there’s no place for positivity in SJF, which is rooted in the idea that liberal societies are hopelessly and irreparably oppressive. When it comes to the state of our politics, negative sentiment like grievance and outrage are shorthand for righteousness in SJF, while positive sentiments like optimism and gratitude are taken as a sign of false consciousness, callous privilege, or both. When positivity is shamed out of the conversation, the air ends up filled with gloom, resentment, and nihilism—not sentiments that energize people to fix problems.
