Have you encountered George Monbiot? He’s my favourite columnist in the whole wide world. He delves in under the wounds, undeterred by the defensive scab. Then he goes in another layer, and another, and finds the root cause of the pain.
Last week he wrote about how the values of neoliberalism have cheated us. And how it’s entirely understandable that so many of us should feel at odds with the world right now.
I won’t break things down fully. I don’t need to when George does it so perfectly. But I want to touch on the fundamental message behind his call to emotional arms: The domineering neoliberalist celebration of unrestricted competition and self-interest has left us feeling wholly uncertain about our most fundamental of human values. And this is a travesty.
I’ve been trying to put my finger on my beef with this phenomenon for a while.
I’ve been observing the way parents around me who are focused on finding the best private school for their kids, at all costs, grapple with the grubby feeling that in doing so they’re not supporting a fair go for all.
I read about how the woman who screamed racist abuse on a bus the other week repented when fronting court a few days later, admitting she was astonished by her own behavior.
I see us all consuming, buying into the Cult of the New, but desperately wanting less.
I’ve looked on as the current Government here in Australia has tried to pull apart policies that formed the ethical fibre of this country, the roughage that has made me feel proud and safe when I’ve traveled overseas or reflected on my belonging.