Reply #39: or less [View All]

[Two Americas]

Bobbolink and others posted some stats about that not long ago, and there is no higher percentage of substance abuse among homeless people than among the general population. In any case, as liberals, should we not see drug addiction, poverty, and mental illness as symptoms of larger social problems, and be advocating political solutions and be talking about organizing for mass political action? The problem with the personal responsibility idea - and people saying that we need to inspire, or clean up, or sober up, or give voice mail to, or start jogging clubs for poor people are promoting the personal responsibility idea - is that it requires us to believe that it is a complete coincidence that when the right wingers cut social programs suddenly millions of people became deficient in the area of personal responsibility.

It was when people despaired of political success, when the left was beaten down - often literally beaten down in the streets, and when people gave up, that we saw the rise of a new type of liberalism that has been growing ever since. "I can't do much about the real problems, but helping these few in front of me is better than nothing, isn't it?" Certainly we want to help the few in front of us. That actually was happening much, much more back then within the context of fighting for justice and political solutions. But that is not what is at issue. What is at issue is that helping the few in front of us has become a substitute for clear political thinking, and an escape and an avoidance of the larger political issues and from taking any risks or supporting any political action.

I am old enough to remember when people overtly said this - "I am doing little good things now. I have given up. I am going to look after myself, and do what I can in small ways to help. The fascists have won. There is no sense in trying anymore, and it is too dangerous and hopeless." Today, half of that goes unsaid and is just an unspoken assumption, but the strong connection remains. Helping in small ways is a substitute for effective political action, prevents it from even being discussed any more, and what is more, people claim that helping in small private ways IS the same as or as good as or even better than effective political action. That has become a serious barrier for us, and a main cause of keeping suffering and deprivation in place.