In Pursuit of Protest

8/2/2019 In Pursuit of Protest.

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Inpursuitofprotest:

incompletere1lectionsontheproblemsof

individualdisempowermentandsustained

engagementwithcomplexsocialproblems.

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Introduction.

AttheendofNovemberIsetouttowriteabriefmanuscriptconcerningasetof

interrelated topics that I had been musing over throughout 2011. But what I

initially thought would be a relatively manageable collation of brief essays,concerning problems of individual disempowerment and sustained engagement

with complex social problems, grew swiftly into three cumbersome essays.

However,eventhoughIdcompletedthesethreeessays,IfeltasthoughIhadonly

established a part of the framework that formed the basis for my ruminations

concerninglocalcommunitypractices.Consequently,withmyendofyeardeadline

approachingswiftly,andafFlictedbyaspateofwritersblock,Ibecameexasperated

withtheunFinishedstateoftheworkand,ultimately,gaveuponarticulatingwhat

clearlycouldntbecompletedinsuchabriefperiodoftime.Thissituationhadleft

mewithacollationofnotesandessaysthatwerethoroughlyincompletebutwhichstill, Ithought, presentedat least, inpart,someof thedimensions andaspects of

theproblemsandprojects wearefacingandpursuing.Consequently,Itooksome

timeawayfromtheessaystothinkandreFlectand,inanefforttoatleastgetthe

baseideaswritten, Isetout tocondensemythoughts intooneshortessay, titled

Thesustainableprotest.ormanyreasonsIcanthelpbutbedisappointedwith

this Final work. Nonetheless, I feel that to declare these incomplete writings

worthlessandto notsharethem, wouldalso bea mistake. Andso, Ivedonemy

besttodrawthisworktogetherintosomeroughformofcoherencyandtopresent

ittoyouforyourreFlectionandcritique.

Of the essays which follow, the First essay The sustainable protest, is,

effectively, a hasty summary of what the originally planned set of essays were

meant to explore in greater depth and with more consideration. It is, therefore,

essentiallyasummaryofthemostcentralandpressingsissueswhichIfeelrequire

discussion and action in the coming year. It is concerned with the question of

sustainableprotestandexplores,inbrief, problemswecurrentlyfaceandreFlects

upon,inbroadandimpreciseterms,waysinwhichwemayseektocounteractand

mitigate these problems. Herethe proseis rather terseand thereare signiFicant

gaps andoversights, but, thisaside, it still performs thedesiredrole ofoutlining

familiar problems which voluntary organisations face in pursuit of protest and

engagement with complex social problems. This is the primary essay of the

manuscriptand,despite its brevity, is probably theessay whichwillbeneFitmost

fromcriticalreFlection.

The three essays which follow on from this explore, in varying degrees, the

ideas of The individual, Indeterminate now, and Individual engagement.

Althoughthesethreeessayswereoriginallywrittensoas toclearly Flow onfrom

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one to the next, I have since tidied them up so that they now read as,

comparatively, stand-alone expressions. Each topic deals with, in one way or

another, ourselves as individuals and the problems of individual agency and

engagement with complex social problems that are manifest in the forms which

our current social existence takes. Myintention with theseessays is tohighlightparticularfeaturesthatI feelare relevant tooursocial situationand so they are

more akin to explorations of curiosity and clariFication as opposed to deeply

workedoutarguments.

Thelast section ofthe manuscript issimply acompilation ofFive notes thatI

simplycouldntlocateanywhereelseinthetextbutwhichIfeltwouldnotbeoutof

place considering the already disheveled nature of manuscript. Whatever your

reactiontothisworkmaybe,Ipassitontoyouinanonymityandinsolidarity.

Withlove,laughterandtruth.

31stofDecember2011.

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I

Thesustainableprotest.

Wearecommittedtoasimpleideathat,inordertolivewell,wemustbeableto

workwell. Therealisationofthis vagueidea, however, isanythingbutsimpleand

all too oftenwearefartoohastyintranslatingourall-too-humancertaintiesinto

tasks,projectsandactivity.Ourpenchantforhastyactionaside,thisdoesnotvoid

thefactthatthereareindeedaplethoraoftasksawaitingourlabour.Nonetheless,

IwanttotalkbrieFlyaboutthepursuitofthesetasks,notinthesenseofdeFining

whatthey are, orwhatthepriority shouldbe, but inthe senseofhowweareto

pursuethem. Here thequestion how do weprotest?doesnotseemto beoverlycomplex, there are many avenues of engagement with complex social problems

whichrangefromwage-labouremploymentthroughto participationinvoluntary

organisations, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. But this

question does become complex if we desire to pursue protest, throughout our

lives and not merely as a hobby. I doubt any among us understands the work

before us as merely an obligatory period of youthful radicality and I, for one,

aspireto pursueprotest against thesocial and economic injustices ofour social

existence for aslongas I can. The key question, then, ishow? It isan important

questiontoaskbecausetheeconomicorganisationofoursocialexistencemilitatesagainstlabourstructuresandprojectswhichdonotconformtothecapitaliststyle

wage-labour.Iwilllayout,inbrief,someimmediatefactorswhichcomplicateand

problematiseourintentionstoengagewithcomplexsocialproblems.

***

Analyticalframework.

Atthispointintimeweoperatewithinaframeworkofthoughtwhichisneither

cohesive,coherentor systematically articulated. Nonetheless, wehaveexpressedagreementonnumerouspointsconcerningtheeconomicorganisationofoursocial

existence under capitalist market economics as being a root, if not the root, of

contemporary social pathologies. Due to this perspective, and the analytical

methodswehaveadoptedfromit,wetreatsocialproblemsascomplexpathologies

whicharetiedtohowsocietyisorganisedasawholeandnotmerelytoparticular

partsof society inisolation. Thepractical tasksbeforeus, then, areexpansivein

scope,rifewithcomplexityand,therefore,necessitateprecisioninouractivityand

thecareful application ofresources ofwhich weare in short-supply, that being,

Financial,time,proprietaryandknowledgeresources.Consequentlythechallenges

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wefaceare problems whichrequiresustainedco-ordinatedcollective workon a

large scale. Simply put, for sustainedengagement with these complex problems

andtomakeappreciabledifferenceswerequireasmuchmoney,people,spaceand

knowledge resources as we can obtainwithout compromising ourobjectives or

integrity.

Thesocialeconomicsystemwelivein.

We have learnt by experience and research that, in order to survive in this

social-economic system, everyone mustworkin someformorother. orthevast

majorityofpeople,thereisnochoiceinthisregard.Money,bywhichshelter,food

and clothing are to be obtained, must be acquired in some form or other. The

individual,however,isempoweredonlytotheextentthattheyareabletoselltheir

labour capacityand, in exchange, gainrelativeaccessto markets. Thisleads toasimplealbeitseriousproblemfortheindividual,thatis,thereareclearlimitstothe

time and energy that any given individual will have to commit to voluntary

activities given that signiFicant proportions of their time must be dedicated to

maintainingtheireconomicsurvival.Evenifanindividuallivesfrugallyandstrives

to minimize Financial expenses at every turn, no individual can obtain autarchy

without hereditary, gift orluck, and, even then,thisisno guarantee of anything.

Putsimply,individuals,inthepursuitofprotest,faceadilemmabetweentimeand

energy available for voluntary work and wage-labour work. This is a problem

familiartoallofus.

