Politics of the Right: When Being Right Becomes an Obstacle

• In Event: The Politics of Curriculum: Sociocultural Contexts for Teaching and Learning

Abstract

As problems mount in the United States, leftist political organizing becomes a matter of life and death. The neoliberal order falters, revealing a disturbed terrain pockmarked by climate change, attacks on women’s rights, and rising fascism. Increasingly, it seems that the left must get things right. However, in this context, a preoccupation with being/feeling right threatens political organizing on the left. Drawing on Berlant’s (2011) cruel optimism, this paper weaves together fiction that revolves around knowledge, perfectionism, and meritocracy. While many assume that being right leads to political power, this paper argues that a preoccupation with being right actually threatens social justice initiatives.

Author

• Seth A. McCall, Lake Superior State University
  Presenting Author