Journey to Action Beyond Binary Beliefs

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis

Sunday February 24, 2008 17:27

by seosamh an chnoic

One person's progress from unemployable political activist to community development worker

I spent about 10 years involved in voluntary community initiatives like local publishing, charity concerts, youth concerts. My motivation at that time was intensely political and leftist. I believed that the economy was a machine run by the merciless logic of profit and that any involvement in it meant unacceptable compromise. Therefore, my own political principles meant that I marginalised myself from any formal involvement with it.

On the sidelines, from my Comfortable And Quite Elevated Chair of Ideological Analysis, it was crystal clear to me that Community Development was just a con-job. It was a ploy by The Elite to sap the revolutionary vigour of the people and co-opt potential revolutionaries.

Today I am employed as a Community Development Officer in a small town in the West of Ireland. What I only dreamed of doing years ago, I am now in a position to realistically achieve. I can put on events that support and affirm community involvement, I can encourage young people to engage in fulfilling, empowering activities, I can support local clubs and organisations, and help them access funding and training that improve the services they offer.

This transition was only possible after I embraced ‘open thinking’ and ditched my ideological thinking, which I now regard as a mental disease. Left, anti-establishment thinking, speaks in broad accusations against others, and takes on no responsibility itself. “The system is wrong. The ruling class are wrong. There are the elite and the oppressors.” This binary, defeatist thinking de-motivates the person from feeling that they can have any part or role to play in society, other than shout at the Oppressors.

With ‘open thinking’, you evaluate situations and events on a case by case basis, you may develop understandings about certain situations or people, but you never allow that to develop into blinding generalisations. You may still believe that vast portions of our economy and political system are run by and work mostly in the interests of the wealthy. However, you are no longer content to allow that to stop you from practically striving to live and do positive work within the current social arrangements.

Community Development CAN dis-empower people, give people the notion that change is happening, that there is investment in communities, while in fact the capitalist economy continues to devour civilised consciousness and culture unopposed. However, 'open thinking' allows you to recognise that real scope does exists within the sector to effect positive change in dis-advantaged communities, to provide worthy training and employment opportunities to people. Much depends on the community worker’s own capacities. I retain my dissatisfaction with certain of my government’s policies. But I have decided that I am a much happier more effective person creating change in my own life, and in the communities I work in.

Meanwhile, I confess to sitting on the fence about the thorny issues in Ireland like Rossport or Shannon. I have gone on the protests and can’t currently see how change is going to come about. But I feel I have grown up in realising that this dissatisfaction need not mean a self-imposed marginalisation, or giving up on being an pro-active productive citizen in other areas.

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Comments (1 of 1)

Yes in essence

by cropbeye

Tue Mar 11, 2008 21:14

Cork Ctiy Northside

All effective acivism comes down to constantly rebraiding combinations of strands from the public protest

to the way we do our work every day. It might be your community focused work or in another sector it may

be about how do I treat peole around me. We have to try to achieve a holistic development in our own lives before and at the

same time as helping broader society and helping to right wrongs.

Over the decades many callings in life have come to points where the question needs to be asked do we continue to do as we

do and fail or do we find new ways to do things. Some times there is more happening under the surface than we imagine and without

change there is stagnation. In the broad left in the last few years I have come accross people who used to be so suspicous of religious

people that they could not invisage working with them. Now they get on like a house on fire with e.g Catholic Workers in the actiions at

Shannon.

In the 1950's the proffession of Social Worker was in an abysmal state. Often the practitioners at the time were so wrapped up in

societal ingrained conditioning they could not really interact with the people who were dependant on their intervention.

While a lot has been learned for the good in that occupation there has continued to be a number of cul de sacs in the use of

its' recourses. To-day there is still a tendency to deal with case loads as people to be put into programes rather than giving people

the space to sort out a lot of their own problems and to escape from the vice grip of dependancy culture.

As regards myself I can say to be influenced by Marx and Krotopkin but only to an extent I am much more impressed and utilise

work done by contemporary figures considered to be pragmatic such as Susan George and Naoimi Klein.

In my general contacts in life it is strange that some people I know and very much like would have been considered a bit square in

the late 70's and early 80's but are now amongst the most focused determined radicals who have a real effect and refuse to be

patted on the back by the establishment and the media.

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Journey to Action Beyond Binary Beliefs

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