Thetransienceofyouth.

or most youth we have, relatively speaking, greater time and energy to

dedicateto thepursuitofprotestandengagementwithcomplexsocialproblems,

whateverforms this maytake. This has meant thata regular base of energyfor

contemporaryvoluntaryorganisationsthatengagewithcomplexsocialproblems

stems from youth/student demographics. However, students andyoungworkers,

fornumerousandimportantreasons,canbehighlygeographicallytransientovera

5 year period. or example, post-high school, many youths move interstate or

overseasinordertopursuestudieswheretheymaybecomeinvolvedinvoluntary

organisationsonlytodepartafewyearslaterattheconclusionoftheirstudies.Or,

alternatively,astudentmaygraduate,takeupfulltimework,andsimplyhaveless

timeavailabletocommittosuchactivities.Simplyput,thereisaninexhaustiblelist

ofcircumstances whichcan arise andaffect ourcapacity to engagewithcomplex

social problems. Within voluntary organisations oriented towards engagement

with complex social problems that rely upon this demographic to maintain

cohesionandmomentum, suchfactors leadto ageneral transienceandhighturn-

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over ofpeople involvedin the groupatany one time Again, aproblemweareall

familiarwith.Consequently, andespeciallyforfreshlyformedgroups,maintaining

acoherentcoreofknowledge,activityandorganisationisadifFiculttaskevenover

a periodof 3-6years, let alone decades. Some organisations areable to sustain

themselvesbetterthanothers,oftenbymaintainingacoreofdedicatedindividualswitha more transientouter-groupof individualswho havea lesscentralroleby

choice or chance. There are various examples of local groups that amply

demonstratesuchinternalorganisationalvariability.

Theinherentfragilityofvoluntaryorganisations.

A group of people that come together to pursue protest and engage with

complexsocialissuesonavoluntarybasiscanbehighlyfragile.Withlimitedtime,

Fiscal,proprietaryandknowledgeresourcestheburdenfallsuponthecommitmentof the people involved in the group to dedicate the time and any personal

resources in order for collective projects to be realised. urther to this, the

voluntary basis of the organisation presents its own unique challenges as the

organisationfunctionsonthebasisofsocialrelationshipsratherthanwage-labour

organisation. When disagreements arise or competing interests collide, the

consequences of hasty and hostile interactions between individuals can be

devastating for the group as a whole. By comparison, within a wage-labour

organisation,contractual agreementsbindthe group togetheranddisagreements

betweenindividualemployees,althoughdisruptive,canbe resolvedin numerous

ways withoutdamagingtheoveralloperationofthe organisationinthelongrun.

Involuntaryorganisationsthereisnobindingmediumbeyondthesocialsolidarity

individualshaveforeachotherandthepersonalcommitmentofindividualstothe

organisation itself. Consequently, voluntary organisations can fracture and

dissolve for many reasons. It can be something as simple as some of the key

organisers leaving for work or travel and the original group simply losing

motivationalmomentum, or itcould beseriousas afactional rift. Thefragility of

voluntaryorganisations orientedto engagement withcomplexsocialproblems is

notorious, especiallyones organised by youths without institutional or Financial

supportfromafFiliates,privatedonorsorparentsorganisations.

***

AlloftheabovefactorsbrieFlyoutlinedaboveareseriousthreatstothepursuit

ofprotestandoursustainedengagementwithcomplexsocialproblems. Weneed

to beable to work together, co-ordinate activityanddividethenecessary labour

tasks betweenindividualsin orderto achievetheprojectsandaimsweaspireto.

Therefore, if our intention is to truly pursue engagement with complex social

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problems andsocial protest, we must ask ourselves: how arewe going to avoid

thesecommonandsocially-constructedpressures andpitfalls? How are we, as a

burgeoning group ofpeopleengaged in these types ofactivities, going to create

spaces and modes of local-organisation that overcome and ameliorate these

problems? In short, how do we make social-protest sustainable in a socialenvironmentthatmilitatesagainstsuchpursuits?

The vague and immediately unhelpful, albeit vital, point to recognise is the

necessityoflong-termstrategiesandlong-termplanning.Inordertoovercomethe

various aspects of the deFicits mentioned above. This is to say that we need to

conceiveofprojectsandmodesofsocialorganisationwhichwillcanmitigate,even

marginally, thepressures ofcapitalist socialexistenceas wellas generatesupple

but lasting community structures. I believe this meansthat weneedto focus on

projectswhichgenerategreatersocialsolidaritybetweeninvolvedindividualsandonesthatenableustoobtaingreaterFiscal,proprietaryandknowledgeresources.

This, Ithink,meansthatwe needtoco-ordinateour effortstowardsprojectsthat

areless concerned with public protest and which are more concerned with the

generationofcommunitysupportstructurestofacilitate,shelterandassistpeople

in their dailylives.The essentialdimensionshere are timeand space. In order to

engagewithcomplexsocialproblemsoverthelongtermweneedtobegenerating

thetime andspace for individuals to pursuetheseprojects. This does not merely

mean being able to pay someone an annual wage to research a problem and

provideanswers-it meansmuch,muchmorethanthis.orexample, howcanwe

decrease our reliance upon capital infrastructure? How, through community

practice, can we create avenues of social-learninganddecrease our dependence

upontechnicalserviceindustries?Andsoonandsoforth.

Theother sideof this is that, throughinteraction withcurrent,thecreationof

new, andregenerationof old, local communitystructureswewill be reviving an

accessible and visible space for disillusioned individuals to seek support and

engagement.Atonepointoranothereveryempatheticindividualhasfeltthesting

offutilityandthedespairofpowerlessnessthatconfrontsourdesiretoameliorate

thesocialinjusticeswelearnofandexperience.Thecouragetodefythesefeelings

ofhelplessness isnotsomethingthatcan beborneinisolation, no individual can

survive long as a Sisyphean pantomime. The courage to pursue such tasks is

sustainableonly throughsolidaritywithbrothers andsistersready andwillingto

catch us when we fall, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Solidarity, as a

genuine being-for-other-beings (if it can be suggested with such vague

philosophical terms), is the intangiblelifeblood of our resolve, the beating heart

thatsustainsourwilland,withoutit,evenourmosthumbleambitionscanfeelas

nothing but fanciful wishes. My ownsocial learningexperiences havedrastically

changedmyperspectivesonwhatispossibleandhowimportantlocalcommunity

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support is for nurturing the necessary intellectual fortitude to pursue these

projects, even if it ismerelya handful ofpeople supporting each other. Have no

doubt, there are many people we have met and will meet who feel disaffected,

powerless andheld-back bythe pilesofobjectsthatstandoverand againstthem

both in labour andin living. The careful gestationof accessible andvisiblelocalspaceswhicharebothconstructiveandsupportiveisvitalto enabling peoplethe

opportunity,spaceandsupporttobecomeengagedinsuchprojects.Atonetimeor

another, wewere all introducedinto comparablespacesandgroups andeachof

you has taken these experiences and lessons to heart. We now have the

opportunity to continue to grow the spaces we have created and to establish

avenuesofengagementforpeople whootherwisewouldnot havehadthechance

todoso.

