Recently on WordPress, in another blog, the topic of conformity among the young came up. This started me thinking about current attitudes to radical politics in the Western democracies.
It can be, and has been, cogeantly argued that no individual in these societies can accomplish change, and that the stress involved in pointless effort is a waste of time and energy. This must be a tempting notion, particularly in the States, where the amount of money needed to enter the serious political arena bears witness to the strangle hold which corporate power has on the process. Here in the UK, things aren’t quite so bad, in that getting elected isn’t conditional on raising millions.
What to do if we feel we can do nothing? /are we right to feel this, or is the establishment using the old Roman trick of “Bread and circuses”: (Give the masses a few titbits, and they will stay quiet and compliant).
Certainly, apathy fans are contradicted by the success of some special interest groups which set out to protect specific things they perceive to be under attack, such as wildlife or our environment in general.
Also, I’m tempted to believe that, in a typically woolly way, there is always a point to sincere effort, and it’s always better than doing nothing, even if unsuccessful.
I parade my confusion in public in the hope that someone out there will help me to reduce it. Thanks for any help.
