Left Outside the Social-Justice Movement's Small Tent

[Igel]

1. Nearly every such group, high school, undergrad, or grad that I've run into

has been precisely this.

They're oppressed. That means they need to equalize power.

Thing is, people suck at figuring out what "fair" and "equal" mean, esp. when they think they're superior. "Free speech" is often "free for me," but since the other guy's speech is immoral and oppressive, corrupt, it's dangerous and like other dangerous things should be limited or controlled. And who better to control it than those who know how dangerous it is?

The struggle sets up boundaries and sides, and that makes compromise impossible. Even when you're probably wrong, you just argue and argue yourself into a little corner. At that point, haters gonna hate, the problem being that if you hate the other side, well, then you're gonna hate and just keep on hating. It becomes a habit, familiar and reassuring, because you have your community or group and need to protect it to protect yourself.

It's not obvious when there's clearly an imbalance of power in a situation. It doesn't always happen, but once a group becomes established it's not like it's easily going to say, "Oh, gee, that's taken care off. Pizza?"

That said, I have seen groups do exactly that. Most often they implode as those who don't fall for that dynamic leave and those who are left can't work together or find a next common object of ire.