There are, ofcourse, limits to what is possiblein these regards, but projects

which have a greater focus on the regeneration of local community spaces andstructureswillhaveasigniFicantimpact onourdailylives.Here,Iamthinking(in

vague and insufFiciently developed ways) of the idea of the daily protest. or

myself, protestinafullsense, isnotamarchdownthestreet, thatisanevent,an

important event yes, but a temporary expression nonetheless.I feelthat totruly

protestthissystemwemustseek allavenuesofsubversionandsuchavenues,I

think,canbefoundintheinconspicuousmodesoflivingandconsumptionwehave

adoptedthroughhabit. Many ofus arealreadywellawareof thesethings. Ithink

of, for example, of a good friend who has been working to appropriate empty

spaces, reclaimwastefoodsandsoandsoforth. Suchquestionsandproblemsof

ourday-to-day living areinconspicuous, precisely becauseweareinuredagainst

thinkingaboutthemthroughhabit(inthiscasewecanFindmyuseofacomputer

to writethis manuscript to bea Finedemonstrationofironyandhypocrisy). How

muchelectricitydoweuse?Howmuchfooddowethrowawaywithoutrecycling?

Canwewalkorcycletowhereweneedtobeinsteadofdriving?Canwegrowparts

of our dietary requirements rather than purchase them? Can we Find ways to

facilitatesociallearningratherthanprivate-industrialisedlearning?IfwecanFind

ways ofconstructivelyreactingagainst theseinfringementsuponour day-to-day

existenceby creatingspaces whichchallenge capital predominance, then, weare

able to challengethe inconspicuous avenues of invasion where capital has been

mostsuccessfulinengenderingourdependencyuponit.

Longterm strategy, hence, means a fusionoftwo ideas. On the onehand, we

needto Findways ofcreating timeand spaceforpeople to engage with complex

socialproblemsthroughtheprocurementofresources;Financial,proprietary,time

and knowledge. On the other, we need to also create modes of community

engagement that counteract theinvasionofcapital inourdaily lives through the

regeneration of local community structures that can mobilise and support local

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people and local projects (and this does not necessarily mean in principled

oppositionto authoritystructures). Thismeansaskingquestionssuchashowcan

we turn the resources of the capitalist system to our advantage, towards the

sustainability ofourresistance? Who owns the spacewe sleepin? Who provides

thefood weeat? Who runsthe councilthatco-ordinates local planning projects?What methods of transportation do we use? Who services the transportation

methodsweuse?Howdoweengagewiththelocalenvironmentaroundus?How

muchenergydowetakefromnature?Howlittledowegiveback?

Ifeeldeeplythat ifwearetotakeseriouslythecall to protest, thenthepursuit

oflongtermstrategy,onmultiplelevels,isnothinglessthanwhatisdemandedof

us.So far,wehavesucceededinrejuvenatingamodicumofsocialandcommunity

consciousnessbeyondthe traditionalbastionsof local religious communitiesand

other, moreestablished, voluntary organisations. Thattherearesuchgroupsis a

great step towards the fulFillment of the aspirations we would see realised.However, there is a signiFicant difference between the projects we have set

ourselves so far and long-term projects which will need to pursue if we are to

createthe time andspacenecessaryforusto dedicateourlives to thepursuitof

protest. Ifwe trulywishtochangeour socialexistenceinthelong-term,thenwe

need to think deeply about how we are to go about making our work and our

passionsasustainablewayoflife.

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II

Theindividual.

Itcanhardlybedeniedthatourcapitalistsocietypromotesahighly particular

ideaandimageoftheindividualwhichismadeexplicitinourlanguage,discourse

andsocialimagery.Theindividualofcapitalisthelocusofpotentiality,prerogative

and power, the oneself. The freedom of the individual is the freedom for the

individualtoselltheircapacityforworkandtosatisfytheirpreferences(appetites

andaspirations)withinthemarketplace,legalorotherwise.Theindividual,here,is

anagent who serves the marketin order to access the relativeandconditioned

freedomsofthe market. In thepopularlexicontherearenolimits towhatone

canachieve:theskysthelimit,theworldisyouroyster,1

theonlyoneholdingyoubackisyour-self.

Within this dominant idea of the individual, an individuals agency is tied

intimately to thestructuresofeconomic productionanditentailsa particular set

ofassumptions abouthumanbehaviour, motivesandbeliefs. Theindividualisthe

sovereign of their appetites, desires and aspirations. This does not necessarily

meanthattheindividualisaselFishactor,but itdoes meanthattheiraspirations

andbeliefs (altruistic orotherwise)areunderstoodas beingno different to any

other preference. So, for example, my behavioural preference to not eat meat

baseduponethicalreasonshasnogreatersigniFicancethanmypreferencetonoteatmeatbasedsolelyonmydistasteforitsFlavour.Botharepreferencesandboth

are assumed as being rational decisions. That one is based on an ethical

considerationand the other onaaestheticreasonis largelyinconsequential, it is

the choice itself which matters, not necessarily the reasons for the choice. The

individual is empowered, therefore, within this framework by being a rational

actorwhoisthesovereignoftheirdecisionsandwhoisalsoresponsiblefortheir

decisions. This conception of the individual, although a comparatively shallow

representation,isnotanimpreciserepresentationanditislargelycongruentwith

thepopularnotionoftherational actor andis common, also, torational choicetheory.

Alongside this, are the institutions that act within and reproduce the market

system inwhichthe individual must partakein orderto obtainfood,shelterand

clothing. If an individual adapts sufFiciently to the market, that is, they are

successful in selling their labour capacity, then, they will beable to satisfy their

immediateneeds.2ailuretoadapttothelegalandcustomarynormsofthemarket

will have negative consequences for the individual, primarily in the form of an

inability to obtain work that will sufFiciently provide for their needs (food,

clothing,shelter, family). Thecommon frameworkof theindividual is that ofthe

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rational actor who engages and contributes to society through pre-established

institutionsandoverlappingrelationships:employer/employee;service-provider/

customer; buyer/seller, etc. Of course, these are highly complex and Fluid

relationships which we constantly move between on a daily basis and over the

courseofourlife.Theindividualistheautonomousunitofthissystem,the oneselfthat is empoweredto satisfyonesneeds withinthe marketplacethat supplies a

particularsetofchoicesandpossibilities.

Tosuggestthissystemisnot,inimportantways,empoweringfortheindividual

istounderestimateboththelogisticalandideologicalpowerofthemarketsystem

and its framework of understanding the individual. It could not hold the

imaginativeandpracticaltractionthatithasifitwerenot,inmanyways,capable

ofdeliveringthegoods.Thereareexpansiveopportunitiesandrewardsforthose

who are able andwillingtoadapt to the marketplace andfurtheritsexpansion.

Conformitypaysandpayswell.Thecapacityofcapitalismtosatisfy(to anextent)essential inconspicuous consumptionand marginal conspicuous consumption, is

itsbeatingheart,itstrump-cardandultimatum.3 Eventhoseofuswhowouldseek

to resist can be, to various extents, accommodated. or example, I have the

freedomtopursuemanyofmyantagonisticandcounter-cultureaspirationswithin

themarketplace,thatis, providedIcandevelopabusinessframework thatallows

metosustaintheprojectwhilstmaintainingtheintegrityoftheaspiration.4Perfect

instancesofthiscanbeseeninmanyplaces,Truthout,VersoBooksandAdBusters

are three radically-orientated organisations, work within and appropriate the

marketsystemandtechnologiestowardstheirendsofstimulatingradicalthought

andreactionaryprotests.

