Beautiful writing as always! The people most attuned to injustice and the suffering of others are also the most likely to be burned out by the difficulty of struggling against it.
I love the ways you point out that that even apolitical people in the US are desperate for change — it is our job to help them imagine a better future. I like to think that with continued struggle, we might be shocked by how fast change can happen in the right moment.
I always think of this quote attributed to Rosa Luxemburg: “Before a revolution happens, it is perceived as impossible; after it happens, it is seen as having been inevitable.”
This piece reminds me of another you wrote titled "We Owe Each Other Everything" because yes, we do owe each other everything, and that stems directly from a shared place of love. There's honestly nothing more loving than finding someone in the throes of capitalist realism or Margaret Thatcher's TINA (There Is No Alternative) doctrine and extending a helping hand to say "a better world is possible when we build it together." I absolutely adore how you started this piece by being incredibly open, vulnerable and genuine -- only to remind us in the end that love is what powers our movement (always has and always will).
So many people in this country are crying out for something better -- something that makes them feel dignified in their lives without having to fight for survival, just to get a few crumbs off the capitalist's table. Kilian commented with a Rosa quote that fits here perfectly but I honestly love one of their own original quotes: "I like to think that with continued struggle, we might be shocked by how fast change can happen in the right moment."
That revolutionary optimism, hope, and love is what will empower us to bring folks together so we can build that better world and as per usual, you found the perfect words to capture that immutable feeling. "After all, our love of humanity and the world is the primary difference between us and the barbarians." Thank you as always Scarlet for the work you do and the human being that you are!
The reality is the left is not disciplined enough, let alone militant enough, to combat a rightward lurch. The problem is not so much that the right is fascist or a dictator or whatever trope the Atlantic is clutching pearls over today. The problem is it’s not fascist enough.
It’s almost like (if you can recall what listening to the radio is like) when you hear a song you like but you’re losing the signal and it’s fading and out. The ability to make out the edges of the song is almost worse than if the signal was lost completely and you couldn’t hear anything at all. If there was a truly fascist government in place rewriting or creating laws rather than relying on interpretations of the law, there’d be nothing you could do. You’d comply or be in the gulag or dead. Or maybe there’d be a tangible opposition. But this is worse because you could do something, maybe, possibly, like Zohran, but also you’d probably just get derailed by your own party in the end.
The crucial fact is this: the left would not and could not perform a Jan 6 style spectacle. But worse is that even when the right did it, (and I fully disagree with their motives) they entered the capitol and had no further plans. In a matter of hours, the vice president was not on the gallows, but presiding over the certifying vote. There is no plan. There’s not even an idea.
What is probably less obvious but needs to be put out there is that for most Americans, Republican and Democrat alike, is that more than any revolution resulting in some extremist ideology, they’re mostly in favor of a revolution that yields a government that isn’t perpetually trying to make their lives worse, scam them or kill them or commit genocides in the name of profit. That should be a simple enough. This is common even in dictatorships.
A lot has been written comparing this era to the late 80s in the USSR, and usually there’s a compelling argument against that perspective that accompanies it. But nobody could imagine the end of the Soviet Union until it ended. Right now you get the feeling that not only are you being scammed but that but that you’re going to be scammed forever.
I think when they finally succeed in closing public schools, the left should open a private Marxist school where your child’s tuition is based on the value of your property. It will go into a big general fund. The money will be used to provide a solid education for every child. And also they’ll be completely (and openly) indoctrinated with Marxism and gender ideology. Won’t be shit anyone can do about it because it’s a private company.
I may have got my motivation this week, after six years my employer suddenly want everyone to return to the office. Never before have I seen so much concern and opposition by workers. People have made life changing decisions based on the ability to work from home. The opportunity to organize might never be stronger. It's not feeding Gaza, freeing Palestine, or migrant justice, but it's a fight I can take.
Thank you. I agree but have lost my fire. After being ‘canceled’ unwelcome on the left-searched for other spaces-became disillusioned with those. I hate what the left has become (and really I mean “radlibs”) and hate-like you said-is the enemy of revolution. A very self indulgent comment-but damn things suck!
Love this! And fully concur! And I try to keep circling back to it because without circling towards the light of my love for humanity I would drown in the whirlpools of dark sadness anger and frustration. And don't forget to proclaim that love as well so others feel emboldened to dig into their own capacities of love for our fellow humans.
The left needs to stop the infighting. Moderates need accept and support a socialist when they win. And socialists and other leftists need to support moderates even if they be “milquetoast” !
