What does a world free of -isms, -ists, and -phobias look like?

[Investigator]

There's a large contingent of posts on GAG that focus on race and sex (for obvious reasons, since we can't change our race or our sex)--specifically, problems that are incurred on the basis of race or sex. Women aren't treated equally to men because of sexism. Minorities suffer because of systemic racism and, then there's all the cultural baggage around the Venn diagram of "ethnic-based religions" such as Muslims.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that we somehow managed to resolve every element of sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.--every last vestige of these problems is gone.

What does that world look like and how do we get there?

[normalice]

To get those who disagree to at least agree to stop harassing you with their ideology is precisely the thing most ideologies seek to accomplish. The hiccup is knowing there are some that aren't going to do that and will press their ideology onto others - by force if the opportunity arises. Knowing that there are any such people out there means that everyone who seeks to preserve their own ideologies must be prepared to fend off aggressive subscribers to some other ideology that want to erase yours (It is a bit of a paradox as we want people to be open minded to the possibility that they are wrong, but if someone ends up engaging in open mindedness, risking being shown they are wrong for the sake of the greater payoff that would occur if they are instead shown they are right, they may react violently when they lose that gamble). Such preparation makes no effort to figure out how to identify real threats from imagined ones - indeed no such effort can be made as any attempt to compile a list of signs that someone is not a threat will end up just being a checklist of behaviors to emulate by people who definitely intend to be a threat.

Anyway, as the expression goes when your only tool is a hammer all problems start to resemble nails. Spending such a disproportionate amount of time preparing to defend your ideology, violently if necessary, from those who seek to erase it eventually will twist one's perception into thinking any disagreement at all with one's own ideology is an attack that must be pre-emptively countered by harassing and maybe attacking someone else's. And so we come full circle. To be rid of all of the -isms is to be rid of quite a lot of people who cling to them for their sense of self worth. And so the idealism of being without isms is, itself, just another ism. No one can transplant anyone to a better genration. We are all stuck with each other for the rest of our lives. We can waste our time wishing we would just go away or we can figure out how to appreciate each other. The prior feels better but makes things worse. The latter is just a bunch of work no one has time for but improves life for everyone for all time. I suppose it isn't up to me, though..

[NatalieIshereO]

This seems to be one huge projection

[normalice]

I suppose if you read just the first few sentences it might ruffle you enough to lash out like that, sure.

[NatalieIshereO]

I am not lashing out, you are projecting again

[normalice]

You're not fooling anyone, you know.

[NatalieIshereO]

Okay, love

[normalice]

Same reply as before

[Anonymous]

You’ve got some incredible assumptions you start with:

“Women aren't treated equally to men because of sexism. Minorities suffer because of systemic racism and, then there's all the cultural baggage around the Venn diagram of "ethnic-based religions" such as Muslims.”

Minorities get college scholarships and grants BECAUSE of systemic racism. There are hundreds if not thousands of race based scholarships available for minorities. There are none for Caucasians.

I could take apart your other assumptions, but what’s the point.

[Investigator]

These are not my assumptions, these are the "topics of the day"--the dialogue that consumes modern social and political discourse. I am simply asking "if we grant all of this to be true, what are the solutions, and what form (s) do they take?"

To a person who doesn't believe any of what has been stated here to be true (such as yourself), there is nothing to solve and, in fact, what has been "fixed" likely needs recalibration. But to one who firmly believes any or all of what has been said, those are the people from whom answers are wanted.

The metaphorical genie of "social constructionism/intersectionality/Neoliberal Marxism" (whatever you want to call it) has long since been out of the bottle, and certainly isn't going back in, so rather than trying to avoid these issues or dismissing them out-of-hand, it is better to lean into it and ask "okay, where are we going?" For better or worse, wherever that answer leads is the future of Western civilization.

[Anonymous]

Id really love to find out.