I am no fan of either the Old or the New Left, but I have some begrudging respect for the grassroots socialists of the Old - people like Eugene Debs, Norman Thomas and even Bernie Sanders. They had convictions and were willing to risk going to jail or worse for their beliefs. The New Left shifted its focus from the working man to academia, which was its biggest mistake. Instead of raising genuine working-class concerns, they sit in their lecture halls and offices propagating abstract theories and pining for civilization's decline. It's nothing more than a cult, to be honest.
I am no fan of either the Old or the New Left, but I have some begrudging respect for the grassroots socialists of the Old - people like Eugene Debs, Norman Thomas and even Bernie Sanders. They had convictions and were willing to risk going to jail or worse for their beliefs. The New Left shifted its focus from the working man to academia, which was its biggest mistake. Instead of raising genuine working-class concerns, they sit in their lecture halls and offices propagating abstract theories and pining for civilization's decline. It's nothing more than a cult, to be honest.