The Personal is/as Political
I spent this afternoon finishing up Robert B. Reich's Supercapitalism, which was a very interesting and provocative read. His argument is that "democratic capitalism" no longer exists; "supercapitalism" completely overpowers democratic processes, leaving most of us - as both citizens and consumers/investors - in a tricky double-bind. Tracking through the progress of capitalism's steam-roll into "super" status, Reich clearly articulates the "double-mindedness" that we have about capitalism's success over democracy. On one hand, supercapitalism gives us - as investors/consumers - enormous power in determining business decisions, shopping decisions, etc. As Americans have progressively gotten better at "finding the good deal," we have gained great power over corporations' financial standings and financial choices. On the other hand, supercapitalism means that most large corporations end up making financial decisions that override the democratic process, acting more as "corporate citizens" than as corporate entities regulated by governmental policy. "The result has been a clamor of competing business interests - a cacophony so loud as to almost drown out any serious deliberation about the public good" (143). Reich argues that we have the agency to make consumer choices, but that certain restraints apply: not having enough income, for example, to afford to shop anywhere other than the large-box retailers (namely, Wal-Mart); unwillingness to make personal financial sacrifices to pay more for goods that are ethically manufactured; making "citizenship" decisions that do not support our consumer/investor best interests; vice-versa, and so on. At the end of the day, it is the consumer-as-citizen, or the citizen-as-consumer, that must somehow rise to change and create a political steam-roller large enough to force regulatory actions on corporations.
Throughout my reading of this book, the common mantra of second-wave feminisms ran through my mind: "The personal is political..." I often have knee-jerk reaction to that phrase, thinking that while the personal is certainly political, it is not enough to change The Political Situation. After reading Supercapitalism, I think Reich might agree with me.
"So," you ask; "what does this have to do with urban livability?"
Well - here's the thing: throughout our time together, we have spoken about, listened to, and blogged about issues relating to small and large choices that we as dwellers in, advocates of, and researchers invested in urban issues care about. As individuals, we can choose to ride our bicycles, recycle, grow container gardens, support local farmers (by buying our produce from them), etc. These are all personal choices, and they may or may not also be political choices. I am certainly in a position of privilege, because I live close enough to school and work that I can safely and feasibly ride my bike on a regular basis. I have the luxury of (at least a little tiny bit) of time to spend preparing meals from fresh produce. Recycling is free in my neighborhood. These are "citizenship" choices that reflect my political leanings, but relatively easy ones (and relatively inconsequential ones when written across a larger picture).
If we're going to take an active stance for anything, we've got to put the democratic system to use and raise collective voices as citizens fighting for rights for the public good. This starts (as you'd expect me to suggest, by this point) with dialogue.
For this, and many other reasons, I am very excited about the Weiss Fellows' upcoming participation in the Community Conference that will be held on April 6, which is attempting to bring together members of the campus community, those involved in the political arena, and members of the local non-campus communities from Orange and its adjoining counties to discuss issues related to immigration and immigration policy in this area. The hoped-for result, only reachable through dialogue and dialogic participation, is a small campaign of policy letters to sent to our local, state, and national representatives.
There will be more information about that to come.
I'm anxious to see what and how the Weiss Fellows continue to make personal and political choices and progress in our ever-ongoing quest in, with, and through issues of "urban livability."
Throughout my reading of this book, the common mantra of second-wave feminisms ran through my mind: "The personal is political..." I often have knee-jerk reaction to that phrase, thinking that while the personal is certainly political, it is not enough to change The Political Situation. After reading Supercapitalism, I think Reich might agree with me.
"So," you ask; "what does this have to do with urban livability?"
Well - here's the thing: throughout our time together, we have spoken about, listened to, and blogged about issues relating to small and large choices that we as dwellers in, advocates of, and researchers invested in urban issues care about. As individuals, we can choose to ride our bicycles, recycle, grow container gardens, support local farmers (by buying our produce from them), etc. These are all personal choices, and they may or may not also be political choices. I am certainly in a position of privilege, because I live close enough to school and work that I can safely and feasibly ride my bike on a regular basis. I have the luxury of (at least a little tiny bit) of time to spend preparing meals from fresh produce. Recycling is free in my neighborhood. These are "citizenship" choices that reflect my political leanings, but relatively easy ones (and relatively inconsequential ones when written across a larger picture).
If we're going to take an active stance for anything, we've got to put the democratic system to use and raise collective voices as citizens fighting for rights for the public good. This starts (as you'd expect me to suggest, by this point) with dialogue.
For this, and many other reasons, I am very excited about the Weiss Fellows' upcoming participation in the Community Conference that will be held on April 6, which is attempting to bring together members of the campus community, those involved in the political arena, and members of the local non-campus communities from Orange and its adjoining counties to discuss issues related to immigration and immigration policy in this area. The hoped-for result, only reachable through dialogue and dialogic participation, is a small campaign of policy letters to sent to our local, state, and national representatives.
There will be more information about that to come.
I'm anxious to see what and how the Weiss Fellows continue to make personal and political choices and progress in our ever-ongoing quest in, with, and through issues of "urban livability."
posted by Jes at
4:39 PM
3 Comments:
Sounds like a great book, Jes.
You reminded me of something I read in college in a liberation theology class: The MAP theory of Social Activism (Movement Action Plan).
The author writes that social movements have four key activist roles:
Citizen
Reformer
Rebel
Change Agent
Any of us can play any of these roles at varying times. The concept of "The Personal Is Political" and the idea of letter-writing campaigns probably falls under the first category, "Citizen." By intentionally making our personal choices reflect our values, we are nurturing those deep seated values, making ourselves more open, hopefully, to taking stronger political action on them in the future. We ourselves, might even become "reformers" (if we hold positions of political or professional power), or "change agents" if we operate through other diverse channels, probably as orchestrators of social action: for example, not just changing out day-to-day habits, but inspiring many others to do the same.
In this framework, all roles are equally important. The role of the "citizen" activist is key, because it is the deep-held values OF citizens to which political systems will eventually cater. In the case of immigration issues, if we as citizens hold that fair treatment and equal opportunity for all individuals are widely embraced values, then the immigration debate can be framed in such a perspective.
I'll post an image of the four activist roles...
Awesome stuff, Audrey. This is very well said. Oftentimes in my discipline we talk about "activism" and "citizenship" as if individual people's choices can revolutionize the world. Sometimes they can - but I always have a hard time believing that by trying really hard to practice, for example, religious tolerance in my own life, I will be able to thwart religious tensions that so pervades the world. BUT - this multifaceted understanding of "What makes/makes up activists/isms" is a holistic view of what we all need to stir up some productive trouble and make some changes for the better. : ) Awesome!
PS - This also totally reminds us all that change does not happen alone or in a vacuum - change happens in a community, in relationship to others who must be working together (because if they're not, they're working against each other).
Rock on.
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