Apr 21st 2023, 20:44:38
The age old dichotomous categorization of "left and right" is severely outdated. Also, the terms "liberals and conservatives" is used today without the historical and political knowledge in the context of philosophy of social and economic ideologies. The paradox lies in what is happening in America today. Left and right American working class have far more in common as far their relationship and interaction with access to healthcare, sub-employment, unemployment, education, infrastructure and overall quality of life as shown by many metrics (gini index, mortality rate, ypsos happiness index, etc). Mass media and social media (creation of the so called echo chambers) keeps us socially divided and polarized. This is all controlled by the incestuous relationship of corporate elite and government. Democracy lies in the economic/financier sphere of our Western society. It has been a long time since democracy resided within the social structures of institutions made to keep it in the "deimos".
They sell we buy, but it is not only material products (regardless of necessity) but we also consume the ideologies that keep us in that loop.
A perfect example of the realization of the common thread of working class, regardless of right/left identities, was the dissolution of "differences" between the working class in France. They've historically always been at the forefront of breaking the fence of division to unite against the common enemy. The internal enemy that keeps them from materializing their liberal idea of "egalite fraternite et liberte". Our liberal commonality, even though old, is not yet démodé; "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". We are at an infant stage of social effervescence with consequences.
The lack of nuance in our language, our enslavement to social media and ideological consumerism leads many to believe we are headed for a civil war. I am pessimist in that notion and tend to agree. But I grew up in an United States of America that nags at my consciousness that it is more than capable of an opposite outcome. I remember when "neighbor" used to mean more than "republican or democrat".
Anyway, I've rambled on for too long. Thanks for reading this far.
Progenies of the Great Apocalypse