Thank you for this piece. I find that in addition to becoming more skilled at relational communication, a lot of folks could benefit from tapping into spiritual practices that are focused on dissolving the hard edges of one's ego. I've witnessed folks (myself included) often co-opt good causes to excuse unskillful behavior ultimately based in the ego's need for satisfaction. It takes a lot of courage, discernment, and skillfulness (held by a foundation of love and trust) to compassionately call each other in when this happens in our organizing spaces.
Thank you!! I especially appreciate the reminder that we can find ourselves on all sides of this and as I reflect on my own history, I can certainly see how true that is. I know I’m going to be referencing this in the future as a guide.
Thank you for writing this. I find the “leftist” (I hate the spectrum metaphor) discourse exhausting from all the exclusiveness, purity testing and misdirected rage. The fractiousness frustrates me and makes me throw up my hands. Nothing makes me more certain of doom than the inability of American dissenters to agree on anything or coalition-build
The end goal is equality and equity for all life on Earth. We can discuss tacticts and such but if all the players aren't on the same board with the same end game, we will lose. Never trust liberals! They don't care about POC or many other marginalized groups.
Phew commenting as another femme of color abolitionist organizer who was at the heart of an online cancellation campaign (waged by people who didn’t know me) in 2021. It took me out of the organizing game for two full years while I tried to put myself back together and I’m still dealing with lingering residual trauma (because yes, these experiences can be traumatic!)
Something I’ve been reading/thinking about a lot lately is political polarization and how it feeds into the leftist paranoia that makes us see enemies in one another. As difficult as it is, and as satisfying as it is to vilify the “other side,” I’m trying to practice recognizing shared humanity and not flattening people into stereotypes. I think this is a skill set that is deeply lacking and undervalued in many social justice spaces, even as we are arguing for wider society to see the humanity in immigrants, prisoners, trans people, Palestinians, etc..
I think this is an inaccurate understanding of hatred, respectfully. Mutual hatred of capitalism can be synonymous with shared love of the people and land. I also think there were few examples of what constitutes an ego-driven conflict vs a principled conflict that is responding to/driven by assault, settler violence, ableism, anti-Blackness, transmisogyny. It then easily reads as a blanket caution against "woke cop" behavior, which tbh articulates as a right-wing framing.
I agree that many self proclaimed leftists can be cruel, exclusionary, mean, power hungry, but evolving to a position of peace and love rather than digging deeper into how solidarity against the state, capitalism, and their evils requires us to be disciplined, rigorous, and committed to each other for the sake of our survival is (to me) a depolitical and reductive recommendation. The state's tactics are not automatically what leftists do to each other -- some are, but not all. Leftists inventing narratives to claim you committed harm is not good but I would maybe advise more nuance before diagnosis hatred for the state and capitalism (which are positive things) as the reason they did that.
I really enjoy and value a lot of your writing, so this isn't me arguing to argue or to devil's advocate. I genuinely think the dyanmics of fedjacketing and betrayal are real, but I think their origins tend to be state disorganization, counterinsurgency, violence, colonialism, misogyny etc.
We didn’t diagnosed hatred for capitalism as the root cause of problems. We diagnosed capitalism/ colonialism as the root cause. We mentioned essentially everything you said in the comment in the piece itself. This piece wasn’t written to make reductive conclusions or claim that all conflict in leftist spaces is ego driven conflict.
Most importantly, there’s another previous piece i wrote referenced in this one that was a critique of the often disingenuous call for leftist unity which entirely focuses on conflict that can be regenerative and the importance of cultivating dissent. I think reducing this piece to something that reads as a right wing framing is odd… especially given that this is one piece among many many pieces that very clear show that I get the nuances you mentioned.
My entire work is about how our distress/ illnesses stem from colonialism/ capitalism. So seems pretty weird to me that I’d just flip a 180 and articulate a right wing argument that blames our hatred of these systems and categorizes our rage or all leftists or all conflict as unilaterally “bad”. The whole piece is about not generalizing and taking a blanket approach to anything.
Regardless, if those are the conclusions you drew from the piece then all I can say is that is not what the piece actually says at all and reductive, broad, sweeping generalizations without valuing complexity has never been the foundation of my work.
Also the mere idea that this piece claims that “all hatred is bad” is just such an odd reduction. Like of course hatred/ rage are very valuable in many contexts. Of course conflict is so important and critical for collective growth. Of course capitalism/ colonialism/ state violence are the root cause for even interpersonal problems which is something I’ve written about repeatedly.
This piece is clearly not making reductive claims but attempting to speak to a very specific type of cancel culture that is in fact pervasive on the left, that also stems from oppressive systems, that needs to be addressed for us to build broader coalitions/ mass movements.
Respectfully, I don’t fully get how you drew the conclusions you did from our piece. They don’t seem to be coming from this piece or any of my work in general. Everything you said I very obviously agree with…….. which is good but also feels confusing to be told that our issues stem from colonialism/ capitalism given that we wrote that in here, given that it is the broader framework of all my work, how I write, how I approach medicine etc. This piece was about us moving beyond that understanding to begin taking accountability for our specific role in addressing the interpersonal distress/ discord/ problems. Even if they stem from systems, this piece was about us diving deeper into how we can do better for each other (hence half the piece being about specific tips). Not about pathologizing our hatred…
When the children stop bickering with each other, when they realize they were never really each other's enemies and that they were tricked into believing they were each other's enemies, while crooks and conartists robbed them blind, then and only then, can the Revolution begin. In the meantime, we should start preparing. And believe it or not, we can create an extraordinary new social media for preparing for the Revolution, as well as for doing the Peaceful Revolution. Here's how: www.humbledeeds.com
Thank you for this thoughtful and powerful reflection on the challenges and fractures we face in leftist spaces. Your account of how cancel culture, internal conflicts, and disinformation have disrupted movement-building is deeply resonant—not just because it’s happening everywhere, but because it is symptomatic of something much larger: the deep colonial-capitalist conditioning that fragments us from within and without.
In my research on coloniality, trauma, and relational ontologies, I explore how colonial-capitalist systems don’t just control land, labour, and resources—they also shape our very ways of being, knowing, and relating to one another. The internalized competitiveness, mistrust, and fear you describe are extensions of these systems. They thrive on disconnection, feeding on the rupture of kinship, community, and collective power—turning us inward against each other rather than outward toward the structures we’re trying to dismantle.
One of the key questions that emerges for me from this is: How do we cultivate what you call a “unity of fields,” a way of moving together in collective struggle while honouring our differences without reproducing carceral logics? As you point out, unity doesn’t mean sameness. It means recognizing that different approaches, tactics, and ways of being can strengthen the movement if we remain oriented toward shared liberation rather than individual validation or dominance.
In trauma studies, we often talk about relational repair—the slow work of rebuilding trust and fostering environments where both accountability and care are possible. Relational ontologies—rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and the ongoing resistance of communities living in the cracks of dominant systems—teach us that healing and transformation happen in relationship. They require humility, openness, and a recognition that we are always unfinished, always in a process of becoming.
I’m curious how you’ve seen these principles play out in your own organizing spaces—especially in moments of deep tension and conflict. How do we build the kind of pluriversal spaces that can hold complexity, disagreement, and care simultaneously? How do we strengthen these relational muscles, not just in moments of crisis but as part of our everyday practices of organizing and community-building?
Your commitment to building beyond the toxic patterns of leftist spaces, even in the face of personal attacks, is a profound act of love and resilience. This reflection is a generous offering to all of us, and I’m grateful for the questions it raises and the hope it holds for what’s still possible.
