by Zvi Baranoff
History does not repeat itself, but sometimes it rhymes. In the echo chambers of modern political discourse the rhyming patterns are quite discordant.
The Bolsheviks did not invent propaganda, terror or authoritarianism. They did play a significant role in developing the techniques for the Twentieth Century and beyond. They certainly do not have exclusive rights to the dubious honors. Fascists and Theological Dictatorships use the same methodology. Mass communication did not create conditions of repression but have given the State a powerful tool.
The name Bolshevik epitomizes an important aspect of the propagandist. Bolshevik translates as “majority” and by claiming that mantle the opposition, the wide array of socialists and democrats, were left with the Menshevik (minority) label by default even though they outnumbered the Leninist cadre. The Leninist faction however were clearly more tightly organized and more willing in the quest for political power to ruthlessly use force.
One of the rippling side effects of the disastrous results of the Communist Revolution in Russia is that the terms socialism and communism are pretty much permanently damaged beyond use.
A significant problem that I see now is that the momentum of that tendency has devalued not only these terms beyond usefulness but has reach the point of the destruction of nearly all the terms we use to describe and delineate the political terrain. Everything has been muddled. This is amplified in social media but is true in the dialogue at large.
The terms in use have been so muddled and mangled that they have become worse than useless. Most political labels are now forms of disinformation. In the public discourse there is no common or shared understanding of terms and the political arguments are largely about drawing lines and gaining a foothold in the shifting power dynamics and not about policy or principles.
How do we discuss communitarian and collectivist approaches, liberty, green principles and democratic values without conjuring up the Communists, Libertarians, Green Party (in the USA, and not meant as a critique of any other Green party) and the Democratic Party? They have each, in their own way, done serious damage to perceptions of these concepts.
Left and Right as terms have become as useless as all the rest. (The “Center” is not particularly useful a term for that matter, although Mark Satin did quite nobly try to coin the term Radical Center a few decades back once he gave up on the American Greens.) A particularly sinister contributor to the destruction of the terms is the wraparound of the Red Brown (Leftists & Fascists) Coalition that has attempted to create common ground through the mangled dialects of anti globalism and has expressed itself in an ugly love fest of support for the Assad dictatorship .
These are complex matter that do not fit into the comment space on Facebook or in the haiku like format of Twitter. It will also not be clarified or even covered by the press because thinking is not newsworthy.
We live in critical times and proper, thoughtful political action is required. We need to do better than pour old wine into new bottles. We need, real understanding of the nature of the political and economic systems, quality ideas, useful policies and principled actions. And, we need a conscious tactical approach to acquiring and wielding political power without repeating the errors and sins of historic usurpers.
Clarity of language without propaganda, dogma, dialectics or distraction is what is called for. We need to step up and act with purpose because the house is on fire. No hyperbole here. There is a global crisis and it is up to us to act in unison, correctly. That is far easier said then done. Yet, we have no other choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment