There is no one to blame but ourselves. Despair is a luxury we cannot afford. My older friend Janet retorted, “If you hear any more of that, I’m going to lock you in the closet with a bowl of ice cream.” The darker humor reflects a broader fatigue with both the political crisis and the accompanying rhetoric about responsibility. People are not only tired of the crisis itself, but also of the frequently guilt-inducing rhetoric that is repeated around them.
This exhaustion manifests itself in two seemingly opposing but related trends. First, raw conflict dominates our digital lives, and social media platforms monetize anger through an endless stream of Twitter wars, YouTube takedowns, and Facebook feuds. Algorithms amplify the most inflammatory posts and turn even the smallest disagreement into a viral spectacle. A local teenager’s protest becomes fodder for a national culture war. School board controversies give rise to competing conspiracy theories.
But alongside this profitable outrage, the self-help industry is promoting an almost aggressive retreat into private life. The bestseller promises that organizing your closet will also organize your mind. Wellness influencers suggest perfecting your morning routine is the path to peace. The commodification of conflict fosters divisive content, which algorithms enhance, erodes democratic values and fosters a culture of discontent. “DIY simplicity,” on the other hand, encourages Marie Kondo to do what Marie Kondo does best: reduce problems to chores. Both tendencies provide a seductive sense of order, either through righteous anger or through retreating into control.
James Baldwin warned, “Those who close their eyes to reality invite their own destruction.” Our rituals of conflict and tidying become a way to avoid the messy business of democracy, reflecting what Baldwin calls “the American dream in which there were no Indians and slaves were never sold.” Today’s performative debates feign conflict while avoiding honest moral evaluation. At the same time, our retreat into personal institutions becomes another form of what Baldwin called “innocence,” a uniquely American talent for distraction.
“Not everything we face can be changed,” Baldwin wrote, “but nothing can be changed until we are faced with it.” Our shared reality, in all its confusing complexity. Only by facing the against Our opponent is and They find better ways to resolve disagreements, if not solutions, and reasons to trust, if not certainty.
Political scientist Timothy Snyder describes “bodily politics,” or visceral engagement with the world, as essential social capital for healthy democracies and for resisting authoritarian rule. I am. Snyder argues that authoritarianism thrives when people are isolated, isolated, and confined to virtual spaces where their emotions can be vented. Some of these activities may seem small compared to the critical issues at hand, but they are essential to strengthening communities against authoritarian pressures, and they are essential to strengthening communities against authoritarian pressures. This is something we can do now. Here are different ways to apply this idea in your daily life.
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Look for “third places” between home and work, such as coffee shops, pick-up basketball games, farmers markets, local breweries, and corner bookstores, where people can mix and mingle naturally.
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Attend cultural events, religious services, street festivals, and contribute to local community causes such as food banks and neighborhood co-ops.
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Attend city council, school board, or neighborhood association meetings. Add your insight to the conversation.
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Read books and publications from a perspective you don’t like. Ask yourself why it makes sense, not to bigots, fanatics, or those who act with malicious intent, but to others.
Politics begins in the very atmosphere of everyday life in which we find ourselves. The etymology of the word “idiot” is noteworthy. The word comes from the ancient Greek word “idiot” and originally referred to an individual who kept to himself and did not participate in public or civic life.
“Just connect,” writes EM Forster. Democracy requires effort and thick skin. The tension between individual life and collective responsibility is made clear in Adrienne Rich’s In Those Days.
Back then, people would say, we lost our way.
of the meaning of weof you
we found ourselves
reduced to I
And the whole thing turned out like this
Ridiculous, ironic, horrifying:
we were trying to live a personal life
And yes, that was the only life
we were able to testify
But the great dark bird of history cried out and jumped down.
to our personal weather
They were heading somewhere else, but their beaks and gears were moving.
Along the shore, through the mist
I said this where we were standing. I
notes and reading
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“A hero is someone who keeps trying to do the right thing even when they know the walls are closing in. We can all do that.”
– heather cox richardson Jon Stewart’s Weekly Show (November 8, 2024). Richardson is a professor of history at Boston University. Her widely read newsletter, letter from americansynthesizes history and contemporary political issues.
adrien rich (1929–2012) – American poet and essayist. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Poetry collection: 1950-2012. [Thanks, niece Sarah Green (poet), for sharing this!]
James Baldwin – from “next fire,” The first part of the essay is titled “My Dungeon Shakes: A Letter to My Nephew on the 100th Anniversary of Emancipation.”
“Body Politics” – Timothy Snyder On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th Century (2017). Chapter 13 Snyder is a professor of history at Yale University.
“Just connect.” wrote EM Forster. – Howards End (1910, 2020). Part of the main character’s reflections on the need to bridge the gaps between different aspects of life.
Mere Politeness: Dissent and the Limits of Tolerance – Teresa Beejan, Professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford and Fellow of Oriel College (2017). Pluralism, not “pluralism”, is required among people who are divided in their fundamental beliefs. Beejan casts Roger Williams as the story’s protagonist, a thinker who uses principles to justify exceptional tolerance of “uncivil” speech.
Why are Democrats losing the culture war? – Spencer Kornhaber. “The burgeoning ecosystem of right-wing influencers helped Donald Trump get re-elected, but the other side may not have the answers.” – Essay atlantic ocean (November 7, 2024). Kornhaber is a staff writer for: atlantic oceanWe cover music and pop culture.
Our own worst enemy: The attack from within on modern democracy – Tom Nichols, Professor Emeritus of National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College, Staff Writer, Naval War College atlantic ocean. (2023) An analysis of the rise of illiberalism on the right and left. “As I have warned for years, the American electorate is changing and becoming more like Mr. Trump.”
Tip #156 – Stubborn Joy. The end of the beginning.
About 2 + 2 = 5: https://williamgreen.substack.com/about – revision
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