Thank you for this piece. I find that in addition to becoming more skilled at relational communication, a lot of folks could benefit from tapping into spiritual practices that are focused on dissolving the hard edges of one's ego. I've witnessed folks (myself included) often co-opt good causes to excuse unskillful behavior ultimately based in the ego's need for satisfaction. It takes a lot of courage, discernment, and skillfulness (held by a foundation of love and trust) to compassionately call each other in when this happens in our organizing spaces.
Oh, my, wow, this is so timely. Dealing with this in our local leftist spaces, currently. Thank you, dear liberator.🙏🏼
Thank you!! I especially appreciate the reminder that we can find ourselves on all sides of this and as I reflect on my own history, I can certainly see how true that is. I know I’m going to be referencing this in the future as a guide.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 🙏🏼 essential.
Thank you for writing this. I find the “leftist” (I hate the spectrum metaphor) discourse exhausting from all the exclusiveness, purity testing and misdirected rage. The fractiousness frustrates me and makes me throw up my hands. Nothing makes me more certain of doom than the inability of American dissenters to agree on anything or coalition-build
The end goal is equality and equity for all life on Earth. We can discuss tacticts and such but if all the players aren't on the same board with the same end game, we will lose. Never trust liberals! They don't care about POC or many other marginalized groups.
Phew commenting as another femme of color abolitionist organizer who was at the heart of an online cancellation campaign (waged by people who didn’t know me) in 2021. It took me out of the organizing game for two full years while I tried to put myself back together and I’m still dealing with lingering residual trauma (because yes, these experiences can be traumatic!)
Something I’ve been reading/thinking about a lot lately is political polarization and how it feeds into the leftist paranoia that makes us see enemies in one another. As difficult as it is, and as satisfying as it is to vilify the “other side,” I’m trying to practice recognizing shared humanity and not flattening people into stereotypes. I think this is a skill set that is deeply lacking and undervalued in many social justice spaces, even as we are arguing for wider society to see the humanity in immigrants, prisoners, trans people, Palestinians, etc..
I think this is an inaccurate understanding of hatred, respectfully. Mutual hatred of capitalism can be synonymous with shared love of the people and land. I also think there were few examples of what constitutes an ego-driven conflict vs a principled conflict that is responding to/driven by assault, settler violence, ableism, anti-Blackness, transmisogyny. It then easily reads as a blanket caution against "woke cop" behavior, which tbh articulates as a right-wing framing.
I agree that many self proclaimed leftists can be cruel, exclusionary, mean, power hungry, but evolving to a position of peace and love rather than digging deeper into how solidarity against the state, capitalism, and their evils requires us to be disciplined, rigorous, and committed to each other for the sake of our survival is (to me) a depolitical and reductive recommendation. The state's tactics are not automatically what leftists do to each other -- some are, but not all. Leftists inventing narratives to claim you committed harm is not good but I would maybe advise more nuance before diagnosis hatred for the state and capitalism (which are positive things) as the reason they did that.
I really enjoy and value a lot of your writing, so this isn't me arguing to argue or to devil's advocate. I genuinely think the dyanmics of fedjacketing and betrayal are real, but I think their origins tend to be state disorganization, counterinsurgency, violence, colonialism, misogyny etc.
We didn’t diagnosed hatred for capitalism as the root cause of problems. We diagnosed capitalism/ colonialism as the root cause. We mentioned essentially everything you said in the comment in the piece itself. This piece wasn’t written to make reductive conclusions or claim that all conflict in leftist spaces is ego driven conflict.
Most importantly, there’s another previous piece i wrote referenced in this one that was a critique of the often disingenuous call for leftist unity which entirely focuses on conflict that can be regenerative and the importance of cultivating dissent. I think reducing this piece to something that reads as a right wing framing is odd… especially given that this is one piece among many many pieces that very clear show that I get the nuances you mentioned.