Of course this does not mean that this market-based system of social

organisation and the conception of the individual it enshrines intellectually,

economically, socially and culturally, does not manifest systematic social

pathologies. or instance, the market system reproduces the conditions of

alienatedlabour and routinely causes environmental catastrophes to the extent

that a state of ecological crisis has become a permanent feature of our social

existence. The magnitude of these problems are due to their systemic and

collective origins, thatis, theyarisefromhowwe structureoursocietyandthey

are perpetuated because we as individuals of the society (in varying degrees)

reproduce these structures. Understanding the sources of these problems,

diagnosingthemandattemptingtoengagewiththemis, ofcourse,nosimpletask

andthecontestationofideasandperspectivesrages acrossallconceivablemedia

available for public and private expression. Explicitly in word, or implicitly in

everyday experience, this broad notion of the individual permeates our

relationshipsandinstitutions.Todifferingextentsweembodythis,experiencethis

and,struggletounderstanditsscopeandimplicationsinourdailylives.

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Iwanttomovenow,fromthis general discussionoftheindividual,to reFlect

upon some of the experiences I have had, as such an individual, in being

intellectually confronted by systemic social problems. The main problem I

experienced(andcontinueto witness amongststudentsparticularlyandamongst

mostpeopleImeet),arethefeelingsofpowerlessnessandfutilitythatovercomeus when we are confronted with complex social issues. Issues which have a

pathological character (e.g. alienated labour and environmental devastation), or

which involve powerful vested interests (e.g. wars of aggression and the

exploitation of private information by corporations), appear to be so vast and

complexthatit is hardto evenseewhere youwouldbeginto engagewiththem.

urthermore,thescope oftheproblemsgivetheimpressionthat evenalifetime

spent pursuing their resolution would have only a marginal impact on the

situation. Yet another complicating factor is that the people throughout history

who haveworked andgrappled withtheseissues, towho individuals turnto forunderstanding, seemas monolithic beacons, intellectual lighthouses in thenight;

enlighteningfortheirbrilliance,butdistantinthesamemoment.Anditisnotas

though we dispassionately understand these problems, we are emotionally

engagedwiththem,wegenuinelywanttohelp,wearemovedbythesufferingof

others. Consequently, we feel a distinct urgency and dismay when we are

confrontedbytheimages,reportsandstoriesthatarecommunicatedtousofall

thesuffering inour world.The combinedweightof this settles heavily uponour

conscience and it is unsurprising that we often feel like there is an intangible,

inexorableandincomprehensibleforceactingagainstusandholdingusback.This,

most certainly, was my experience of being confronted by the complex social

problemspresentinAustraliaandtheworldwebelongtoandwithwhichweare

allenmeshed.

Ofcourse,howtheindividual(orone-self),mayrespondtothisconfrontation

isnotsomethingwhichcanbepredicted,soto speak.Nonetheless,suchcomplex

social problems inevitably leaveus, as individuals, facinga dilemma. On theone

hand,theurgencyofthesituationisunderstoodandthedesiretocontributetoits

amelioration is felt with a gripping immediacy. Whilst, on the other hand, the

limitations of our individual agency are also felt. And, yet, to do nothing, is to

resignoneselftotheperpetuationoftheproblem.Thequestionsarise,then,How

canI help?andWhat canI do?Consequently, ifthereis anabsenceofavenues

towards whichan individualcan channeltheseconcerns, then, thesituationthat

anindividualmayseektohelpamelioratecanappearirresolvable.Given,then,the

veritable catalogue of complex social problems which impress themselves upon

ourconsciousnessdayafterday,thehelplessnessoftheindividual,inthefaceofa

worldplaguedbymaladies,isrepeatedtothepointofnausea.Thesocialsituation

the individual confronts is one in which they are empowered to contribute to

societythroughthemarketplacebutitisalsooneinwhichtheindividual,as solely

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anindividual,isrenderedhelplessinfaceofproblemswhichdemandco-ordinated

andsustainedengagement.Ifthereareonlylimitedpublic orprivate institutions

orientedtowards understandingandameliorating suchproblems, then, thereare

onlylimitedavenuesofengagementwhichtheindividualcandedicatethemselves

to. Itdoesnotseemto beastretch,then,to suggestthat,whilstwecannotpredicthow any particular individual may react to such dilemmas, reactions of

disillusionment,disempowerment, disenfranchisementand apathy(the defensive

refrainsWhatcanIdo?Iamjustoneperson!)aretobeexpected.

ReFlectinguponmyownexperiencesthisdisillusionmentmanifestedformeasa

virulentandpettymisanthropy, and, althoughmisanthropymaybeaccountedfor

as something of a natural accompaniment to youthful rebellion, I feel that it

contained an element of myopia. This is to say that, my own experiences of

misanthropy were derived more-so from my incapacity to think beyond the

framework of the empowered individual than it was from being overwhelmedwith the magnitude of thesocial problemsI desiredto see ameliorated. Ido not

thinkthatcynicism,misanthropyandapathyaretheexpressionsofayouthraised

too smart too soon at least as some might claim. Rather, these symptoms

suggest to me the two-fold situation intimated above. On the one hand, the

normative ideal oftheeconomically empowered individual, as theparadigmatic

socialactor, leadsto adiscerniblecultural andintellectualframeofself-reference

which has an othering effect upon how the individual (as an independent,

autonomousone)conceivesoftheircapacitytoactinrelationtosocietyandthe

waystheywillactinrelationtootherpeople.Ontheotherhand,themagnitudeof

theproblemswefaceasasocietyare so expansivesoasto necessitategenuinely

collective action in order to be overcome. As the language and practice of the

empoweredindividualrootsitselfdeeplyintooursocialconsciousnessandsocial

behaviour, a myopia towards avenues of social engagement, which do not fall

underthe pre-establishedpurviews ofthe market, canalso take root. There isa

tendency,then,toreadcommunityasmerelyaclusterofautonomousindividuals,

acollectionofoneselves.Thismentalitywasperhapssurmisedbestbytheformer

PrimeMinisterofGreatBritainMargaretThatcherwhenshesaid

[a]nd, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and

women,andthereare families.Andno government cando anythingexcept through

people,and peoplemustlooktothemselvesFirst.It's ourdutytolook afterourselves

andthen,alsotolookafterourneighbour.5

Itcanhardlybemaintainedthatthelexiconandhabitsofunderstandingourselves

as oneself, as one who acts, as the deCinitive individual, has not contributed to

facilitatingashiftinourintellectualandpsychologicalframeworksofthought.The

socialtasksthatawait our work, whichdemandourcollectiveaction ,arereadas

being thesolelywithinthepurview andresponsibilityofthesystems institutionsand power relations. Even if the point is conceded that formal institutions and

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private interests may be incapableor unwillingto engage these tasks seriously,

thenthedefaultpositionoftheindividualistoreadsocialproblemsasbeingatask

that they alonemust address. Theimmediatedoubt wefeel is the subtle fear of

failureandthefutilityofattemptingwhat seemsimpossible. Wehaveatendency

to fear the fables of Phaton and Icarus and dress our apathy in the garb offashionable humility whilst speaking of thehubris of those who, irrespective of

theirpolitics, careenoughto committhemselvesto theiraspirations.Allofthisis

to suggest that we have in subtle, albeit important ways, become incapable of

relating ourselves to the problems we desire to be ameliorated because we

struggletoseehowonepersoncanmakeadifference.Thequestionarises,then,is

how are we to intellectually, existentially and practically meetthesechallenges?

Thefragmentsofanswers,Isuggest,andonewhichIhavebeenexperiencingmore

andmoreoverthepastthreetofouryears,istobefoundinthefracturednotionof

community.

