It’s hard to even know where to begin.
In the past 6 months we have seen arguably more major socio-political events than in the past 6 years. From Boris Johnson’s ‘Get Brexit Done’ campaign to the student revolt in Hong Kong, from the Australian Bush Fires to the impeachment of Donald Trump, from Elon Musk’s Starlink to 5G Mania – earlier in the year, the social melting pot was already coming to a boil, and so much was already at stake.
Then on top of that came the most unexpected shock of all; the invisible threat of Covid-19, seeing almost 500,000 dead worldwide and 4 billion people confined to their homes in self-isolation as the wheels of capitalism grind into low gear.
Then, just as the prospect of a new normality seemed to be on the horizon, amidst the totalitarian global lock-down the cops were caught on camera yet again demonstrating clearly to the world, their systemic racism and historic abuse of power. Of course this isn’t new, but the global revolt is.
“Colonialism, capitalism and patriotism are all being called out and recognised for what they are, and we’re only just getting started!“
As the blacklivesmatter movement sweeps the globe, the conversation around white supremacy has sparked worldwide debate over a vast range of topics related to hierarchy and privilege – indeed, it is impossible to talk about race, class and police brutality without questioning the fundamental foundations of our society at large. Colonialism, capitalism and patriotism are all being called out and recognised for what they are, and we’re only just getting started!
Now, as the world enters what is likely to be ‘the biggest recession in over 100 years’ it seems totally unimaginable that we would ever return to ‘normal’, that after such upheaval it would be impossible to return a pre-2020 world. That may be true, but whilst many of us have visions of utopia, of a world better than this, of a future of equity, justice and liberty, the governments and corporations (and most of those who cherish them) clearly have a very different agenda.
Amidst crisis, capitalism and democracy has an opportunity to re-invent itself – but that doesn’t mean it has our interests at heart. History shows how the state, corporate power and white supremacy have so often offered solutions to systemic injustice precisely to legitimise their power and to co-opt the dissent.
In the UK we are already seeing ‘immunity passport track and trace’ apps being rolled out which are likely to be required for travel – even after a vaccine – to prove immunity and be given certain privileges. In the US right-wing nationalists protesting the lock-down are embraced by a president who classifies Antifa as a ‘terrorist’ organisation. Meanwhile, as the riots and protests escalate, politicians worldwide jump on the band wagon of electoral opportunism in a desperate plea to pacify the uprising.
As conspiracy theories and photos of kneeling police circulate online, truth is obscured and social media becomes a political battleground. As corporations and white Instagram influencers use #blacklivesmatter to cash in on rebellion, politicians and police deny the corruption and the very exploitation that their institutions depend on.
Now, with our 2020 resolutions shattered and our plans completely out the window, we exist in a political struggle like never before. If the past few months have proven anything, it is this: that governments and institutions of power cannot be trusted to keep us safe from harm and that we must start taking matters into our own hands – all our lives depend on it!
…”governments and institutions of power cannot be trusted to keep us safe from harm”
So where does that leave us? What’s next? Sometimes its hard to even imagine a world without authority, prisons and representative democracy, without someone telling us how we should act and who we should be. We’ve been so conditioned by the status quo that we embody its normality – but this is the ‘normal’ that was not working!
We don’t have all the solutions but we do have some beginnings:
- We can start disobeying the narratives from the most privileged race, class and state (they are usually one and the same).
- We can listen deeply to the experiences of those oppressed by the dominant culture – and trust them when they share it with us.
- We can amplify the voices most often neglected and fight for our right to speak.
- And finally, we can come together in community and take action towards radical change
If we can do all of this, we can make the old world obsolete, both in our communities and ourselves.
As individuals we can only do so much, we can share our Facebook posts and stop buying L’Oréal, we can read ‘No Logo’ or watch ’13th’ but the real change begins when we start coming together. When we open up space for discussion and debate, where we share skills and resources and learn from each other. When we create new systems that take back our agency within every aspect of our lives, then we seize our power from those who’ve stolen it from us.
So use your energy to support each other, find strength in your relationships and the bonds you create. Build trust and autonomy in your community through co-operation and mutual aid, and act in solidarity with the revolution worldwide – because let’s be clear, that’s exactly what this is.