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IGAF: Utopia- Les Jours Meilleurs



A couple of weeks ago, I wrote this post, titled Dystopia, containing a dark version of the future, a look at the negative outcomes that might crawl out of the COVID-19 crisis. It has, by now been described as "9/11 in slow motion". Someone else broke a golden editorial rule to describe it as "2008  on crack". Media outlets, including Youtube, have warned of the long-term effects of this, on civil rights, labour and employment, surveillance and press freedom. And some, most notably Mr Orban of Hungary, have used this excellent opportunity to pass new, restrictive legislation that concentrates power in their hands. There have been calls for the elusive COVID cure not to be patented.

And yet…

And yet… It's easy to lose yourself in a media bubble, following the news and media 24/7, following, queuing in line to get into expensive shops, just walking into discount stores and the constant desire for many drinks (preferably with 10 friends or more, in a park, with a piano). I hate to report that weed no longer has any effect on me, so I sleep a lot less. In more positive news, I have become a drinker of many teas, walker of many walks and reader of more books. I even high-fived a friend yesterday- foolish, I know, but- so good.



While we're on personal news, I'm happy that the shop I work at continues to do so for the time being. Printers are, thankfully, still critical to the distribution of news and media, and, so far, critical news and media are considered essential. But already, some friends have had to take on new jobs to supplement their social support- there is work to be had for those looking and willing, for the time being, as long as you don't expect to be working from a home office.

And maybe this is good news in a way- a whole sector of low-skill temporary jobs has opened up: cart and customer wrangler at supermarkets, temporary shelf stocker, delivery person*. Seamstresses are suddenly back in high demand, making millions of masks as the supply of medical masks is diverted, almost exclusively, to where it is most needed. Hackspaces are 3D printing facemasks and other protective equipment. Of course, there is as much grass-roots solidarity (and clickidarity), as people help each other with their shopping, errands and keep each other somewhat sane in what feels like an endless series of Tic-Toks, memes and content- this is always good news. The bail-outs/ Corona emergency packages- where possible- have taken individual citizens into account, rather than flow all the trillions directly to the banks- they'll end up there eventually, but for now, sensation aside, most people seem to be OK.



In that spirit, I would like to attempt to set aside my deep-seated cynicism for as long as it takes to write this. Trained as I am to look for dirt, I usually end up finding it wherever I look. Recently someone has reminded me that it is counter-productive to only see the negative outcomes, so what the heck- let's be hopeful! With asterisks** where required.

I'll start with the person who did the reminding: they are active, civically engaged and self-responsible, well-informed and critical. In March, one of the things they did was write emails to the Mayor's office, later, when they learned of price-gouging in the sales of medical supplies, called the police (who responded that they found it reprehensible, but that it wasn't illegal). In short, this is someone who is directly affected by the crisis, is in the lower income segment and is keeping it together and trying to make the best of a bad situation. This requires courage, determination and focus, and to see it in action gives me a measure of hope.

Over the past weeks I've had a few conversations with people working in visual arts and graphic design. Individually, those I've talked to are mostly fine, working on project six months in the future with many more down the pipeline. So there will be arts and culture- albeit in more digital formats- in the near future. There may even be a few exhibitions.*** A big part of cultural production has always been communication, and a lot of that happens online anyway, so for many freelance producers in established industries, it's business in front of screens as usual, albeit more skewed towards communication and conceptualisation, rather than realisation. That some manage to retain a modicum of normality is equally hopeful. This programme break may remind audiences that they are missing vibrant arts and culture scenes to be explored and enjoyed.



The recognition of the benefits of a well-funded public medical sector is maybe the greatest hope. After years of privatisation, underfunding, overcharging and addicting people to drugs just to sell them more drugs, this pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need for a sector that actually cares for peoples health, rather than the profit they can make off selling them drugs and just-in-time treatments. Inoculation does not prevent infection, but it does mitigate the effects of said infections- people seem to be realising that not everything should be privatised under our current economic models.**** The currently visible hand of the market is receiving much-deserved scrutiny between climate change and COVID.