14

1 This expressionis particularlyrevealinginitsanalogy betweentheindividualandtheworldas

thatbetweenadinerandtheirmeal.urther,theoysterisarelativedelicacynoless.Theindividual

eating,thepromise ofnourishment,Flavour,pleasureandenjoyment inthe consumption.Allof

these associations speak of a deeply rooted perspective: the world is your oyster can be

alternativelyexpressedastheworldisminefortheeating.

2Thisissomethingofanidealwhichthemarketsystemissupposedtorealise.

3 This statement of course comes with many economic, social and international caveats and

considerations. I am only concerned with pointing out here that capitalism has been highlysuccessfulinmarginalisingthoseitcanaffordtomarginaliseandsatisfyingthosewhoitneedsto

satisfy in order to retain its ideological and practical positions of power and authority. The

enormous humanexpense andimpoverishmentthatthisentails isthecruxofour socialconcerns

andcritique, but,here at least, capitalisms successin fendingoff would be challengers, must be

noted.

4 Thequestion as to whetherany activitytodaycan beconsideredto bebeyondor withoutthe

market (asopposedtobeingwithinthemarket)isaninterestingexerciseas itisnotimmediately

obvioustomewhat,ifany,activitycouldbesaidtobebeyondthemarket.

5MargaretThatcher,WomansOwn,1987.


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III

Indeterminatenow.

Althoughthenotionofthemodernempoweredindividual,echoesthroughout

our social institutions, cultural norms and daily experiences, it is a highly

particularised idea. Hence, I would like to take a step back from the dominant

social and institutional understanding of the individual as well as setting aside

also theglaringquestions ofwhattheindividualisorshouldbe.InsteadIwant

to reFlect on our general experience and our capacity for social engagement in

terms of the limits and potential of individualagency. Admittedly, my choice of

perspective on this matter is poorly chosen due to the vast discussion on the

subject and its innate complexity. I want to reFlect, then, on our capacity forindividualagencybydiscussingtheideaofnow.

Caveats First. Theideaofnow is withoutdoubt oneofthemost complexand

elusive ideas that both philosophy and science alike wrestle with. or all the

intuitiveness of now which we experience, its description remains heatedly

contested.6 Ihaveneitherthetimenorthefamiliaritywiththesediscoursestodo

muchmore thantreadroughshod, andwithgreatinsensitivity,overitsexpansive

legacy. Therefore, it is not my project to formally engagewith these heavy, but

vital, perspectives.Consequently, allthe propositionswhichfollow, arenot to be

understood as philosophical propositions in the strong sense. If this were thecase, then, these ideas would require far more investigation, elucidation and

argument than which there is currently space or timefor. I will not venture to

suggest what thenow or anow isper se - but I will beFidgeting around the

edgesofthisideaasIproceed.ThisexplainswhyIrefertothisdiscussionofnow

as being indeterminate. Lastly, this is not anattempt to formulate anontology,

and, epistemologically, theideas which follow proceed from reFlection upon my

generalsenseexperience.Iclaim,therefore,that,initscurrentformofexpression,

whatfollowsstandsaslittlemorethanaperspective.Callit,ifyouwill,anexercise

inclarifyingmyownconfusions.

Proceeding from my general sense experience I can say with certainty that I

havenotdiscoveredaninnatecapacityfortimetravel.I amstuck, asitwere, ina

Fluidmoment, anow,whichdifferentiatespast fromfutureandfuturefrompast.

Myaccess to the futureis conFinedto the projection ofmyself into thefuture.

Thistakestheformofplans,hopes,dreamsandworktobedone.Myaccesstothe

pastisconFinedtomemoryandreFlection.Thistakestheformofrememberingthe

plans Ihavemade, hopesIhaverealised,dreams that havediedandwork Ihave

Finished. At the same time, the entirety of my experience is found within,

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constrained to and made possible by, this indeterminate, albeit instinctive and

intuitive, now. All my past experienceswere experienced through/in/from this

nowandallmyfutureexperienceswillbeexperiencedthrough/in/fromthisnow.

We see already two glaring points; Firstly, the intuitiveness of now is not

tantamount to its simple description or its being known in a scientiFic orphilosophicalmanner; and, secondly,in relying upongeneral languageto offer a

description, the emergence of various tenses demonstrate within language the

centrality of nowas themodeof experiencing. Andthese temporal distinctions

areexplicitinourlanguage;had,have,willhave;anddid,does,willdoand

soonandsoforth.7 It wouldappearalso, frommy general senseexperience, that

this indeterminate notion of now is all I have (or which has me), by which I

experience, feel,act,share,love, liveandwork. Inanimportantsense, theideaof

actinginnowencompassesallpossibleactions,sotospeak,but,whenwereFlect

upon all acts and expressions possible within now, they are clearly limited.Whetherthis nowinwhichIwrite(sittinginabarlateatnight), couldbesaidto

be identical in some philosophical sense to the future now of my waking

tomorrow, I cannot say. To say that all of this is mysterious and too brief an

account would be to state the obvious - there are so very many questions that

couldbeaskedhere,butImustleavethesefornow.

Itisclearthatnowis,inanintuitivebutindeterminatesense, ourexperience

oftimeand,hence,inthepassingoftime,whichistosaythatnowisinterminably

linked to history, both physical, intentionaland personal. So let usjump,for the

momentthen, fromnowto historyandtouch uponthe relation betweenthese

two ideas.8 rom general senseexperienceI canspeak oftwo kindsof History,

albeit two inextricably tied andmutuallyaffecting kinds. This distinctionoftwo

kinds of history follows the general lines of history of physical reality and

history of my intentional/psychological reality. Although this is a crude

distinction it serves the purpose of clarifying and unifying two dimensions of

existence:

1) Myintentional/psychologicalreality, thatis,myselfasalivingcreaturewho

hasintentions(desires,plans)andpsychologicalexperiences(love,sadness,

contentment);and,

2) Our physical reality, that is, the physical environment which encompasses,

myexistence as a livingcreature withina society ofotherliving creatures.

Thephysical environmentis literally theconcretethings andobjectsmade

by human labour (roads, buildings, fuel, etc) or found in the natural

environment(animals,plants,etc).

The First kind of history is the history of my sense experience which is

inextricably bound to my-self. I experience emotions, physical sensations,

encounter objects, people etc, I sense, and I have imperfect and fragmented

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memories oftheseexperiences, thissensing. Ofcourse, myidentityas myself,is

boundtothememoriesofmyselfwhichare,bydeFinition,historical.Thehistoryof

mysenseexperienceisbound, therefore,tothealltoosoftandimprecisenotions

ofidentityandmemory.

The secondkind ofHistory is the material history of humanity and nature.Natureinthesenseofthehistoryofthenaturalenvironmentandhumanityinthe

sense of the history of the changing iterations of human society. This material

history, then, is physically constituted by the progressive transformation and

manipulationofthenaturalenvironmentbyhumansociety.Extendingthisfurther,

humansocietyandthenaturalenvironmentare themselves madeupofhuman

Subjects(people)andnaturalObj ects(trees, minerals, water, etc).9 Thehistoryof

human societys mediation of the natural environment through labour (mining

minerals, harvestingtrees, buildingdams), isareFlexive process. It isreFlexive in

the sense that the natural environment affects human society (soil, weather,resources, geography etc) and human society affects the natural environment

(farming, C02 emissions, mining, landscaping etc), which in turn affects human

society (soil erosion, climate change, oil spills, deforestation etc).10 This kindof

historyis the concretephysical history ofour current social environment which

weareapartof, contributorsto, actors within, repositoriesforandreactionaries

against. urthermore, our experience of now (intentional, psychological and

physical) is intrinsically tied to this physical, material history in that it is an

ongoing, culminating and accumulating moment in which our actions affect the

world/historyandtheworld/historyinturnaffectsus.We,aslivingcreatures,are

not separatedfrom material history, I am made of atoms andmolecules just as

muchasthetablewhichmypintofcidernowrestsupon.Thehistoryofhowthis

table,mycider,mycomputerandmyselfcametobehereallofthisisapartof

(albeitaninFinitesimalpart)materialhistorywritlarge.

