How to revive Labor?

We all need the down-to-earth Working Class to reenter politics

In the three countries I know best, the US, the Netherlands, and Israel, I see the same thing. The so-called Labor Party has hardly any blue-collar laborers left. Mostly politically correct salon socialists, intellectuals, green-dealers, or professional politicians took over the classical workers’ parties. Then the Working Class stopped voting for them—they’re not stupid.

But the Green New Deal is right. There is a Climate Extinction threat.

Woke and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion viewpoint are correct. There has been unfair treatment, disempowerment, and discrimination of people from certain groups that must be taken into account to come out fairly.

But—being right doesn’t mean being superior. Arrogance is so ugly.

But what can be done to revitalize the Left and politics in general?

Let me suggest ten points to the ‘smart-asses’ who took the Labor Party hostage. Instead of being so proud of having a white-collar job training, try to humbly retake your quiet and helpful place in the Working Class:

1. Many Working-Class people don’t vote for Right-wing populists because they are stupid or ill-informed. Rather, they do so because 1. They’re too good-hearted and naïve to believe they are conned by these populists; 2. The Left doesn’t listen to them; and so 3. They are their last hope. Don’t blame the victims. Blame those on the ‘smart’ Left who stood by idly.

2. You can’t say to White, Straight Working-Class Men that non-Whites, LGBTQAI+s, and Women have been treated unfairly and so, they should shut up and only listen and obey. They too have been treated unfairly. They must be respected and listened to too. They have wisdom and value beyond the labor they provide. They also deserve pride and dignity.

3. Intellectuals must listen to White, Straight, Male Blue-Collar Workers. To listen means to stop preaching—even when you’re sure you’re right and they need to learn from you. Are you open to learning from them, or are you sure they are ‘too stupid’? You are not the brain of the operation—they are. They are not deplorables, and the richer aren’t more ‘successful,’ in general. You’re only a proper leader when you collect the best of their thinking, make it into a complete program, present that to them, and then argue—until you get their agreement. Yes, it’s Marx himself who said so.

4. You must listen. And learn. Sit on the floor while they sit on chairs and smile. (The dedicated and great Dutch Labor Party leader Joop den Uyl did this as PM when he and his wife hosted a group of ‘radical feminists’ in 1973.) If you’re too fond of being a know-it-all, go join a right-wing party.

5. Marshall Rosenberg taught: Empathy Before Education. Yes, maybe you too have something to teach. But you first must learn from them, and they first must receive your understanding, compassion, and smile. You will find that, as a group, the Working Class are nice, caring people. Any anger will soften when you listen longer to them. Don’t pity them when they talk of their hardship, but rather, admire their ability to hang in there and not lie.

6. Prevent infighting. Don’t let certain workers cancel others. There is enough for everyone when you give everyone a fair share. If many people have a lot to say, split up into groups where everyone can have equal and more plentiful time, and then, have the groups report to the whole.

7. Don’t play groups against each other. Don’t pick and choose who’s ‘more right’ than others. As the old Jewish joke says, ‘These are right and those are right, and the people who say you can’t just agree with all parties are right too.’ Everyone is right enough to listen to. In the longer run and in the greater perspective, we have no conflicting interests; we are all in the same boat, and there is enough for everyone. Appeal to the good heart of the Working-Class people. Call upon everyone to fight for everyone.

8. It may take years before you listened and grew enough so that you really grasp racism, sexism, or classism. Sit on your guilty feelings and be humble. Join White, Straight, Male, Intellectual, Gentile, Able-Bodied (etc.) Groups to support one another so that the victims of your oppressive conditioning aren’t forced to please and counsel you against their consent.

9. If Trump can win most of the Working Class just by pretending to listen, understand, and care, you certainly can do better when you really listen, understand, and care. Politicians really for the People are more important than ever. The right cannot take away the climate extinction threat, world hunger, poverty, or oppressions. They’re too stingy, addicted to power.

10. If you can’t do this and are unwilling to learn, or if your comfort is more important than making a positive difference in the world, return the party to those you stole it from. There are plenty of right-wing parties to pick from where you can feel and act superior. The Labor Party isn’t yours.

Happy Lunar New Year to our Chinese readers.

_____

You may find more controversial writings on Amazon or my own blog.

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1