I have a rather conflicted view of individuality, and always have, and I think this conflict is fairly core to my sort of counterculture left-wing WASP(ish) background. On the one hand (my upbringing says), we all need to pull together and form a cooperative collective, and should bond with the Everyday Little Guy etc. On the other, since most people aren't counterculture and left-wing, the Everyday Little Guy is wrong and we need to stick to our internal sense of right and not be sucked into the beliefs of the culture around us.
There's a book on this I've been meaning to read, Deer Hunting with Jesus. It's about the disconnect between leftist ideals and the "redneck" US working class. Author himself identifies as a "commie redneck."
I think it's particularly glaring in some (not all) anarchist circles, which are sort of the apex of elitist holier-than-thou lifestyles, coupled with rhetoric about mass struggle. When all the options at a meeting are vegan, organic and funny looking, it's kinda hard to build a mass movement.
But yeah, I go with the "keep on trucking" approach where conflict between false individuality and false community is concerned. It's the sort of thing that never gets resolved, at least not permanently. Best to listen, read, and work from whatever seems to make sense at the time.
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There's a book on this I've been meaning to read, Deer Hunting with Jesus. It's about the disconnect between leftist ideals and the "redneck" US working class. Author himself identifies as a "commie redneck."
I think it's particularly glaring in some (not all) anarchist circles, which are sort of the apex of elitist holier-than-thou lifestyles, coupled with rhetoric about mass struggle. When all the options at a meeting are vegan, organic and funny looking, it's kinda hard to build a mass movement.
But yeah, I go with the "keep on trucking" approach where conflict between false individuality and false community is concerned. It's the sort of thing that never gets resolved, at least not permanently. Best to listen, read, and work from whatever seems to make sense at the time.