It is unnecessary at this pointto ask why this I,at thisplace, atthistime?

These are genuinely distracting questions. What is pertinent to reiterateis that

myself as a human being and the society and environment I exist within is

experienced through nowalone.11 Now is the point aroundwhich myself, my

personalhistory andthe worldHistoryIcontributeto, revolves. IfHistoryis the

ongoingaccumulationofhumanactivityandnaturalevents, then,myactionsand

reactions tothe world arethemselves constitutive andcontributiveparts of this

worldHistory,nomatterhowinFinitesimaltheactionorexpression.History,then,

istheaccumulationandculminationofhumanactionsandexpressions. And,ifwe

accept the idea that all actions and thoughts are experienced and expressed

within/through now, then History, is both fundamentally tied to now and

createdthroughnow. Now, in a very strong sense, is the siteof experience by

whichHistoryiscreated.

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So, wheredoes thisleaveus?Well, fromthis, we cansummarise andmakethe

followingproposals:

1) As an individual, my agency is constrained to now in my actions,

expressionsandexperiences. IcanplanaheadforthefutureandI can

reFlect on thepast, butbothplanning and reFlecting take placewithin

now.Nowisoursolemodeofexisting.12

2) Ifthis isso, then, it wouldappear unlikelythat anyoneelsewill have

someexclusiveinnateaccesstothepastorfuture.Thisistosaythatit

appearsa highlyimplausiblesuggestionto proposethat someoneelse

inpast orfuture hashad, or will have, innatebiological access tothe

pastorfuturebeyondprojectionandreFlectioninnow.13

3) Ifweagreethatallhumanexperienceisconstrainedtoanotionofnow

which delineates past and future, then, all we experience in ourenvironment (physical, psychological and intentional), is a product of

humanactivityandnaturallaws,theconsequencesofwhichaccumulate

throughtime.14 Thisistosaythatourcontemporarysocialexistence,in

all its glory, depravity and incomprehensibility, is the outcome (both

intended and accidental) of human theory and practice conducted

withinandinreactiontotheworldweexperienceandaffect.15

4) Therefore, thegreatestof eventsandcreationsofhumanexistenceare

only theculminating momentsand achievementsof individualagency.

Whichistosaythat, everythingthatispossible isonlymadepossibleby

individualsactingwithin/throughnow.16

The now in which you read these words and every-thing around you, - you

yourselfeven-allofthisisfrom,andwillbe,throughandtowardsandispossible

becauseofthis indeterminatenow. What Iam suggesting,then, isthatall thatis

possiblefor usashumansto achievecanonly beachievablethroughactionsand

expressionspossiblewithinnow,thatis,weactandcommunicate.

So, to labour the point with an example, I desire the cessation of Australias

involvementin the U.Sswarsagainstthepeopleof IraqandAfghanistan, buttherealisation of this desire is possible only through actions acted in now. As an

individual, andactingas such, Iwillhavetodedicatemyselfto seeingthisdesire

realisedbycommittingmyselfthroughnowbythinkingaboutwhatitisprecisely

I desire (reFlection) and considering ways I can bring this desire into reality

(planning/projection). rom this, I cantryto affect thechangeI desire byacting

and communicating. So, my individual agency involves my capacity to express

myselfthroughtime,throughthishere, thisnow,thiscontinualis:Itypeoutmy

thoughtsonakeyboard,Iprintthemoutandmailthemwithastamptomyfriends

and family so that they too will experience my thoughts in their own time by

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readingthe printedthoughtsand, hopefully, theymay changetheirthoughtsand

behaviourswithregardstoAustraliasparticipationintheU.Sswarofaggression.

Keeping in mind that the computer, paper, envelopes, money, services postage

stampsandothermaterials Iemploytopursuethisindividualprotest arethingsI

haveacquiredonlybecauseoftheactionsandagencyofotherpeople.Nonetheless,theseare small actions andsmall expressions,butthese aretheactions possible

withinthelimitsofmy individual agency. Allthisis to demonstrateis thatwithin

nowwestringtogether, asitwere, ourFinitethoughts andourFiniteactionsand

this isconcretely all wecan do. But, atthe same time, this all we cando is the

concretesourceofeverythingthatispossible!

Toreturnfromthis discussionofnowandhistorytotheopeningconcernof

this section, that is, individual agency, the image depicted in this section

emphasises ourlimitedcapacitytoactandengage withtheworldaroundus. ThedismayweexperiencewhenwerealisetheFinitudeofourcapacitytoengagewith

complexsocialproblemsisgenuine,and,atthesametime,ourFinitecapacitytoact

is all wehave. Thekey lies in the realisation that, even ceding this limitation to

individualagencyitisonlythroughourlimitedcapacitythatanythingispossibleto

begin with. When attempting to understand and meaningfully engage complex

social problems, therefore,wemustreadtheminview ofthe limits ofindividual

agency.Clearly,thecentral,andadmittedlyanodyne,pointofthisdiscussionisthat

the individual, alone, is highly limited in their capacity to engage with complex

social problems and that, therefore, the co-operation with other individuals to

pursue complex projects is necessary. But what thisalso brings intoperspective

are questions pertaining to theforms and accessibility of physical spaces of co-

operationbetweenindividuals .orexample,towhatextentarethereavenuesand

spacesofengagementwithcomplexsocialproblemsforindividualstocommitto?

Andthisraisesaseriesofotherrelatedquestions,suchas,whattypesofspacesare

they (voluntary, wage-labour)? How accessible are they (local, decentralised,

distant, centralised)? How do they facilitate, maximise and empower individual

agency(Financialresources,team-support)?andsoonandsoforth.Consequently,

whilsttherefrainofWhatcanIdoaboutit?Iamjustoneperson!istestamentto

themagnitudeoftheproblemsweface,itisalsotestamentto thedisempowerment

of the empowered individual championed by capitalist society. Within capitalist

society,individualagencyisempoweredwhenorientedtowardsprojectsforwhich

there are pre-established institutions and is simultaneouslydisempowered when

oriented to projects for which there are no pre-established institutions. At the

heart of questions concerning individual empowerment and disempowerment,

then, are theforms ofsocial organisation and theprojectstowards which social

institutionsareoriented,thetopicofwhichisexploredinthefollowingessay.

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20

6romtheoutset,thelinguisticconstraintswhichcometobearontheveryactofdescribingsucha

complicatednotion,inthe formof past,present andfuturetenses, betrays bothhowcasually we

treatthisideaaswellasitscentralitytoourexistence.

7 Admittedly, this is an extremely unsatisfactory deployment of tense in language. Both post-

modernistandanalyticalscholarshavemadeextensiveobservationsandoffereddetailedanalyses

of tense andintentionalstates etc. I raisethese points only to indicatein a general sense their

relationtonow.

