In 'liberal democratic' societies, it's generally the case that most causes, agendas, and movements claim to serve some universal, humanitarian, and all-embracing ideal. Terms like 'justice', 'equality', 'liberty', 'freedom', 'truth', 'tolerance', and so on are bandied about by all sides.
But how can so many different causes claim to be for the same universal ideals and principles?
To understand the true nature of power, we need to check for fingerprints on the steering wheel of any agenda. Who created it and organized it? Who funds it and manages it? Who does the hiring and firing? Most crucial of all, what is the ethnic content and/or class character of these fingerprints?
A Jewish-American organization and an Arab-American organization may preach near-identical-sounding principles, but Jews will direct those 'ideals' toward serving Jews while Arabs will do so for Arabs.
It is the naive, earnest, and inexperienced who focus more on stated principles than on ethnic, cultural, and/or class character of those who head the movement. Of course, many people join the movement out of sincere commitment, but they are invariably the tools, not the tool-users.
Because 'liberal democratic' societies claim to represent bland humanity than specific nationalities, various particularist agendas invoke universal principles to obfuscate what are really narrower agendas. So, a hundred different organizations in America could very well be for 100 different specific interests,but they will chant the same genetic mantras. Rhetorically, they sound remarkably alike, yet inter-relational conflicts owe to the fact of sharply divergent real interests. In cases where various groups come together, the alliance is less the product of agreement on universal principles than agreement of mutual favors(for the time being).
Always dust for fingerprints to notice which individuals of which groups are behind the design, framework, and funding of a movement or cause. Currently, there's convergence of shared interests between Jews and Muslims in the 'Age of Trump'. This has nothing to do with Jews and Muslims respecting each others' common humanity. It has everything to do with Jewish alarm about Trumpism(as an emergent gentile challenge to Jewish supremacist power) and with Muslim/Arab eagerness to gain entry to the West for better material lives. So much of it is tribal and/or mercenary.
But it sounds nobler to celebrate the alliance in terms of 'justice' and 'equality'. It sounds less cynical and cutthroat.
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