Beautiful writing as always! The people most attuned to injustice and the suffering of others are also the most likely to be burned out by the difficulty of struggling against it.
I love the ways you point out that that even apolitical people in the US are desperate for change — it is our job to help them imagine a better future. I like to think that with continued struggle, we might be shocked by how fast change can happen in the right moment.
I always think of this quote attributed to Rosa Luxemburg: “Before a revolution happens, it is perceived as impossible; after it happens, it is seen as having been inevitable.”
This piece reminds me of another you wrote titled "We Owe Each Other Everything" because yes, we do owe each other everything, and that stems directly from a shared place of love. There's honestly nothing more loving than finding someone in the throes of capitalist realism or Margaret Thatcher's TINA (There Is No Alternative) doctrine and extending a helping hand to say "a better world is possible when we build it together." I absolutely adore how you started this piece by being incredibly open, vulnerable and genuine -- only to remind us in the end that love is what powers our movement (always has and always will).
So many people in this country are crying out for something better -- something that makes them feel dignified in their lives without having to fight for survival, just to get a few crumbs off the capitalist's table. Kilian commented with a Rosa quote that fits here perfectly but I honestly love one of their own original quotes: "I like to think that with continued struggle, we might be shocked by how fast change can happen in the right moment."
That revolutionary optimism, hope, and love is what will empower us to bring folks together so we can build that better world and as per usual, you found the perfect words to capture that immutable feeling. "After all, our love of humanity and the world is the primary difference between us and the barbarians." Thank you as always Scarlet for the work you do and the human being that you are!
The reality is the left is not disciplined enough, let alone militant enough, to combat a rightward lurch. The problem is not so much that the right is fascist or a dictator or whatever trope the Atlantic is clutching pearls over today. The problem is it’s not fascist enough.
It’s almost like (if you can recall what listening to the radio is like) when you hear a song you like but you’re losing the signal and it’s fading and out. The ability to make out the edges of the song is almost worse than if the signal was lost completely and you couldn’t hear anything at all. If there was a truly fascist government in place rewriting or creating laws rather than relying on interpretations of the law, there’d be nothing you could do. You’d comply or be in the gulag or dead. Or maybe there’d be a tangible opposition. But this is worse because you could do something, maybe, possibly, like Zohran, but also you’d probably just get derailed by your own party in the end.
The crucial fact is this: the left would not and could not perform a Jan 6 style spectacle. But worse is that even when the right did it, (and I fully disagree with their motives) they entered the capitol and had no further plans. In a matter of hours, the vice president was not on the gallows, but presiding over the certifying vote. There is no plan. There’s not even an idea.
What is probably less obvious but needs to be put out there is that for most Americans, Republican and Democrat alike, is that more than any revolution resulting in some extremist ideology, they’re mostly in favor of a revolution that yields a government that isn’t perpetually trying to make their lives worse, scam them or kill them or commit genocides in the name of profit. That should be a simple enough. This is common even in dictatorships.
A lot has been written comparing this era to the late 80s in the USSR, and usually there’s a compelling argument against that perspective that accompanies it. But nobody could imagine the end of the Soviet Union until it ended. Right now you get the feeling that not only are you being scammed but that but that you’re going to be scammed forever.
I think when they finally succeed in closing public schools, the left should open a private Marxist school where your child’s tuition is based on the value of your property. It will go into a big general fund. The money will be used to provide a solid education for every child. And also they’ll be completely (and openly) indoctrinated with Marxism and gender ideology. Won’t be shit anyone can do about it because it’s a private company.
I may have got my motivation this week, after six years my employer suddenly want everyone to return to the office. Never before have I seen so much concern and opposition by workers. People have made life changing decisions based on the ability to work from home. The opportunity to organize might never be stronger. It's not feeding Gaza, freeing Palestine, or migrant justice, but it's a fight I can take.
Thank you. I agree but have lost my fire. After being ‘canceled’ unwelcome on the left-searched for other spaces-became disillusioned with those. I hate what the left has become (and really I mean “radlibs”) and hate-like you said-is the enemy of revolution. A very self indulgent comment-but damn things suck!
Love this! And fully concur! And I try to keep circling back to it because without circling towards the light of my love for humanity I would drown in the whirlpools of dark sadness anger and frustration. And don't forget to proclaim that love as well so others feel emboldened to dig into their own capacities of love for our fellow humans.
Thank you that was really moving
The left needs to stop the infighting. Moderates need accept and support a socialist when they win. And socialists and other leftists need to support moderates even if they be “milquetoast” !
Well, I’m building a movement of my own called the Phoenix League.