8romtheoutset,myunderstandingofrealityandhistory(whichislikelytochange),followsinthe

veinofahistoricalmaterialism,albeitinarathermuddledanduncertainmanner.Irespectgreatly

its explanatorycapacity andit isa vitaldimensiontothe thoughtof KarlMarx. Inthe least,I can

state that the Subject/Object relation I am deploying here is genuinely dialectical and not a

dichotomy. Whilst this is still problematic, in the sense that there is a something of a Kantian

Transcendentalisminherentinit,theimplicationsofarobustSubject/ObjectdialecticaresufFicient

to avoid some of the more egregious aspects of a narrow naturalistic account of reality and

existence. Nonetheless, in materialisms conception of existence, its steadfast endorsement of

Subject/Objectdialecticsisnotsomethingwhichcanbeheldontolightlyinlightofthesincereand

extensive engagement with ontology and dialectics in twentieth century by both rench and

Germanphilosophicalthought. A fullerexplorationofthis perspectivewouldbe tore-understand

these nascentideas intermsof bothphenomenology, la EdmundHusserlandMartin Heidegger

andalso theclaims ofsome post-modernist thinkerswho aim towards a post-phenomenological

understanding of existence, la Jacques Derrida and Jean Luc Nancy. or more information

regarding Historical Materialism, Max Horkheimers essay from 1933 Materialism and

Metaphysics (which itself is greatly indebted to Marxs earlier works Economic and Philosophic

Manuscriptsof1844and TheGermanIdeology),isillustrativeofhowIamproceedinginthissection

ofthework.

9

HereIamexplicitlyfollowinginthefootstepsofMarxsconceptofMaterialismwhichnecessarilyentailsasigniFicantconceptofNature.Imustrepeat,thisdeploymentofadialecticalSubject/Object

relationshipis asigniCicant weakness ofmy expressions hereas it is deployedfrom apositionof

ignorancewithrespecttotheadvanceoftwentiethcenturyphilosophicalthought.Nonetheless,for

further information of Marxs Materialism and his concept of Nature, see Alfred Schmidt The

onceptofNatureinMarx,1963.

10 This is only a very brief and paltry demonstration of a rather complex idea. or further

information,see Schmidtor, alternatively,John Bellamy osters MarxsEcology,Materialismand

Nature.

11ThisisnottoproposetheideathatIasathinkingbeingtouchupontheworldoutthere-asif

Iand the worldwere liketwoballoons touching eachother.To proposethiswouldbe to suggest

thatthistouching,betweenI andtheworld,iswhat the nowis,in itself. Althoughthis notionof

what the now is follows from my deployment of a Subject/Object dialectic, I have deep

uncertaintiesandproblemswiththisideaofthenowasatouching.Icannotgointowhyhere,but

Iwillstressmyobjectiontothisinterpretationnonetheless.

12Whatthisquestionmenstousinafullphilosophicalsenseisanintegralparttoourthoughtand

understanding.Physicscanonlygiveusarudimentaryexpressionofwhatnowisandevenwhen

it strives to be conscious of itself and approaches such problems as now, it has a tendency,

especially when popularized, to fall into a positivistic metaphysics, such as that found in Brian

GreenesFabricofthe osmos. Needless to say,the problems posedby now aresubstantiveand

movefromthequestionsofAandBseriesposedbyanalyticalphilosophythroughtotheworkof

HeideggerandNancy.


21/33

21

13Wecanthinkofamyriadofwaysinwhichsomeonemayhaveassistedaccesstobothpastand

futureif weconsider Albert Einsteins theories ofRelativity, giventhefactthat wecannotsay for

certainthatitwouldbeimpossibleinfuturetoexperiencetheimplicationsforthemeaningoftime

that his theory entails given the advance of technological means to experience these ideas. See

GreeneorPaulDaviesTheMindofGod.

14 Product, here, is not to be understood as an end-object, Finished-object, or completedsequenceofintendedcausalrelations,humanactivityandre-activityisfarlessstructured,ordered

and intentioned as we would like to think. Awareness, then, that the concept of causality is a

troublingfactorinthisstatementmustbedulynoted.Similarly,withthenotionofnaturallaw,itis

deployed in the vein of Marxs Materialism and thus contains a of element of Kantian

transcendentalism.

15ThisstatementisfullofproblemsandsimpliFications.TherearemanythingsIdonotmeanitto

suggest, hence, treat it as a general assertion which is virtually empty of signiFicant meaning

preciselybecauseitissoveryfullofpotentialmeanings.

16 Again, the workof Nancy ispivotalin terms of my ignorance. NancyreFlectsat lengthonthe

ontologicalimplicationsandideasofbeing-withinandinsideexistenceinhiswork TheSenseoftheWorld, 1998.urtherexplorationis vitaland, oncemore,itdemonstrates thephilosophical work

yettodone,andimportantperspectiveswhicharemissing.


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IV

Individualengagement:agencyandautonomyinwage-labourandvoluntary

organisations.

If, in order to engage with complex social problems, the individual requires

support andco-operation(aswell asbeingco-operative andsupporting),then, at

heart we are concernedwith the co-ordination of individual agency (divisionof

labour),theformsoforganisationwithinwhichthisco-ordinationtakesplace,and,

therefore,theoptionspresentfortheindividualtotakeand/orcreateinengaging

withcomplexsocialproblems.

Atthispointitisnecessarytomakeadistinctionbetweenindividualagencyand

individualautonomy. Even thoughthe overlap between autonomyand agency is

signiFicant, they cannotbeequatedwithone another. Thisis becausewehave in

our society a common situation in which an individuals agency may be

empoweredby employment withinanorganisationbutthis relationship(andthe

market system which enshrines and expands this relationship), also constrains

individual autonomy. Individual agency can be empowered by Financial,

organisational andhumanresources. orexample, aprojectmanagerwill have a

teamofpeople, workinginanorganisationalframeworkwhichdistributeslabour

tasks, withFinancial resourcesto pursue these tasksand realisethe project.Themanagers individual agency is magniFied, in a sense, because, within the

framework of employment, their decisions (that are results of their reFlection,

projectionandaction)areordersandinstructionswhichtheteamis employedto

carry out. At thesame time, theinstitutionand relationships ofwage-labour are

also a surrenderingofindividualautonomy. Anindividual, insellingtheir labour

capacity,alsosells,infractions,theirautonomytoexercisetheirindividualagency

intheywaythey see Fit.17 Somewould challengethisby suggestingthatitis the

individuals choice to sell their labour and to surrender a portion of their

individual autonomy by entering into the employer/employee relation. But thisresponse is questionable when we consider whether or not an individual can

afford tonotpartakein the wage-laboursystem, theanswerwhichis ofcourse, a

resoundingno.AsMaxHorkheimerandTheodorAdornostatedpithilyin1947,the

freedomofthemarketisthefreedomforthestupidtostarve.18

It is not my task here to give aninexhaustible account ofways inwhichan

individualmayengagewithcomplexsocialproblems, butrather, itis to highlight

two ofthe obviousareas in whichopportunitiesfor engagement appearpresent,

and some strengths and weaknesses of these avenues. Here, then, I will brieFly

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consider in turn two forms of overlapping social space for engagement with

complexsocialissues,thatis,wage-labourandvoluntaryorganisations.

