A fellow by the name of Barrett Wilson writes of his own experience in an interesting piece at The Federalist. Wilson, a liberal, hasn't abandoned his liberal ideas, but he does find that he has much more in common with conservatives than with his fellow progressives.
Here's his lede:
Recently, I went to have a beer with one of my friends from my former life as a social justice crusader. He’s one of the few left-leaning friends I have left since I was mobbed and shamed out of my lefty, social justice community for “toxic behavior” on Twitter (in a straight-up Justine Sacco-style event). He’s a great guy, and he’s still friends with my old friends, so when we meet, it’s a secretive thing.Wilson's doubts seemed to have been prompted by the demonization of people he knew personally who weren't anything like they were being portrayed by his leftist friends:
As I was on my way, I started thinking about just how many people I had lost in my life over the last year or two. It’s got to be in the hundreds. People who have known me for 20 years or more, who said they loved me, who took care of me and let me take care of them, are all mostly gone now. For many, it’s a matter of their own social survival. Guilt by association is a h-ll of a thing.
As I was starting to tally the people I have lost touch with, another thought occurred to me: I probably have more conservative friends than liberal friends now. For a lifelong “bleeding heart” liberal, this is quite the unexpected life development. I decided to tweet something to that effect.
I tweeted: “Since I was mobbed out of my social justice community, I’ve found that conservatives are more kind, forgiving, and open-minded people than my old crew. I’ve found friendship and acceptance despite disagreement. I can’t get in trouble anymore for saying so—so I’m saying so.”
Even when I was at my most insufferable, social justice version of myself, I had a soft spot for conservatives. My family is deeply religious, and some supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election. I was appalled by this choice (I am still no fan of Trump), but I know the hearts of my family members, and I know that they are good people who simply have different beliefs than me.Wilson goes on to explain how, having been driven by his erstwhile friends on the left into outer darkness he found tolerance and acceptance among his new friends who were, perhaps ironically and unexpectedly, conservatives.
When the media and my social group continually went on about how Trump supporters were fascists and white supremacists, it made me deeply uncomfortable. They were talking about my parents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I know these people to be tolerant, inclusive, and generous. They do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, or sex. They, like most conservatives these days, are LGBT-friendly.
I love them. And they are worthy of love and respect.
When I got unpersoned, in a social-media driven mobbing, I was self-injurious and my life was at risk. My family was there for me, and they helped me get healthy again. Then I met some friends. Some people had seen what I had gone through and wanted to offer support and discussion.
The interesting thing about Wilson's experience is how Stalinist so much of the left has become. There's no room for dissent, no allowance for ambiguity. Everything is absolute, black and white, us versus them, and if you vacillate in your enmity toward the other side you're condemned as a heretic and shunned.
Just as was the fate of ideological deviants in the old Soviet Union, one becomes a non-person, a traitor to the cause deserving the punishment of being "unfriended."
He goes on to describe the attendees at a social gathering held for the staff of a journal for which he now works:
Some were liberals like me, but all had been unpersoned in one way or another, whether it was a result of false allegations, “heretical” thinking, or some minor unwoke gaffe. Many were conservatives who were thrilled to be a part of this new cultural movement, where ideas could be freely exchanged. It was the most extraordinary thing.Here's his conclusion:
The one thing they all had in common was that they cherished the principle of free speech. Modern conservatives and exiled liberals cherish free speech more than ever because they share the experience of being silenced in the name of social justice. (I’m not saying that social justice shaming is exclusively the purview of the left, but I think most reasonable people would agree it happens much more frequently on the left.)
And I suppose that’s why I have forged meaningful friendships with conservatives. The policing of language and shutting down of open inquiry has never been more popular among the modern left. Say the wrong thing or associate with the wrong person, and the left will lose you. It seems today’s conservatives are more moderate than today’s liberals. That’s quite the thought.For what it's worth, I think he's right. I'm sure there are conservatives who say and do things that would make other conservatives wince, but how often is the sort of treatment visited upon Wilson by his liberal friends meted out by conservatives to those who deviate from conservative orthodoxy?
Even in our more intense disagreements (abortion, rights, trans rights, guns) my conservative friends have never aggressively lashed out at me, deplatformed me, unpersoned me, or tried to ruin my livelihood. They understand how important forgiveness and redemption will be if we are ever going to move on from these divisive times.
While I am not planning to abandon my liberal beliefs, I do feel that my fellow liberals could learn a lot from the way modern conservatives comport themselves.
Maybe it's happening more than I'm aware, but if so where are the testimonials like Wilson's?