I haven't turned anything around. Class is not an identity, it's a condition, and one that sits beside all the other facets of our lives. I guess you could put the sixth bullet's 'identities' into the correct order for her. That's the trouble with your 'politics' of identity. It's so easy to be hoisted with your own petard.
I keep well away from the 'left.' It's not of or for the working class any more. It's filled with people who may well get badly burned in the future. From what I have seen of intersectionalism in practice it's well-off and very middle class.
Even in your above post you don't seem to offer anything. I should feel bad, guilty or something. That's it.
*sigh*
I didn't know you were expecting me to "offer you something," and to be honest, I don't know what you are expecting. I've tried to describe why I don't believe only a class analysis of oppression is sufficient. Although so many keep labeling me as a proponent of "identity politics" (which the way it's being used, is starting to sound like a slur, like when it used to be popular to dismiss people for being "politically correct.")
You say "class is not an identity, it's a condition." Does that mean you think say, being African American is only an identity (something you can pick and choose) and not a condition? How about disability? Gender? Is the idea that being a working class person is pretty much the same whether you are white or Black, just if you're the latter there's the extra layer of racism?
You also said, "From what I have seen of intersectionalism in practice, it's well-off and very middle-class."
No. It's origins are in the African American feminist/womanist movement and it's working class women of colour worldwide who remain the strongest proponents of it. I first came across the term when I read "Mapping the Margins" from Kimberle Williams Crenshaw over 20 years ago. Her description was an eye opener for me. It was some time after that, I was put on to writings from bell hooks. If you're genuinely interested in understanding the concept, I'd recommend "Feminist Theory - From Margins to Centre," where she describes the interplay between race, class and gender in America. There's plenty of stuff out there on the net. I'm aware that there are campaigns and movements around the world, particularly of young people, based on an understanding of intersectionality.
Going back probably 15 years ago, I used to be active in some online discussion groups that also valued this approach. Funnily enough, despite the wide range of folks involved (although it leaned towards North America just because at that time perhaps fewer people in the US had home internet) and different opinions, the dialogue was constructive, thought provoking, civil. My mistake in thinking something like that might be possible here, but hey ho.
