Conflict theory can be useful but it’s important to recognize its limits. Years of colonialism, war, industrialization, and dystopian literature have all led to an overemphasis on race, class, gender, and oppression in mainstream political discourse, which the far-right has now appropriated for their white identity politics. Instead of abandoning it, which is what Trump is trying to do with his executive order on education, I believe it should be integrated into a larger theoretical framework of how large, complex societies work. The Soviet Union wasn’t truly socialist, but maybe the reason for that is because complex systems are fragile and they require an authoritarian government if they’re damaged too much by a revolution. An overemphasis on conflict and bad faith can lead to witch hunts, sectarianism, and factionalism.
Conflict theory can be useful but it’s important to recognize its limits. Years of colonialism, war, industrialization, and dystopian literature have all led to an overemphasis on race, class, gender, and oppression in mainstream political discourse, which the far-right has now appropriated for their white identity politics. Instead of abandoning it, which is what Trump is trying to do with his executive order on education, I believe it should be integrated into a larger theoretical framework of how large, complex societies work. The Soviet Union wasn’t truly socialist, but maybe the reason for that is because complex systems are fragile and they require an authoritarian government if they’re damaged too much by a revolution. An overemphasis on conflict and bad faith can lead to witch hunts, sectarianism, and factionalism.