Speaking of climate, or rather, the weather- isn't it nice to have clear skies, fresh air and seeing the riverbeds of long-polluted rivers? This is definitely a temporary, noticeable, positive side-effect to the Lockdowns. New Delhi, Los Angeles, Cairo, Wuhan- looking at the many before and after comparisons, my astonishment at the rapidity of the changes in air quality especially is unending. Even here, it is noticable- the air is clearer, the sun, just that much warmer, the smell of flora (and fauna), more pronounced, as opposed to exhaust fumes and industrial pollution. This one, we can definitely keep- and there is talk of restricting car traffic in parts of the city.***** Cycling- always viable- is becoming one of the best ways to quickly get around Berlin.

Who knows, if we think far enough, this may prove to be the best opportunity to implement "Green New Deals" on the table in Europe, courtesy of DIEM25 and in the US as what I believe is one of the more prominent bills- this may be a good time to turn some paper into action. We may see their implementation, and the beginning of policies such as UBI being enacted. We may see workers get more protection and respect for doing their jobs- they may even get a pay rise, though I would prefer UBI for all. States may see the use of a vigorous public not-for-profit sector again, and the value of upholding social programmes that reduce inequality- as a health and safety measure, if nothing else.******

On thing that gives me more than hypothetical hope is the close eye many NGO's, media, financial, climate and legal watchdogs are keeping on current developments in their respective fields. All the writing I have been doing would not be possible without the keen eyes of organisations like the EFF, Greenpeace, Netzpolitik.org and many, many media outlets. To know that there is close scrutiny on what would, in the past, have been unobserved processes, and that there are those who will report their observations and critiques, is one of the few things that currently give me some peace of mind.

And finally, financial markets may discover that you cannot live from bubble to bubble and hope to be bailed out by taxpayer money every ten years or so. Maybe the Lockdown will also become a much-needed Slowdown, beneficial to psychologies, the environment and, in the long run, economies.******* There is hope in seeing a "Marshall Plan" being announced, in observing some international cooperation in approaching solutions to the crisis, in the knowledge that is being shared and the understanding that we- and here, for a change, I do mean a global we- are in this together. If there is no hope in an entire planet waking up to realise that global challenges require global solutions, I don't know where to go looking for it.



I'd like to conclude that I've raised many of these points framed as a negative, or at best an impossible suggestion to invisible ears in past installments of this IGAF. One of the reasons I started writing these is to look for positive stories and developments in the world, both from "above" and "below", to convince myself that, in spite of aforementioned cynicism, there remain things to hope for. By reframing the points raised above as possibilities and possible solutions, I wanted to break away from what may seem to  be an alarmist reading of current events and crises, to say that things may turn out OK after all. I can only hope.

Another friend recently reminded me of an Arabic saying "It is wise to doubt", a sentiment very familiar to me. But there is equal wisdom in hoping, and, at the end of the day, what do I know anyway?

Part VII of the Current IGAF: A Narrative of Healing. Questions
Part VI of the current IGAF:Disappearing the inconvenient. 
Part V of the current IGAF: Money, Politics and People- Distributing Profit a bit more fairly
Part IV of the current IGAF: Dystopia
Part III of the current IGAF: Keeping a shop open
Part II of the current IGAF: How are we going to pay for THAT?


* with all my love for non-gendered language, this one sounds wrong. I'm gonna stick to "Runners" in the future.
** hope. Not blind faith that everything will magically improve and get better.
*** established individual cultural producers will probably be fine. It's a lot more difficult to gauge what is going to happen to those active in film or theatre production, as both require groups of people to congregate for long periods of time in one space. Animation films may see a renaissance. And this does not take into account the independent scenes or emerging artists- that would not be hopeful.
**** Of course it can. But it shouldn't.
***** But coupled with this, we find a heightened distrust towards public transport. They may have to change their approach in order to accommodate instinctual physical distancing.
****** I say this even as the US has turned their Environmental Protection Agency into its opposite in everything but name. Orwell much? And the US stock market, buoyed by billions, is rising, even as more than 10 million have filed for unemployment and people continue to die. 
******* There is very little hope that the bond between money and political decisionmaking will ever be cut.

Images: Book of Faragh vol.3 | Music: Gilbert Becaud: Les Jours Meilleurs | Neues Off

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