… to progressive commentators. For almost 3 years now. Turkish progressives. British progressives. And especially American progressives. Real ones. Not a bunch of mealy mouthed faux-liberals and such. On youtube – given that none of them are allowed on regular TV. Anywhere. I thought that it was just here in my country, where we do after all have an acknowledged authoritarian at the helm. Turns out it is the same everywhere. Why am I not surprised?
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So, why these wilted flowers inside what appears to be a fancy porcelain jug?
Because I think they do a very good job of symbolizing the end point we are at. Not just here or there, but everywhere. Not because of Trump or Macron or Orban or our own fearless leader over here. It is game over. Globally. But the thing that is dead – dead like these once beautiful roses – is still being presented in precious receptacles. “If only we could get rid of Trump (or x y z – doesn’t matter)” – that is what that signifies. “Actually”, they say, “it is just this one guy. Get rid of him and all will go back to how it used to be – which was great, wasn’t it?” “After all, we still have the lovely jug, don’t we? We will go find something acceptable to put in it.”
No, we won’t. Sorry – but we won’t. Oh yes, some of us will find something to put in the jug. But, it will be just as wilted, just as rotten, just as decayed as what was thrown out.
Because it is the system that is kaput folks.
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And that is what progressives are screaming about all over the globe it appears. Mostly they are much younger than I am, and consequently they are also more naive than I am. Age does teach you to be somewhat careful with your optimisms, you know?
They think that something may change. I, sitting here on my sofa on the other hand, know that it is extremely difficult, almost impossible for this to happen. At least for it to happen without some cataclysmic event that will destroy the horrifying edifice that has been built over the past 100 years or so and that has come to bear full fruit over the past decade. A war. A total economic meltdown. Something like that.
It won’t happen through elections. That, to me, is very obvious. And I do not think that mass movements that aim to overthrow the status quo in its entirety are likely to happen either (this is what quite a few of these youngsters seem to be pinning their hopes on). Small movements will of course happen here and there. But when they do, they will be suppressed brutally enough for them to not to take hold any further. And please don’t say yellow vests to me – those people are so not about overthrowing the system. They simply want more “in.” More goodies.
What we have facing us now however is not about more goodies. Or forget goodies, it is not even about the necessities of life. We are facing something far more fundamental. And again – I am NOT talking about Trump or Putin or Erdogan or this person, that person. I am talking about a whole comprehensive, systematically built and propagated “thing.” Not a person. A thing. They built it very efficiently. Planned its workings down to the tiniest detail. Took their time putting it together. No conspiracy theory or anything this, btw. It is there to see with the naked eye. It is called neo-liberalism.
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I will probably write more about this later. For now, it is what it is. I am not hopeful.
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