My entire work is about how our distress/ illnesses stem from colonialism/ capitalism. So seems pretty weird to me that I’d just flip a 180 and articulate a right wing argument that blames our hatred of these systems and categorizes our rage or all leftists or all conflict as unilaterally “bad”. The whole piece is about not generalizing and taking a blanket approach to anything.
Regardless, if those are the conclusions you drew from the piece then all I can say is that is not what the piece actually says at all and reductive, broad, sweeping generalizations without valuing complexity has never been the foundation of my work.
Also the mere idea that this piece claims that “all hatred is bad” is just such an odd reduction. Like of course hatred/ rage are very valuable in many contexts. Of course conflict is so important and critical for collective growth. Of course capitalism/ colonialism/ state violence are the root cause for even interpersonal problems which is something I’ve written about repeatedly.
This piece is clearly not making reductive claims but attempting to speak to a very specific type of cancel culture that is in fact pervasive on the left, that also stems from oppressive systems, that needs to be addressed for us to build broader coalitions/ mass movements.
Respectfully, I don’t fully get how you drew the conclusions you did from our piece. They don’t seem to be coming from this piece or any of my work in general. Everything you said I very obviously agree with…….. which is good but also feels confusing to be told that our issues stem from colonialism/ capitalism given that we wrote that in here, given that it is the broader framework of all my work, how I write, how I approach medicine etc. This piece was about us moving beyond that understanding to begin taking accountability for our specific role in addressing the interpersonal distress/ discord/ problems. Even if they stem from systems, this piece was about us diving deeper into how we can do better for each other (hence half the piece being about specific tips). Not about pathologizing our hatred…
When the children stop bickering with each other, when they realize they were never really each other's enemies and that they were tricked into believing they were each other's enemies, while crooks and conartists robbed them blind, then and only then, can the Revolution begin. In the meantime, we should start preparing. And believe it or not, we can create an extraordinary new social media for preparing for the Revolution, as well as for doing the Peaceful Revolution. Here's how: www.humbledeeds.com
Thank you for this thoughtful and powerful reflection on the challenges and fractures we face in leftist spaces. Your account of how cancel culture, internal conflicts, and disinformation have disrupted movement-building is deeply resonant—not just because it’s happening everywhere, but because it is symptomatic of something much larger: the deep colonial-capitalist conditioning that fragments us from within and without.
In my research on coloniality, trauma, and relational ontologies, I explore how colonial-capitalist systems don’t just control land, labour, and resources—they also shape our very ways of being, knowing, and relating to one another. The internalized competitiveness, mistrust, and fear you describe are extensions of these systems. They thrive on disconnection, feeding on the rupture of kinship, community, and collective power—turning us inward against each other rather than outward toward the structures we’re trying to dismantle.
One of the key questions that emerges for me from this is: How do we cultivate what you call a “unity of fields,” a way of moving together in collective struggle while honouring our differences without reproducing carceral logics? As you point out, unity doesn’t mean sameness. It means recognizing that different approaches, tactics, and ways of being can strengthen the movement if we remain oriented toward shared liberation rather than individual validation or dominance.
In trauma studies, we often talk about relational repair—the slow work of rebuilding trust and fostering environments where both accountability and care are possible. Relational ontologies—rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and the ongoing resistance of communities living in the cracks of dominant systems—teach us that healing and transformation happen in relationship. They require humility, openness, and a recognition that we are always unfinished, always in a process of becoming.
I’m curious how you’ve seen these principles play out in your own organizing spaces—especially in moments of deep tension and conflict. How do we build the kind of pluriversal spaces that can hold complexity, disagreement, and care simultaneously? How do we strengthen these relational muscles, not just in moments of crisis but as part of our everyday practices of organizing and community-building?
Your commitment to building beyond the toxic patterns of leftist spaces, even in the face of personal attacks, is a profound act of love and resilience. This reflection is a generous offering to all of us, and I’m grateful for the questions it raises and the hope it holds for what’s still possible.
With deep respect,
Ella