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But the underdog socialists’ biggest problem isn’t that they’re wrong. Their biggest problem is that they are dull. Dull as a doorknob. They’ve got no story to tell, nor even any language to convey it in.
The greatest sin of the academic left is that it has become fundamentally aristocratic, writing in bizarre jargon that makes simple matters dizzyingly complex. If you can’t explain your ideal to a fairly intelligent twelve-year-old, after all, it’s probably your own fault.
It all starts with reclaiming the language of progress.
Reforms? Hell, yes. Let’s give the financial sector a real overhaul. Force banks to build bigger buffers so they don’t topple as soon as another crisis rolls around. Break them up, if need be, so that next time taxpayers won’t be left footing the bill becaus...
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Meritocracy? Bring it on. Let’s finally pay people according to their real contributions.
Innovation? Totally. Even now, a vast amount of talent is going wasted. If Ivy League grads once went on to jobs in science, public service, and education, these days they’re far more likely to opt for banking, law, or ad proliferators like Google and Facebook.
Efficiency? That’s the whole point. Think about it: every dollar invested in a homeless person returns triple or more in savings on healthcare, police, and court costs.
Cut the nanny state? Spot on. Let’s ax those senseless, overweening reemployment courses for the out of work (the ones that actually prolong unemployment) and let’s quit drilling and degrading benefit recipients. Let’s give everybody a basic income–venture capital for the people–empowering us to plot the course of our own lives.
Freedom? Sing it, sister. As we speak, upwards of a third of the workforce is stuck in “bullshit jobs” considered meaningless by the people doing them.
The time has come to redefine our concept of “work.” When I call for a shorter workweek, I’m not pushing for long, lethargic weekends. I’m calling for us to spend more time on the things that truly matter to us.
Across the spectrum from left to right we’re hearing about the need for more work and more jobs. For most politicians and economists, employment is morally neutral: the more, the better. I’d argue that it’s time for a new labor movement. One that fights not only for more jobs and higher wages, but more importantly for work that has intrinsic value.
But first, the underdog socialists will have to stop wallowing in their moral superiority and outdated ideas.
First, realize that there are more people out there like you. Lots and lots of people.
My answer to them was this: turn off the TV, look around you, and organize. Most people really do have their hearts in the right place.
And second, my advice is to cultivate a thicker skin. Don’t let anyone tell you what’s what. If we want to change the world, we need to be unrealistic, unreasonable, and impossible. Remember:
