Why we are desperately in need of a global revolution

The following, apart from the artwork, is a copy of an email I just sent to a friend:

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 

Dear ___________,

Once again, despite most forecasts, have a Happy New Year!

I have grown past hate and bitterness,
I see the world as one;
Yet, though I can no longer hate,
My son is still my son.

All men at God's round table sit
And all men must be fed;
But this loaf in my hand,
This loaf is my son's bread.

--by Dame Mary Gilmore.1942

This poem, I think, encapsulates the dichotomy between individualism and the quest for the common good. It is why the masses, most of which acknowledge climate change, have become neo-skeptics, putting climate action on the back burner, instead prioritizing what they see as more immediate concerns --housing, food security, the rising cost of living, etc. Politicians of all stripes, including the NDP, Green Party, Liberals and Conservatives are acutely aware of this, and have adjusted their party platforms accordingly. It is the only politically expedient way to get elected.

Another major obstacle is the false narrative used to manipulate voters by misrepresenting the root causes of the problems voters are concerned about (Ascribing very real problems to unreal causes), and then proposing unworkable solutions based on the tenets of defunct economic orthodoxies that date back to a time when the earth was still thought to be flat: Things like the invisible hand of the free marketplace, lowering taxes creating jobs, free trade being of net benefit to everyone, wealth trickling down, etc. etc. In short, the misplaced focus on supply-side economics. While this is detrimental to the common good, it serves the corporatocracy very well; they won't tolerate any policy that limits their ability to appropriate any wealth that is still in the public domain. Instead, they insist on lower corporate taxes, deregulation, subsidies, etc. Our elected governments (it would be a misnomer to call them representatives) are totally dependent on, beholden to, and consequently subservient to their corporate overlords. In fact, due to the revolving door, many of them alternate between being government policy-makers and corporate overlords themselves. Party platforms pay lip service to the concerns of voters during electoral campaigns, but, once elected, they will not introduce, much less enforce policies that run contrary to the interests of their corporate masters. Inordinate military spending diverts public monies to the protection pf local and global corporate interests, while cutting funding for social programs.

These, in very broad strokes, outline the systemic nature of the problem that threatens all lifeforms on the planet. (With the possible exception of cockroaches.)

Like you, I have given the problems considerable thought. As far as I can ascertain, revolutionary change is urgently required. Here are some of the things that need to happen:

A non-violent revolution, including:

1. Massive, sustained grassroots organizing
2. Widespread public education about systemic issues
3. Building alternative economic and social structures
4. Wresting decision-making power away from the corporatocracy
   
5. A major redistribution of wealth locally and globally
   
6. A complete overhaul of the electoral system, getting the money out of politics
   
7. Persistent civil disobedience and non-violent resistance
8. Creating parallel institutions that demonstrate viable alternatives
9. The abandonment of the pursuit of economic growth, in favour of a world in which all lifeforms can thrive
10. Recognizing outsized corporate influence as by far the greatest threat to democracy
    

These things require the active participation of the millions and billions that you refer to. They cannot be brought about in a timely manner by incremental change.  In fact, for many millions it is already far too late, and for millions more it very soon will be. Even the most privileged among us are unlikely to survive another century without some kind of a revolution. A non-violent one of course. Violence only begets more violence, and practitioners would only become the evil they wish to destroy. Physical interventions may save an innocent life, but it cannot bring about the meaningful change the current global and local power dynamics so urgently require.

____________________________________

I apologize for being so lax in responding to your messages and emails. I appreciate them nonetheless. I still suffer from existential despair, and really don't foresee myself climbing back on the saddle in the foreseeable future. Not only that, but I am further debilitated by some health issues right now. I can barely muster the energy to clean the snow off of my car, much less recruit others for the essential revolution.

Un abrazo.

--S

--

No pedagogy which is truly liberating can remain distant from the oppressed by treating them as unfortunates and by presenting for their emulation models from among the oppressors. The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption (Freire, 1970, p. 54).