There have been many sighs and groans over Bernie supporters being called racist, misogynist, privileged, etc., all referring to a progressive egalitarianism that everyone, even right-wingers, professes to possess. Even the most racist person bridles as being called racist, no?

The latest contretemps I've noticed is the battle between Joan Walsh and Neera Tanden and a white male blogger named Matt Bruenig.

Scott Crowder posted an essay here at the Caucus explaining what happened.

But it's not only this particular conflict that has me thinking.

Here's the real conflict as far as I'm concerned.

I don't like Joan Walsh. I don't like Denise over at TOP. I didn't even know who Neera Tanden was until I read about the Matt Bruenig story. But from what I've read since then about her - yeah, I don't like her either.

At the same time I'm thrilled that we have Joan and Denise and Neera - and even Hillary - in the public square. Why shouldn't women be able to be as big an asshole as men? Bear with me, I do have a point to make.

I believe you'll find in all identity politics a hard core of emotion that will inevitably cause conflict when brought to the surface.

Not everyone is a saint who can forgive oppression. We hear from a lot of people of all identities who have indeed managed to widen their humanity as a result of oppression -- but we don't hear so much from the millions who are warped because of that oppression and who need healing in ways we can't imagine.

Oppression may bring out the best in our heroes -- for the rest of us we can be broken and permanently wounded by it. No one talks about this for it's considered a weakness and we like to think we are strong.

So I can disagree with and be opposed to Hillary Clinton and still see that she is a victim of misogyny which should be considered by all of us, not just Hillary supporters.

People like Denise, Joan, Neera, are being accused of "weaponizing" feminism and anti-racism. Oh pulleeeeze! They really believe what they are saying, even as it appears ridiculous from our side. The emotions driving their political strategies are valid for them. It's not the way we're used to seeing older white men argue, as they are new to power. They are new to power. They are testing their own power and although I don't like them and I don't agree with them, I'm glad they have power to test. You never know, with enough pushback, they might end up being less ridiculous in the future.

The conflict is important and should be had.

How many people do we hurt every day because we don't understand where they are coming from? How many people are so wounded in their dignity that they trust no one any more and will attack anyone who doesn't pledge some sort of tested fealty to them first?

This isn't a right-left-center political thing. It's a human phenomenon.

I can't honestly call myself a feminist. I was born in 1954 and was conditioned by society and family before I ever even heard of feminism. I can intellectually understand and agree with feminist thought, but I don't feel it as viscerally as the women who pioneered the movement and the younger women who grew up with it as their social conditioning.

I do, however, have a strong craving for social justice, which mandates a balance between compassion and judgment.

I don't think there's anything that destructive about directly dealing with charges of racism, misogyny, homophobia, even if it appears those charges are directly meant to smear and destroy someone. It's not like we don't have time to talk about that or that it necessarily has to distract from the "real" issues.

I get as pissed off as anyone else when it comes to this political fight we're in. Anger easily arises in me. That's just the way it is for me.

A great Buddhist teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, spoke a lot about energy and how you can work with energy. Even negative energy. There's always a space you can make with your own mind to transform the chaos of the energy into something you can work with, can move with. It's not so much turning negative into positive, but working with what is actually there fearlessly.

This particular political conflict we are in affords, I believe, a perfect space within its energy to grow and expand our compassion. To let people be who they are and have the courage to be who we are as well, flaws and all.

Solidarity.