Rebecca Solnit’s ‘Hope In The Dark’ Is An Antidote To Leftist Doom & Gloom
By Kit O’Connell, KitOConnell.com,
February 17, 2017. “Things don’t always change for the better, but they change,
and we can play a role in that change if we act. Which is where hope comes in,
and memory, the collective memory we call history.” — Rebecca Solnit, “Hope In
The Dark”
February 17, 2017. “Things don’t always change for the better, but they change,
and we can play a role in that change if we act. Which is where hope comes in,
and memory, the collective memory we call history.” — Rebecca Solnit, “Hope In
The Dark”
The left has a problem with winning. We — and while I identify as radical, not leftist,
but it’s fair to lump me in with the group for now — are losing bigly, at least
from the simplest perspective. A white nationalist regime occupies the
White House, while the GOP simultaneously controls most of the country’s
legislatures. It’s a dark time, and we’re faced with the prospect of a daily
fight just to preserve basic human rights. We need to figure out some way to
keep going, despite these losses.
There’s a deeper issue, however, where the Left
doesn’t know how to handle victories.Rebecca Solnit’s “Hope In The Dark” from
Haymarket Books is meant to be a corrective to Leftist defeatism, offering
healthier ways of viewing the arc of history as it haltingly moves toward
justice. Originally published in 2004, as Liberal America emerged from the
despair of the second Bush administration into the (often misplaced) hope promised
by Barack Obama, Solnit updated the book in 2009 and again in 2014.
doesn’t know how to handle victories.Rebecca Solnit’s “Hope In The Dark” from
Haymarket Books is meant to be a corrective to Leftist defeatism, offering
healthier ways of viewing the arc of history as it haltingly moves toward
justice. Originally published in 2004, as Liberal America emerged from the
despair of the second Bush administration into the (often misplaced) hope promised
by Barack Obama, Solnit updated the book in 2009 and again in 2014.
A victory doesn’t mean that everything is now going
to be nice forever and we can therefore all go lounge around until the end of
time. — Rebecca Solnit, “Hope In The Dark”
to be nice forever and we can therefore all go lounge around until the end of
time. — Rebecca Solnit, “Hope In The Dark”
However, this book’s core assertions have only
grown more important in light of the Trump regime. After the election,”Hope In
The Dark” seemed like such essential reading that Haymarket Books actually gave
the book away for free, which is how I picked it up. But you can still get the
eBook for about 6 bucks, as of now, and I basically haven’t stopped
recommending it to my friends since I started reading it.
grown more important in light of the Trump regime. After the election,”Hope In
The Dark” seemed like such essential reading that Haymarket Books actually gave
the book away for free, which is how I picked it up. But you can still get the
eBook for about 6 bucks, as of now, and I basically haven’t stopped
recommending it to my friends since I started reading it.
Solnit asks us to celebrate every victory, and also to do a
better job of remembering them after they’ve passed. Throughout the book,
Solnit highlights major inflection points in activist history, and the
measurable gains won by determined resistance, many of which we’ve completely
forgotten in the progression of new emergencies that have arisen since. She
also discourages the left’s tendency to wallow in despair, which often
stems out of misplaced fear that celebrating our victories will
make people less likely to keep fighting or out of an ego-driven desire to
seem more worldly and knowing than other, more hopeful activists. Like in
another of her books, “Men Explain Things To Me,” Solnit takes this
opportunity to take aim at a few of these patriarchal impulses that hamper
effective movement building.
better job of remembering them after they’ve passed. Throughout the book,
Solnit highlights major inflection points in activist history, and the
measurable gains won by determined resistance, many of which we’ve completely
forgotten in the progression of new emergencies that have arisen since. She
also discourages the left’s tendency to wallow in despair, which often
stems out of misplaced fear that celebrating our victories will
make people less likely to keep fighting or out of an ego-driven desire to
seem more worldly and knowing than other, more hopeful activists. Like in
another of her books, “Men Explain Things To Me,” Solnit takes this
opportunity to take aim at a few of these patriarchal impulses that hamper
effective movement building.
