Hello everyone
This is an article I wrote about what I call the Left Politics of Nostalgia
While the Politics of Nostalgia that the Right uses have been excessively analysed (the appeal to fantasy notions of a supposed previous period of 'glory' manifested through statements such as 'Make America Great Again'), less scrutiny has been aimed at the equivalent process taking place in the Left. My article talks about the tendency present at all levels of the Left, including the anarchist movement, to introduce conceptual splits between 'then' and 'now' which leads people to believe that things were 'better' under Obama, 'better' before Brexit, etc., while ignoring the underlying structural/cultural forces that served to create current reality. I argue that this is harmful for our organising and also makes the movements look untrustworthy and unreliable. I would appreciate if people read it and we discussed it. I am obviously open to criticisms.
You can access the document here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YOEVjngUlNb_5t12voFCIkBZozYKWFDniw_h9yCPDwo/pub
In solidarity,
Panos
Panos, Your text seems to
Panos, Your text seems to make sense in it's description and rejection of the traditional Left's 'politics of nostalgia' as experienced in the examples of Greece and the UK at least and will probably find a good deal of sympathy amongst regular posters on this site, but it is maybe a bit too general to allow any more detailed examination of other possible differences of opinion between us when it comes to our understanding of the underlying economic causes of the most recent global economic crisis or the relevance of changing class composition for instance. Graeber though interesting enough in his field has received a good few critiques on this site. And then what is it that might be achieved by ''we''. (presumably not the traditional left that is criticised) doing more to ''reach them' (our fellow workers?) Leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
I understand voting for the
I understand voting for the lesser evil, but it's not something to spend more than two seconds on, as Chomsky has said. In America's case, choosing between the neo-liberal or the fascist was not that difficult a decision (voting for more preferable third parties is just a wasted vote, especially in swing states, as is abstaining). I don't think that means one should romanticize the lesser evil (whether it's America or Brexit) or buy into their arguments. I'd be surprised if there really are so-called anarchists who do this. Sanders even was just a New Deal Democrat, who I'd of course favor over Clinton in the primaries, but I wouldn't attempt to romanticize him or his policies. I don't think anarchists can even "vote how they think," because nobody will represent the desire to not be represented.
@spikeymike This is a very
@spikeymike This is a very valid criticism, thank you. I agree this is very general, it is some quick thought to counter the general tendency that people have of uncritically espousing what I would describe as 'nostalgic views'. The 'we' and 'them' is also a significant issue which I did not sufficiently touch upon; I was trying to explain a significant part of the split between anarchist/leftists and the rest of society. Thank you for suggesting that I need to expand; this is my first attempt to write publicly (mostly because I noticed this very worrying tendency, otherwise I would not have written it), your criticisms are appreciated.
@zugzwangThank you for taking
@zugzwangThank you for taking the time to read this. I should have been more specific that I am not talking so much about voting for the 'lesser evil', rather I was referring to a general trend I have observed throughout the parts of the 'movement' (to put it in very wide terms) including those who do not vote. So it was not so much about policies or specific candidates, but now that I think about it I could have made it clearer.
I appreciate very much that you took the time to read someone's ramblings on the internet and actually gave thoughtful comments.