It has become nearly impossible to have a real political discussion. Perhaps you’ve noticed this.
The reason, I think, is that the issues of our day have become scripted into canonical narratives that leave no room to address or, even, to raise the hard questions that do not fit the script. And we have substituted these competing narratives for ideas and arguments.
It is often said that we need to listen more to each other’s stories so that we can see where others are coming from. But I propose that the solution is actually that we do less listening. And that’s because the standard narratives are dead ends that obscure issues. We cannot really avoid these narratives, but familiarity with them allows us to see how they undermine themselves.
Here, then, is a brief primer on the narratives and their weaknesses followed by a brief suggestion on how to restructure political discourse.
Once upon a time, being progressive meant endorsing an ideology whose key components were: civil and political rights for all, equality of opportunity, and equality before the law.