Militarized riot police spray pepper spray on activists protesting the
World Trade Organization. Seattle, November 30, 1999. Solnit identifies the
“Battle In Seattle” as the birthplace of a new form of mass activism in
America. (Flickr / Steve Kaiser, CC SA)
World Trade Organization. Seattle, November 30, 1999. Solnit identifies the
“Battle In Seattle” as the birthplace of a new form of mass activism in
America. (Flickr / Steve Kaiser, CC SA)
“What we call mushrooms mycologists call the
fruiting body of the larger, less visible fungus. Uprisings and revolutions are
often considered to be spontaneous, but less visible long-term organizing and
groundword — or underground work — often laid the foundation.” — Rebecca
Solnit, “Hope In The Dark”
fruiting body of the larger, less visible fungus. Uprisings and revolutions are
often considered to be spontaneous, but less visible long-term organizing and
groundword — or underground work — often laid the foundation.” — Rebecca
Solnit, “Hope In The Dark”
To me, a perfect example of Solnit’s argument
about hope can be seen in the recent (temporary) halt to Dakota Access Pipeline
construction under Pres. Barack Obama. Immediately as the news broke, armchair
activists on social media criticized water protectors for celebrating because
they correctly assumed that Pres. Donald Trump would order construction to
resume. For many, this means that this transient victory was pointless but,
from another perspective the #NoDAPL movement has already won numerous
victories. To create the encampments, hundreds of Native American tribes came
together in unity, potentially paving the way for future indigenous direct
action. And during the hiatus in construction, new anti-pipeline camps have
grown in other states, bringing the tactic to new people.
about hope can be seen in the recent (temporary) halt to Dakota Access Pipeline
construction under Pres. Barack Obama. Immediately as the news broke, armchair
activists on social media criticized water protectors for celebrating because
they correctly assumed that Pres. Donald Trump would order construction to
resume. For many, this means that this transient victory was pointless but,
from another perspective the #NoDAPL movement has already won numerous
victories. To create the encampments, hundreds of Native American tribes came
together in unity, potentially paving the way for future indigenous direct
action. And during the hiatus in construction, new anti-pipeline camps have
grown in other states, bringing the tactic to new people.
As Kelly Hayes
put it for Truthout in December, “eight months of collective action
and prayer had yielded this moment, when the power structure itself blinked in
the face of our unity.”
put it for Truthout in December, “eight months of collective action
and prayer had yielded this moment, when the power structure itself blinked in
the face of our unity.”
Likewise, the Occupy movement didn’t end the
influence of money in politics, but the movement trained thousands of new
radical activists and won many smaller victories, from the free
speech right to use chalk in Florida to the right to assemble without a permit at
the Texas Capitol.
influence of money in politics, but the movement trained thousands of new
radical activists and won many smaller victories, from the free
speech right to use chalk in Florida to the right to assemble without a permit at
the Texas Capitol.
Hope is the story of uncertainty, of coming to
terms with the risk involved in not knowing what comes next, which is more
demanding and, in a way, more frightening. And immeasurably more rewarding. —
Rebecca Solnit, “Hope In The Dark”
terms with the risk involved in not knowing what comes next, which is more
demanding and, in a way, more frightening. And immeasurably more rewarding. —
Rebecca Solnit, “Hope In The Dark”
In essence, Solnit’s argument is that every time we
win a little, it sows seeds for the future, even if those seeds are almost
immediately buried.
win a little, it sows seeds for the future, even if those seeds are almost
immediately buried.
With every day bringing some new setback or bizarre
new horror out of government, I’ve found myself turning repeatedly to Solnit’s
words for comfort and inspiration. There’s a lot we stand to lose over the next
4 years, and undoubtedly many people will suffer, but our survival and even our
success depends on cultivating hope wherever we can fertile ground to grow
it.
new horror out of government, I’ve found myself turning repeatedly to Solnit’s
words for comfort and inspiration. There’s a lot we stand to lose over the next
4 years, and undoubtedly many people will suffer, but our survival and even our
success depends on cultivating hope wherever we can fertile ground to grow
it.
