Rebecca Solnit and the Emotion of Politics
I, as a front-page writer for RT, have at times been questioned about letting my emotions get in the way of the facts, when our emotions, our reactions are really what give meaning to the words that we write and the positions we take.
“Finding and holding meaning matters most.”
Meet Rebecca Solnit. Rebecca spoke at RIT this past November for the same Caroline Werner project as David Cay Johnston and Bill McKibben.
(I apologize for the length, and please have patience for the woman doing the introduction as she was thrown into it last minute. It is well worth it.)
From WXXI’s transcript of their interview with Rebecca:
It’s one of the big philosophical questions over the last 250 years. And we were so–I really started enlightenment or in the radical part of enlightenment asserting that civilization corrupts us from our original goodness rather than refining us from our original evil. And, you know, this is something we saw in argument in some respect. And that you see that when people revert to in disaster, the great majority of them is something that’s more generous, more resourceful, more connected, and takes enormous joy in recovering those things that had been lost in everyday life which is itself something of a disaster of alienation and isolation for a lot of us.
During disasters, we are not reduced to our base instincts, but are elevated to our true altruistic selves.
That’s just not what sells.
Related posts:
- What do you get when you mix religion and politics?
- The Politics of divisiveness - Politics as practiced by Monroe County Republicans
- Bill Smith says he will put politics behind him, Bridge for sale in Manhattan
- Talking To Your Fellow Rochesterians About Politics
- Beer, Music, Politics, Snacks & Beer: Politics, Working Families Party style
“I...
This was well worth the time spent viewing. Thanks for the recommendation.
Well, thank you. I thought so, too. I like how she talked about the wave of emotion that was felt by the nation and the tears that were collectively shed, in this nation and around the world when Barack Obama became president. It seems that she also touched on, that while the campaign inspired intense emotion, including a strong sense of pride, the actuality of the presidency has not continued to inspire.