I don't see the left as agents of creation and hope. Bio, case and point: Creation and hope is where the left ought to be. That's where possibility and the big solutions are. As Jedeed notes, the right has a solution. Late stage capitalism is early stage something.The left is, at present, the master of small solutions to big problems.
Writer, videographer, folklorist of the Portland protest scene. Come, let us walk into the apocalypse together.
I don't think it's fair to criticize the Left for fatalism when the best they've been able to do is attempt to preserve the globalist dystopia created by 40 years of neoliberalism. I also think it's fatuously obtuse to observe that the right has a "solution" when they're literally deporting US citizens, throwing kids in cages and withdrawing from every international cooperative and regulatory agreement of the past 40 years. Creation and hope is where the Left ought to be but you're talking about a group whose political party has failed to secure (1) the Equal Rights Amendment (2) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (3) any reasonable minimum wage reform (4) any comprehensive healthcare reform (5) electoral protections for citizens (6) minority protections (7) indigenous protections (8) environmental protections or (9) any other "liberal" reform other than gay marriage for as long or longer than any of them have been alive. The Left lost the South to racism in 1966. For anyone under 30, that was two generations ago. Where, exactly, is this hope supposed to come from?
That's their solution: nationalism and authoritarianism. To me, it's an abomination, but it provides comfort to many. Our hearts and a shared desire for justice and prosperity for all?I also think it's fatuously obtuse to observe that the right has a "solution" when they're literally deporting US citizens, throwing kids in cages and withdrawing from every international cooperative and regulatory agreement of the past 40 years.
The Left lost the South to racism in 1966. For anyone under 30, that was two generations ago. Where, exactly, is this hope supposed to come from?
Can you honestly say the nationalism and authoritarianism of the right is being presented as a solution, though? Their solution-space is basically "tax breaks for the rich" and "owning the libs." We're talking "creation and hope" here - the border wall was always far more of a totem than a solution and the only other thing the Trump administration created was Space Force. Which is literally AFSOC. Hope? Has the right offered anything resembling hope? More than that, what comfort is it providing, exactly? Do these guys look comfortable? A fundamental part of building up is stopping others from tearing down. That's been impossible for the past four years. This is not a failing of the left.
I think MAGA is exactly that, a nationalistic, authoritarian solution. It’s hope for poor white folk that are cool with scapegoating. I don’t blame the left for where we are. But march into the apocalypse sounds awful. End stage capitalism is an opportunity to shape what comes next. The left could be excited about a vision for the future. Make America Better Than Ever. It’s a jump ball atm IMO.
We're arguing over the definition of "solution." You haven't made a compelling argument that MAGA offers one. They offer something - on that we can agree. But I don't think even the most hard-core MAGAt would describe their cosmology as a "solution." Not while the collapse is still ongoing. You cannot build a foundation on shifting sands. The trick is to know when the ground will hold and I don't think anyone of any credibility would say the dust is settling yet.End stage capitalism is an opportunity to shape what comes next.