What are the power structures you're talking about here?
I'm thinking about that flagship of modern progressivism: privilege.
Conservative intellectuals seem intent upon attacking the concept. I think it plays into the way the right and the left approach equality--the right seems to take for granted that a level playing field exists, and the left says it does not. And the fact of the matter is that it does not. Focusing specifically on the gender issues right now, if a man is approached sexually by a strange woman, the situation is very different than if a woman is approached by a strange man, since in both cases if push comes to shove, the man is likely to be able to overpower the woman. So the sorts of strange sexual advances that a man might laugh off or feel flattered by, a woman is more likely to experience as potentially dangerous. The closest men are likely to get is approached sexually by another man, and many men are
immediately threatened when that happens.
If conservatives would like to contest liberal solutions to issues like this, that's fine, but they need to start by admitting that the issues exist. I'm honestly not sure why they don't, what with original sin and all. And when they go after the liberal culture of victimization, there is a
very thin line between a legitimate criticism and an attempt at silencing both victims and anyone who disagrees with their definition of what constitutes victimization. At the popular level, this plays itself out with the "snowflake" slur, which is actually a diabolically brilliant tactic.
I wouldn't say it's about the Constitution so much as goodwill and authentic respect for persons. For example, the illegal leaking of information about Ford and the personal details of U.S. senator's places of residence, etc., is highly troubling. Inviolable human dignity and not using evil as a means are just going out the window. The whole thing is rather Nietzshcean.
Oh, I don't think so. Nietzsche would be dead set against underhanded tactics and nursed grievances. Morality of the Übermensch, after all.
I don't like what's going on either, though, but it brought my pet issue into the spotlight in a somewhat unprecedented way, and the whole thing has been very unnerving. I'm worried about what the next month is going to look like, since both sides are going to try to keep emotions as high as possible. Which is terrible for discourse in general, but I'm hoping the liberals don't spend the time effectively triggering their base to keep them upset.