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[no_ambiguity]

It would help enormously, for instance, if the smell of crankishness which still clings to the Socialist movement could be dispelled. If only the sandals and the pistachio-coloured shirts could be put in a pile and burnt, and every vegetarian, teetotaller, and creeping Jesus sent home to Welwyn Garden City to do his yoga exercises quietly!

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Comments

[pjc50]

It's interesting that he wrote that 50-odd years ago and the situation is much the same.

Most people's politics is more about display than change: proving to themselves and those around them that they are the right sort of person than doing things with lasting effect. Guilt/blame homeostasis makes the world go round.

[jamesofengland]

Orwell's an odd duck like that. He's often brilliant and incredibly modern (I adore the quoted book, in particular), but he was also someone who viewed the opportunity to shoot policemen as a reason to pick the other side in an intra-republican spat in Spain (policemen oppose the people, y'see). He's very clever and insightful and such, but when he's wrong, dude, he's awesomely wrong.

[softfruit]

I relate to that rather well, I'll always feel a little out of place in many "radical" "lefty" spaces due to little lifestyle choices like my determined belief in eating meat rather than vegan faux meat. I like to think it's that liberal thing of wanting to level up not level down...