategy. They don't have to go looking for cracks because we lay them bare. The Fascist right-wing wins because they've become experts at coalition building. We have to do better. We must. As long as we continue to treat pragmatism as the enemy of progress, we will continue to lose.
..love and agree with all of it but fascism eventually hurts oligarchs too. The Earth is a closed system and they can only cannibalize the poor for so long before it affects their vacuous wealth accumulation stratagem. What good is it to own all the resources but suffer from abject loneliness and a dying ecosystem? This has happened before, and is not a new phenomenon in the human experience. Being "poor" is not only forced upon me by neoliberalism but also a choice. I am rich in what matters; close relationships, and spirit. I am poor in terms of the amount of shiny things I own and power over others but am very pleased with my circumstances. I don't envy the oligarchs but I can clearly see their emptiness and the futility of their endeavors. I just wish the oligarchs could realize that their values are hurting both themselves as well as everyone else under their control.