Systems Whizzard

Tomgram: Rebecca Solnit on Hope in the Shadows

From the Tom Englehardt blog: "Hope in the Shadows" by Rebecca Solnit.

Excerpts below.

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Excerpt #1 (first paragraph)
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Most of the acute despair felt in the wake of the U.S. election has faded into general depression or a sense that all the effort, or even any effort, is futile, but I still wonder about the intensity of that gloom. And I'm still an advocate for hope.

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Excerpt #2
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That was fifteen years ago. Chomsky, who is not prone to irrational exuberance, remarked in his election commentary, "The world is pretty awful today, but it is far better than yesterday, not only with regard to unwillingness to tolerate aggression, but also in many other ways, which we now tend to take for granted."

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Excerpt #3 (last paragraphs)
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The Wobblies used to say, "Don't mourn, organize!" Do both. The election was deeply depressing, and I'm not arguing against being depressed. I'm just arguing against giving up. And for broadening the arena of evidence under consideration, since the world is larger than the United States and mostly in defiance of it, not to mention utterly unpredictable.

And besides which, if you give up, you'll hate yourself in the morning. If you act, you may or may not have the impact you intend, but you know what the consequences of passivity are. Insurrection is the honorable way to go, and you can be a small victory just by being in public, in touch, and outspoken -- one person who hasn't been conquered. Don't do the Administration the favor of conquering yourself.

posted by Charlie @ 9:25 PM