Wednesday, June 22, 2011

We're talking about practice

Even if the political project is not easily resolved, it should be easily understood: to live the way you want without denying anyone else the same.

The first part, living how you want, is something you can start thinking about and working towards right now. For example, you can try to do more of the things you enjoy, and fewer of the things you hate. It's helpful to understand that society penalizes people for doing what they enjoy, at least insofar as this fails to make other people money. With most of us already scraping by, greater penalties can add up to a decision to accept more of what you hate. You have to develop a strategy to get around this problem, one way or the other -- and preferably before you are dead.

The second part of the political project ultimately comes down to hearing what other people want, encouraging them to take the first steps for themselves, and then figuring out how best to play a supporting role. Most of us have a good idea of what we are up against, how hard it is to break out of assigned routine. If you really understand it, you will see why others need your support, first and foremost, and your "politics" as an aside, if at all. If your politics manifest themselves as support and encouragement for those who suffer unjustly at the hands of the many or the few, then the odds are you don't spend a lot of time talking "politics" in the first place, and are well placed to reach a broader working class audience.

2 comments:

Brooke McGowen said...

MoveOn has created a movement called American Dream Meeting where people will get together on July 17th to propose radical changes. This is gathering momentum, over 700 meetings already planned across the country.

Anonymous said...

MoveOn's last "grassroots" effort resulted in forcing "dissidents" to line up behind tepid Donkey candidates, with a million dollars going into the pockets of Markos Zuniga and Howard Dean.

Fuck MoveOn.