I have no idea…
Sometimes a line runs right through people and communities, and sometimes that line is in the middle of road we are all travelling on.
…how to address the polarization that is currently plaguing our world.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I have some ideas, maybe only one idea. But I’m not sure that there is much work that can be done in facilitating conversations across political divides. Instead, I think we need to focus on shared work.
This isn’t a new idea to me. I first saw Tuesday Rivera (Ryan-Hart) grapple with this reality back in 2011 when we were working with a group of social justice activists in New York, in the early days of Occupy Wall Street, and back when the Obama Administration was starting to suffer from weird attacks of The Tea Party, the movement that eventually took the US Republican Party off of the edge of rationality and into outrage, delusion and violence. For most of this century, polarized conversations between populists and policy wonks have been a feature of North American politics. It’s happening in Canada right now, and of course, we are all aware of what’s going on in the USA.
But here’s the thing. I think that these weird ideas that have plagued the social discourse for the past 15 years in earnest are down to folks who are doing very little else with their lives other than amplifying propaganda, hatred and inciting violence. In other words trolling. I have recently, finally, left Twitter because their CEO is one of those guys now, and that place, like much of social media, including Facebook, is a cesspool of delusion and hatred and bots and algorithms. There are so many bad-faith actors, bots and algorithms at work in those places that the discourse is now useless for doing anything other than getting populist politicians elected or inciting genocides. We’ve known this since 2016 when it was revealed how much Cambridge Analytica was influencing elections and politics in dozens of countries, and we’ve seen the result in places like the USA, Burma, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. Other countries are now actively influencing domestic elections by poisoning the discourse between citizens. Canada’s populist right-wing is thoroughly infected by Kremlin-based operations now. There is no polite dialogue that will compete with the misinformation and hormone-fueled rage-baiting of these operations. Facebook and Twitter have built a fortune for their owners on the rage induced by this discourse, and they have used that money to invest deeper and deeper in the kinds of tech tools that continue to fuck us over.
I’m not being polite about this. Facebook, Twitter, and the like have poisoned everything from global policy making about climate change to local politics. These aren’t good places, and they don’t make us into good people.
That’s the preamble. But if you know me, you know I’m a bit of an optimist, and I’m always looking for places where possibility can take root. Lately, I’ve seen it in the work I’ve been supporting in community health care in the USA and practical reconciliation with First Nations in Canada.
Basically, it all comes back to Tuesday’s idea that shared work is more powerful than an abstract purpose or a set of shared values. When there is real work to do and urgency is in play, my experience is that people are much more willing to work together despite their politics and rhetoric. This isn’t to say that hate isn’t an important force to combat in our society; I believe it is. But my experience says that when folks roll their sleeves up to work on something that no one has the faintest idea how to solve, we can create something that transcends the abstract nonsense that social media drives amongst us.
If you’re tired of the rhetoric, get to work on a local need that is stumping your community. You will need to pull together diverse folks. You will have disagreements and arguments. But if you are committed to doing work together, a centre might emerge between you all that holds your efforts together, even if those with nothing better to do try to yank you apart.
There is real suffering in the world right now, and there is a real need to address it. If polarization is getting to you, get out there and do some concrete work with people who also care to alleviate it. They will not be the same as you. You will have deep disagreements about some things and deep commitments about other things. You have to learn to work together. There are no perfect partners.
And a reminder: This is a blog. It’s just a place where I share half-formed thoughts and ideas. Sometimes, they work, and sometimes, they are naive. However you react to this idea, I’d love to hear your affirmation or your alternatives, as long as they don’t require me to go back to Twitter and engage there.
I am totally aligned with your perspective to get engaged, locally in a way that is meaningful. As a ‘complexity elder’ (trying out this naming), I am so often dismayed by the the fragmentation and lack of dialogic space to share perspectives…most media lacks the in-depth and collaborative perspective, appealing to their ‘consumer’ base, whatever they see that to be. Interested to share further dialogue….
I think there is much truth in your idea, Chris.
In my work doing training and consulting in disability supports for more than 30 years I’ve encountered people in this field who do good work and either behave badly in many circumstances or have some values that don’t really coincide with those of the work. Yet they are making some positive differences for others and we connect in those instances of shared action. . I think so often of Power… and Starhawk’s Power Over, Power With, and Power Within and one simple dictionary definition of Power as “ the ability to act”. Finding some way to help, especially in the company of others who may or may not be likeminded overall , creates a shared space that holds its own energy of both some concrete good as well as possibility for increased understanding. I yearn for more conversation as well as shared action on this topic at this difficult time. Re Social Media, I see it as energy that in and of itself is neither positive nor negative but becomes so in how it is used. In my experience the abbreviated space to comment in Twitter is particularly conducive to snap responses and misuse and I avoid it even more since it has become X. For me, FB is a curated space I’ve filled with supportive and uplifting people and ideas that make a very positive difference in my life, but I know how much damage it also does from a serious lack of private and public accountability to maintain a legally and morally safe space. I greatly appreciate what you’ve shared. Thank you.
Thanks. To Starhawk’s power categories I would add Tuesday’s insight that there is “power among” and that’s the one I’m focused on.
Hi again Chris. Do you see some differences between Power With and Power Among? Thanks
Yes. Power Among is about the emergent power that comes when folks with power in different contexts are in relationship. It’s more than just joining up. It’s about creating the conditions for more power to be created in surprising new ways. The over, with, to, for and so on has always seemed to come to me as one where there is a finite amount of power to be shared and contested. Power Among suggests that there is new power to be harnessed that doesn’t necessarily deplete another’s.
Yes, agreed. Working together on real stuff is a way through. No matter how often I see it, I still find it magic when people who were in conflict find a mutual path forward and discover their shared humanity.
I love your distinction between power with and power among. So important!
I am with you, Chris… For quite a while I have left Twitter/X and other social media behind, for the reasons you presented. In my view, the way to contribute to a better world is taking care of what is around me. Sometimes is talking to a neighbor, calling a friend, connecting to groups that promote a more generous and kind approach to live in this complex world in which we are all in. With small actions and good intentions we can go a lot further. There is no room for resentment and judgment, but for good action. And on we go…
In response to your September 21 reflection on polarization: I was reminded of how the church ecumenical movement in the post WW 2 years despaired of trying to find common theological ground so, instead, focused on shared work, leading to significant justice and peace initiatives (while still arguing about transubstantiation in the corridors). Surprisingly, by the mid’ 1980s the churches were able to come up with some pretty significant joint theological statements, too. One can hope!
I preached James today and it seems never more relevant than right now. Timeless.
This feels so relevant to me right now. I mean: always, of course – but especially right now. Interestingly, I just hosted an out-of-town friend who is a trainer for Metro Vancouver Alliance – a coalition of community, faith, and labour who come together around common practical goals. Right now their focus is on housing. A very real issue that cuts across all political divides because everyone is affected by it in one way or another. A very fine example of shared work.
As you can imagine, we’ve had a lot of dialogue in my synagogue and in the Jewish community in the past year – and a lot of arguments. People are frightened and angry, and it has divided our community badly. I think focusing on shared work would be just the thing. Not to bridge the political divides, because it won’t – but to focus on something else that we do agree on and all care about achieving, be that a community garden or beautifying the sanctuary or whatever. Something to remind us that for all our differences we can work together and even still like each other.
I’m really heartened to see that many folks are in the same boat. And especially those of us who are used to hosting. Thanks for these reflections Avril.