About Progressivism
As progressives, in order to discover a new paradigm shift or juggernaut of political breakthrough we should first seek to identify the framework we will be working within.
I feel comfortable approaching the world through a progressive lens. Of course I support human rights, democracy, freedom, equality, safety and a minimum basis of welfare; these are all parts of the European legacy worth preserving.
The aspect about radical leftist activism and cognate voluntary organisations like Amnesty that fascinates me the most is the willing and concrete lived experience, a mode of going about solving global sociopolitical problems that ultimately pays off and results in hands-on progressive development.
A belief in global social solidarity, the struggle against mass inequality and a communitarian sentiment provides a clear sense of belonging and identity which also makes sure of viewing the world through a useful ‘ideal-typical’ or analytic framework with tools and delineating characteristics that help to provide a clear mapping of developments and a sociopolitical roadmap onwards for what we have to do.
The struggles we are facing today are obviously multifarious yet assuringly concrete and well-defined: ecology, mass surveillance, the rise of the far-right and right-wing populism, MSM and social media, political correctness, etc. are all able to be criticised and usually some general answers and guidance, if not some actual solutions, have appeared in some form.
Joining forces by looking at the world through a helpful economic lens will provide the youth with the identity and meaning that some desperately long for. Many youngsters are preoccupied with their immediate social bubbles and the latest trends, fashions, cars, etc. while still somehow maintaining a surprising political awareness.
At the same time, their participatory interest in ongoing crises such as global warming is radically reduced to a sort of one-off mental jaunt, by means of a major demonstration or through some online petitions at change.org and the like. I am all for these institutions, although I doubt the effectiveness of the former (the political climate or the sense of crisis or pressure was not imminent and severe enough to generate a lasting mass social movement with a genuine bottom-up class basis for struggle), but what I fear is that the commitment among the younger generations has been adopting a more ‘trending’ quality. We cannot let the climate crisis turn into a farce or a past subjected trend like Pokemon Go, which practically nobody cares about anymore.
However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it still might be possible to bring about some lasting change in several areas, not just as a delightful wake-up call when one becomes cognizant of how much pollution has been decreased or how much cleaner the waters of Venice have become, but also in the potential innovation that can arise under such pressing circumstances.
The initial psychological effect of desperation and the absolute uncertainty has certainly been phased out, and in its turn came a more reassuring return to normality and everyday consumer capitalism with more openings of restaurants, cafeterias and even tourist flights from places like Norway to Greece. Now it’s again all closed in Oslo for a few weeks onwards.
There is still some uncanny feeling of coming reverberations, namely heavier state intervention and more permanent restrictions of movement. Will we ever be able to walk in the public sphere openly again, or will we be reduced to nostalgia, as Zizek predicted? What about the ordinary people striking for a return to their normal lives? Keeping this in mind, it remains massively important to ensure transparency and accountability when disclosing how the state will control the spread of the disease by data collection, which the Norwegian government has been planning to do with the government-owned company Telenor.
Basically, the data they collect will be used to track the movement of individuals so as to possibly warn them of infected people. This intent is acceptable as long as itends there. I think we still should be wary though, since on live public broadcast, Telenor admitted to having had access to this data for years and for having provided it to the government for some time as well, I believe.
The only thing that’s certain is that technological surveillance is just going to get more sophisticated and its stated purpose of combating crime and terrorism over the long-term will gain broader acceptance and a new normality will take shape. But make it transparent and hold the bad guys accountable: who will control the controllers?
The old apocalyptic concern of a night-watch police state looming in the horizon will be harder to obtain if a basic democratic trust is upheld, which is what we ultimately must make sure happens. This Wahrnehmung, the normality of things we take to be true, is better when we actively communicate and take part in greater state surveillance through what I would favour: decentralised security structures with horizontal labour relations and the presence of your fellow man on board in the process.
We need unity, trust and international cooperation more than ever. I know that I may be beating an admittedly overused modern exhortation of immediate agency and communication, but that does not make it antiquated. We sincerely need it more than ever, and these universal values are only going to become more pre-eminent stepping forward.
It will make or break the difference of whether you stay a disenchanted somewhere or join the dynamic cause of the anywhere, which is what ultimately will usher in greater world peace, justice, order, freedom and welfare. The ivory tower talk is just an appropriation of a venerable cause from genuine social antagonism and class struggle, which we urgently must nurture in a mass form to initiate major changes needed for the future we’re heading towards.
And let’s make sure to avoid being run over by the train masquerading as a light at the end of the tunnel, because it might as well be impending train ready to smack us down. And that’s supposed to be the pessimist realist stance.
