My Disillusionment with the Mainstream Left OR Bring Tolerance into Left-Wing Discourse

I will say at the outset that I try to avoid being an overly politically-minded person, since the subject is of very limited interest to me. I seldom engage in matters of politics, finding much more enjoyable things to do with my time instead. If pressed to identify where I naturally lean politically, I’d identify myself as a moderate leftie – I have socially liberal views and dislike the extremes of both sides. But overall, politics is something I try to keep at arm’s length.

So this kind of post is rare for me, but after exposure to some malefic attitudes and behaviours which appear to be characteristic of the mainstream Left, I feel the need to explain why, as a liberal, I feel so disillusioned with contemporary left-wing perspectives.

NUMBER ONE – THE PREJUDICE AGAINST ALTERNATIVE SPIRITUALITY

I used to naively assume that the Left was the champion of those who deviated from the norm, of harmless eccentrics. Even if they thought some of the people were rather batty, I believed that they offered friendship, kindness and open-mindedness.

Well, no longer, at least not when it comes to alternative spirituality.

I am an occultist who has been interested in New Age and esoteric studies since my teen years. It has been my misfortune to find out the hard way that the mainstream attitude of the modern Left is to show a shocking level of bias against such subjects as psychic ability, witchcraft, astrology and many other alternative metaphysical beliefs and practices which would fall under the umbrella of ‘occult’. I am not the only person who has noticed, for example, that when The Guardian runs an article on something to do with the paranormal or the spiritual, there is a likelihood that the standards of journalism will descend to those of The Daily Mail. The Left generally prides itself on its pro-science stance, but is decidedly very anti-science when it comes to the evidence supporting telepathy or mediumship. In general, they appear to have thrown in their lot with fundamentalist pseudo-sceptics and dogmatic materialists, a trend which I find most distasteful.

NUMBER TWO –INTOLERANCE, BIGOTRY AND DOWNRIGHT NASTINESS

Following on from the contemporary Left’s unfairness in regards to occultism, I have often been very disturbed by the intolerant, draconian and cruel rhetoric that they rain upon not just the metaphysical concepts themselves, but also the people who incorporate alternative spiritual beliefs and practices into their lives. The majority, by far, of us new age occult types, are completely innocuous, yet the Left seems to regard us all as enemies and as targets for bullying and oppression. Only this very morning, I took a look at the comments on a Guardian article on why young women were taking an interest in witchcraft, and saw the usual hateful and bigoted garbage. After wading through two pages of this sludge, I’d had enough. These people are entitled to be as mean as they want, but if that’s the way the Left is going, I want nothing to do with them. Far from being interested in upholding our right to do what we want in our personal lives, too many on the Left seems to want to take away our right to practice magick, astrology, the tarot, or whatever form of occultism we’ve taken up.

NUMBER THREE – PRO CHILD SEX ABUSE???

This third reason may be a little sketchy, and I don’t actually believe that being in favour of child sex abuse is a common view amongst those on the Left. On the contrary, I think it is still, at present, a minority opinion. I also recognise that that there have been numerous individuals of the political right who have inflicted abuse upon children; it is not simply a left-wing problem.

That said, I am including this reason here because I have tended to find that, in cases where there is outright support of child molestation, such sympathies have often been espoused by outlets aligned to the political Left.

I also want to make an important distinction clear. I have no issue with any left-wing support of non-offending paedophiles (i.e. those who have resolved never to harm children.) I sympathise with paedophiles who genuinely hate the way they feel and are committed to obeying the law. Articles in defence of them – fine. Similarly, left-wing support of treatment options for paedophiles in order to help them control their urges, stop them re-offending, or stop them offending in the first place – fine. I am objecting specifically to left-wing sources that have actually come out and appeared to sympathise with actual child sex abuse. One example I can think of is an article from The Guardian which maintained that it was uncertain as to whether child-adult sexual relations were harmful to children. (As far as I’m aware, there is tons of evidence that in most cases, it certainly is.)

Again, I don’t believe that support of child sex abuse is a normal view amongst left-wingers, but I am wondering if it is in the beginning stages of a slow-growing trend. If so, it is something I want to distance myself from. If pro child sex abuse views were ever to become the mainstream of the political Left, then I would think that would be a major nail in the coffin of their most historic values. Isn’t the Left supposed to be in favour of looking after the vulnerable?

I am in no way trying to imply that every single left-winger (or even the vast majority) holds all of these views or adopts all of these behaviours. I know for a fact that  there are lefties who remain true to the values of tolerance and compassion, who are kind and polite in conversation, who are capable of respecting those with whom they disagree. But it does seem to me that it has become conventional for left-wing outlets to be hotbeds of bigotry, dogma and bullying, and while they remain that way, this liberal will just grow more and more disenchanted.