class *instinct¶

This is why I always emphasize class instinct. Your class positions and orients you, but it's not destiny. Political consciousness is only possible within your field of view -- but you can always notice something in your peripheral vision and just... turn... your... head... https://t.co/9WEPFYmOL6 Whether or not you start to march in that direction depends on what you see over there, whether you find it compelling, whether you think it's worth abandoning the path you were eyeing previously, etc.. Can you see a better outcome over there? Is it more risky? Do you care? It certainly becomes much easier to reorient yourself if there's a concerted effort already underway for others to move in that direction. If it feels more concrete, more just, more fulfilling, more necessary for long-term survival, a greater mass of people will turn and move. So these movements necessarily start with people already positioned at the edge of a gaping cliff face and eager to start moving away from it. They're more likely to orient in vaguely the correct direction, and together they can (relatively) easily pivot to march together. None of this is an assessment of morals, just... what people in specific social positions are likely to do, collectively. Any individual can buck that trend, and any cohort can have their "natural" instincts change with the evolving context of a strong movement.