I did not know of Gramsci and his version of “the long march through the institutions” in Italy. Great piece.
There's a key issue with Right-wing dissidents versus the Left: many right-wingers are consumed by working, marrying, creating life, & raising children, being truly sustainable… it's a fundamentally unfair game. The Left used to be shamed into the closet, so to speak, for not playing “fair” and for being degenerate (in all aspects); shockingly, I can understand why a Mussolini type would jail a Gramsci when times become terrible and those with families are absolutely fed up. Food for thought.
Mm, interesting topic: "The Illusion of Influence"
I loved how this piece made me think that the "Act of Voting" is not for change but for sheer entertainment.
As the author states: "European populists gave us a sense of excitement that Europe could revive itself," meaning the value of the politician lies in their ability to "excite the masses," which I believe is very accurately portrayed by our "Orange Politician"
I think it's admirable how the author offered a solution, rather than letting it end by pointing out the problems: "So they need to produce ever-increasing contrarian content for the algorithm" which I believe may prove effective for the current algorithms are overly homogeneous.
If I may add to this discussion, allow me to challenge the main conclusion: "Gramsci said, “The challenge of the modern world is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned.” Which I believe is an idealistic yet unrealistic assumption that does not consider the nature of the human. For most humans "need their illusions," they cannot function without it.
Biologically it is called cortisol, some prefer to call it the amygdala, most call it stress, too much of it leads to total paralysis in intelligence, meaning a man of many accumulated fears is less courageous than a dog, and speak more like a monkey.
Which is why I believe the conclusion would be stronger if it considers the type of people who are willing to face their fears and strive for greatness, and those who just simply want to run away from what scares them.
And I know personally, most people who follow these "populists" are people who are very scared if not terrified of reality.
I am astonished by the quality of thought offered by our beautiful author, I am excited to see what topic she'll choose next!
Desperate to find like-minded writers, artists, thinkers, and friends who are also trying to figure out exactly how to do this. We truly cannot afford to put our faith in politics right now, maybe not ever. If the established institutions won't let us in, we need to build infrastructure that can support cultural renewal - publishing houses, art galleries, schools, I'd say even community policing partnerships - and we need to do this now while we still have the right to do so.
“…Art, philosophy, literature, faith. These means provide meta-narratives outside of politics to instil purpose and transcendence. They enable us to live in and contribute to a society that embraces every aspect of our humanity. It is why I have joined a neo-Renaissance arts academy. To take part and contribute in a way that brings meaning and significance to my political and journalistic endeavours. I would like to see a new arts figurative current, but how can I will that movement into existence without being a part of its creation? After all, what is politics without real life?…”
There are so many jumping off discussion points within this one article, but this is the one the struck me the most.
Living life, and adding art to it in order to compliment the rest of your life, politics and journalism. It is a natural concept that has become foreign to some, unattainable to many. It’s a beautiful classical mindset that needs to become neoclassical, and it’s going to take a lot of brave people to make that happen.
We all search for meaning in our life, endeavors that add purpose. It is the force of will, the indomitable spirit, that will push many a ship into the rocks, splintering and breaking, before this balance returns, and a safe harbor for this way of life returns.
A) Maybe this is an overgeneralization, but revolutions almost never turn out well for the people. All too often, one form of corruption is simply replaced with another. Power corrupts and the leaders of revolution almost always shift when power comes to them (even while maintaining their "righteous cause")
B) Change can come through culture, but culture is hard. It's art and books and movies and academic studies, layering one upon the other and then buttressed by millions upon millions of actual conversations and relationships. Over time, this change can be profound and meaningful ... But all too often, people arent patient enough to give it a try to keep making those right decisions and conversations one at a time
Fascinating read - tersely and cogently written, I enjoyed it. Thank you for writing it.
As someone who's worked in central and local government (in England / London) I wonder what institutional experimentation might look like. The closest I've got is experimental places of worship (a secular congregation called Sunday Assembly broadly based on a culturally protestant formula).
One author I read some years ago who banged the drum for institutions was Roberto Unger.
For Unger, "the market, the state, and human social organization should not be set in predetermined institutional arrangements," but need to be "left open to experimentation and revision" according to "what works for the project of individual and collective empowerment." (wiki)
Arts, I am old-school Marxist about, for the sector of e.g. musicians to have a middle class. But I agree that literature can help us imagine new futures, with utopic visions like William Morris' News From Nowhere.
I continue to draw inspiration from the late 1960s and 1970s for alternatives, including cooperatives, mutuals, and emancapatory pedagogy. In the meantime, we'll all do well to avoid the echo chambers and talk to regular people, through imperfect collective activities. With the Iran situation, I hope that community solar will be a focal point for organising more widely.
I did not know of Gramsci and his version of “the long march through the institutions” in Italy. Great piece.
