Liberation Psychology for the U.S. Are we too demoralized to protest?

Posted by Raymond on November 17, 2009

From Z Magazine:

The term “liberation psychology” was popularized by Ignacio Martin-Baró (1942-1989), the psychologist, priest, and activist who was assassinated in El Salvador by government troops. Martin-Baró focused on the oppression of his fellow Salvadorans, Central Americans, and Latin Americans. It is increasingly apparent that U.S. citizens need Martin-Baró’s insights along with their own special kind of liberation psychology.Why, in the United States, when the majority of people oppose the taxpayer bailout of the financial industry and the military occupation in Iraq, are the streets not regularly occupied with large numbers of protesters? Given 47 million people in the U.S. without health insurance and many millions more who are under-insured or a job layoff away from losing their coverage, and given the current sellout by their elected officials to the insurance industry, why are there not millions, rather than thousands in Washington, DC protesting this betrayal?

In contrast to the hundreds of thousands of Iranians who risked their lives to protest their disputed 2009 presidential election, few in the United States took to the streets to protest their own disputed 2000 presidential election. The U.S. corporate media, which often fails to report many injustices, did not hide the non-democratic nature of the 2000 presidential election. It reported that Al Gore received, undisputedly, 500,000 more votes than George W. Bush. It reported that the Florida Supreme Court’s order for a recount of the disputed Florida vote was overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court in a politicized 5-4 decision, of which dissenting Justice John Paul Stevens remarked: “Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.”

[Read more at Z Magazine]

Posted in: Activism, Alternatives, Psychology, Revolutionaries

Anonymous

A different take:

I don’t really disagree with this article but what if the problem is not so much with being “beaten down” as with being socially isolated? There are few settings where most USAers can hold a safe, honest, face-to-face, substantive discussion about politics and government. Not church (no mixing religion and politics), not work (disruptive, goofing off), not with strangers (too risky with left/right opinions so divided), maybe at home but that’s a small circle. And without good discussions how do you know if what you’re thinking makes sense or nonsense — especially with the overload of confusing, contradictory and complicated information we get from the media.

People are encouraged by being part of a group of like minded people, less afraid to say what is on their mind because they have been validated to some extent by sharing with others. Isolation leads to fear of standing out and being then being “beaten down”.

Humans are adapted by evolution to live/work/play in relatively small groups (150 or less), i.e. tribes. American social/economic structure works against tribes — we’re all “Bowling Alone”. Without a tribe we are more-or-less in the role of outcasts and that’s not a situation that encourages much of anything other than suicide or desperate attempts at survival or joining a cult.

Does this make sense?
tonyviner

I know I don't feel like taking to the streets, but then again where I live it would likely be only myself protesting anything. You have to give the people something they can get behind. Tell them that they can no longer drink beer and watch football (FOOTBALL!!!!!) then you will have some demonstrations, my friend.
truethomas

A different take:

I don't really disagree with this article but what if the problem is not so much with being “beaten down” as with being socially isolated? There are few settings where most USAers can hold a safe, honest, face-to-face, substantive discussion about politics and government. Not church (no mixing religion and politics), not work (disruptive, goofing off), not with strangers (too risky with left/right opinions so divided), maybe at home but that's a small circle. And without good discussions how do you know if what you're thinking makes sense or nonsense — especially with the overload of confusing, contradictory and complicated information we get from the media.

People are encouraged by being part of a group of like minded people, less afraid to say what is on their mind because they have been validated to some extent by sharing with others. Isolation leads to fear of standing out and being then being “beaten down”.

Humans are adapted by evolution to live/work/play in relatively small groups (150 or less), i.e. tribes. American social/economic structure works against tribes — we're all “Bowling Alone”. Without a tribe we are more-or-less in the role of outcasts and that's not a situation that encourages much of anything other than suicide or desperate attempts at survival or joining a cult.

Does this make sense?

Liberation Psychology for the U.S. Are we too demoralized to protest?

more disinformation

more disinformation