There's a key issue with Right-wing dissidents versus the Left: many right-wingers are consumed by working, marrying, creating life, & raising children, being truly sustainable… it's a fundamentally unfair game. The Left used to be shamed into the closet, so to speak, for not playing “fair” and for being degenerate (in all aspects); shockingly, I can understand why a Mussolini type would jail a Gramsci when times become terrible and those with families are absolutely fed up. Food for thought.
Mm, interesting topic: "The Illusion of Influence"
I loved how this piece made me think that the "Act of Voting" is not for change but for sheer entertainment.
As the author states: "European populists gave us a sense of excitement that Europe could revive itself," meaning the value of the politician lies in their ability to "excite the masses," which I believe is very accurately portrayed by our "Orange Politician"
I think it's admirable how the author offered a solution, rather than letting it end by pointing out the problems: "So they need to produce ever-increasing contrarian content for the algorithm" which I believe may prove effective for the current algorithms are overly homogeneous.
If I may add to this discussion, allow me to challenge the main conclusion: "Gramsci said, “The challenge of the modern world is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned.” Which I believe is an idealistic yet unrealistic assumption that does not consider the nature of the human. For most humans "need their illusions," they cannot function without it.
Biologically it is called cortisol, some prefer to call it the amygdala, most call it stress, too much of it leads to total paralysis in intelligence, meaning a man of many accumulated fears is less courageous than a dog, and speak more like a monkey.
Which is why I believe the conclusion would be stronger if it considers the type of people who are willing to face their fears and strive for greatness, and those who just simply want to run away from what scares them.
And I know personally, most people who follow these "populists" are people who are very scared if not terrified of reality.
I am astonished by the quality of thought offered by our beautiful author, I am excited to see what topic she'll choose next!
Desperate to find like-minded writers, artists, thinkers, and friends who are also trying to figure out exactly how to do this. We truly cannot afford to put our faith in politics right now, maybe not ever. If the established institutions won't let us in, we need to build infrastructure that can support cultural renewal - publishing houses, art galleries, schools, I'd say even community policing partnerships - and we need to do this now while we still have the right to do so.
“…Art, philosophy, literature, faith. These means provide meta-narratives outside of politics to instil purpose and transcendence. They enable us to live in and contribute to a society that embraces every aspect of our humanity. It is why I have joined a neo-Renaissance arts academy. To take part and contribute in a way that brings meaning and significance to my political and journalistic endeavours. I would like to see a new arts figurative current, but how can I will that movement into existence without being a part of its creation? After all, what is politics without real life?…”
There are so many jumping off discussion points within this one article, but this is the one the struck me the most.
Living life, and adding art to it in order to compliment the rest of your life, politics and journalism. It is a natural concept that has become foreign to some, unattainable to many. It’s a beautiful classical mindset that needs to become neoclassical, and it’s going to take a lot of brave people to make that happen.
We all search for meaning in our life, endeavors that add purpose. It is the force of will, the indomitable spirit, that will push many a ship into the rocks, splintering and breaking, before this balance returns, and a safe harbor for this way of life returns.
"To live without illusions
and without becoming disillusioned."
Winning the argument
and winning the culture
are not the same operation.
One lives in the feed.
The other lives in the world.
— AËLA
Two quick thoughts:
A) Maybe this is an overgeneralization, but revolutions almost never turn out well for the people. All too often, one form of corruption is simply replaced with another. Power corrupts and the leaders of revolution almost always shift when power comes to them (even while maintaining their "righteous cause")
B) Change can come through culture, but culture is hard. It's art and books and movies and academic studies, layering one upon the other and then buttressed by millions upon millions of actual conversations and relationships. Over time, this change can be profound and meaningful ... But all too often, people arent patient enough to give it a try to keep making those right decisions and conversations one at a time
Fascinating read - tersely and cogently written, I enjoyed it. Thank you for writing it.
As someone who's worked in central and local government (in England / London) I wonder what institutional experimentation might look like. The closest I've got is experimental places of worship (a secular congregation called Sunday Assembly broadly based on a culturally protestant formula).
One author I read some years ago who banged the drum for institutions was Roberto Unger.
For Unger, "the market, the state, and human social organization should not be set in predetermined institutional arrangements," but need to be "left open to experimentation and revision" according to "what works for the project of individual and collective empowerment." (wiki)
Arts, I am old-school Marxist about, for the sector of e.g. musicians to have a middle class. But I agree that literature can help us imagine new futures, with utopic visions like William Morris' News From Nowhere.
I continue to draw inspiration from the late 1960s and 1970s for alternatives, including cooperatives, mutuals, and emancapatory pedagogy. In the meantime, we'll all do well to avoid the echo chambers and talk to regular people, through imperfect collective activities. With the Iran situation, I hope that community solar will be a focal point for organising more widely.
Thanks again.