Ill begin by considering wage-labour organisations. Here, we are speaking of

anyorganisationestablishedbygovernment, privateentrepreneurship,for-proFitor non-proFit in which an individual sells their labour power in an employer/

employeerelation.Wecannotarbitrarilydelimitthenotionofengagementsolely

to activist projects and exclude all the opportunities of wage-labour as being

insufFicient,as this would be disingenuous. It cannotbe ignored that there are

manyhumanitarianorganisations,publicserviceavenuesandacademicpathways

bywhichanindividual, ifsuitablyqualiFiedandlucky,may beableto engagewith

complexsocialproblems.Tosuggestthatthemarketclosesdownallhumanitarian

aspirations and projects oriented towards the amelioration of complex social

problemsissimplywrong. By humanitarian organisation I amreferringbroadlyto projects whichfocus

upon the assistance with, and alleviation of, human suffering (an expansive

category to be sure). So projects as diverse as Human Rights Watch, domestic

violencecenters andnursingcanbeconsidered under thisbroadcategory. rom

myownperspective, anindividualdoesnotneed to bewritingreports onworld

poverty or working for Doctors Without Borders in order for them to be

consideredtobeworkinginahumanitarianorganisation.Iwouldlimittheideaof

ahumanitarianorganisationtoorganisationswhichexplicitlyconcernthemselves

with the assistance, understanding and alleviation of human suffering.

Nevertheless, engagement with complex social issues can be pursued within

almostanydisciplineortechnicalskill.orexample,anengineercouldbeinvolved

intheconstructionofbuildingsinmetropolitanAustraliaortheycouldbeinvolved

with the construction of vital water infrastructure for communities which have

limited access, domestic orabroad. Similarly,a trainedlawyercould beinvolved

withcorporatelegalmattersorinlegalaid.What isvital,aretheprojectstowards

which the individual applies their skills and the empowerment of a skilled

individuals agency within a wage-labour organisation. So, whilst a corporate

lawyer is empowered with resources (Financial, institutional and human), the

applicationoftheiragency, skillsandcorporateprovidedresourcesarelimitedto

theirroleandthetasksdeFinedbytheparticularcorporationtheyworkfor.Hence,

unlessthecorporationisspeciFicallyinvolvedwiththealleviationoramelioration

complexsocialissues,thenanindividualwhoworksforsuch anorganisationwill

only havevagueandcircumstantial engagementwithsuchsocialissues. Thisisto

say that that thelawyers individual agency will be empoweredandchannelled

towards the realisation of particularprojects determined by their employer and

client.19 Bycomparison,alawyerworkinginlegalaidwillhavegreaterexposureto

clientsandsituationsthataredirectconsequencesorsymptomsofcomplexsocial

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problems. In this latter example, thelawyer wouldhave direct engagement with

complexsocial problems, albeit withconstrainedFinancialandhuman resources,

andmostlyfocuseduponindividual cases. Thisis also to notethat humanitarian

organisations are, generally speaking, targeted to speciFic problems and often

requirespeciFicskillssetsfrompeopleworkingwithinthesector. orall thegoodworks they pursue and achievements they have had, these are not accessible

institutionsinthesensethatthey,likeanybusinessoperation,requirepeoplewith

speciFic skills to fulFill pre-established projects and tasks. This also means that

employment withinsuchorganisations alsolimits thescopeof engagement with

complex social problems andwhereFinancial andhumanresources aredirected.

So, for example, an individual tasked with and empowered to pursue projects

concerningdomesticviolencecannotextensivelyappropriatetheresourcesofthe

domestic violence centre they are working for and direct them towards a local

environmental issue.20 Whether it is a public, private, non-proFit or non-governmentorganisation,similarproblemsarise:individualagencyisempowered

but channelled towards a limited scope of problems with institutional, Financial

andhumanresourcesselectivelyappliedtoengagementwiththeseproblems.

So far, indiscussingwage-labour avenues of engagement withcomplex social

problems, Ive spoken quite generally and presumed that the individuals in the

examplesgivenhavealreadygainedtherequisiteskillsnecessaryforthesespeciFic

modesofengagement. This isanimportant factorin limitingtheaccessibilityof

engagementwithcomplexsocialissues,although,notnecessarilyanunreasonable

one. Nonetheless, for peoplewhoareeagertoworkfor suchinstitutions(paidor

voluntary)butwhodonothave(orwhoareyetto)acquiretheskillsetsrequired,

engagement is usually only available through internship style programs with

limitedopenings, oftenfor manyapplicants. Thismeansthat, ofthedemographic

who wouldseek engagement withcomplexsocial issuesthroughpre-established

humanitarianorganisations,onlyafractionofthemwillbeabletoactuallybecome

involvedon some level or other without speciFic skill-sets. None of this is to be

frowned on per se. It is merely to point out, when it comes to considering

humanitarian organisations as avenues for engagement with complex social

problems, that there are only a limited set of opportunities available and

competitionforsuchpositionsishigh.

To summarise the obvious, pre-established organisations possess both

resources andinternalstructures whichempowerandsupportindividual agency

in the pursuit ofprojects. At the same time, entry into the wage-labour relation

also constrains individual autonomy by channelling the exercise of individual

agency towards pre-established projects. So, to take again the example of the

domestic violence centre employee, the employees individual agency is

empowered by the organisation to pursue projects aimed at the prevention of

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domestic violence and advocacy for victims of it. However, even though the

employee is also passionate about a local environmental issue, their individual

agency within the domestic violence centre organisation is not empowered to

engage with that particular problem. The individuals autonomy to engage with

thatproblemisnotdenied,butitisconstrainedbytheiremploymentobligationstothedomestic violencecentre. Thisis because,thereis onlyso muchtime that an

individualcan dedicateto engagement withcomplexsocial issues and, whenthe

majority of their time is consumed by work with the domestic violence centre,

there is less time and energy available for the individual to dedicate to local

environmental problems. urthermore, if their individual agency is not

supplemented outside of their work with the domestic violence centre by, for

example, a local environmental community group, then the individual faces the

problemoncemoreofhaving limitedtime,limitedcapacity andlimitedmeansto

engage with the local environmental problems. Individual autonomy is alsoconstrainedinpre-establishedwage-labourorganisationsonthebasisthat,unless

anindividual issolelyinchargeofaninstitution(and, inmany ways, eventhen),

there is alwaysthe subordinationof anindividualsautonomytotheinstructions

anddemands ofthe individual/s who are employedto manage them, determine

their tasks and the time those tasks should take. Here, individual autonomy is

subordinated to the compromised individual autonomy of another, the pre-

established wage-labour organisation is an hierarchical web constituted by the

injunctions of others. All of this is to demonstrate that pre-established wage-

labourorganisationscananddoprovideopportunitiesandspacesforengagement

withcomplexsocialproblems,buttheseopportunitiesarethemselvesalsolimited

intheirownways.

So far I have discussed only wage-labour organisations as an avenue of

engagement with complex social problems but, of course, there are alternative

avenues in the form of voluntary organisations. Voluntary organisations and

groups can take on forms as diverse as wage-labour organisations, from local

sports club to hobby groups, religious communities, student groups, political

groups andso on and so forth. Volunteer organisationdo not necessarily mean

thereareno Financialrelationshipsinvolved. orexample,alocalsportsclubmay

be run on a volunteer basis, with no wage-labour relationships between the

volunteers and the club, but the club may be operate with local sponsorship,

donationsandfundraisingprojects,thatis,asanon-proFitvolunteerorganisation.

Admittedly theFirst problemfacing volunteer organisations in engagingcomplex

social problems is their limited resources, Financial, proprietary and human.

inancially these groups require donations from members, fundraising projects,

or, additionally, backing from public and/or private organisations. Unless

sufFicientFinancial resourcesare available, few volunteerorganisations will have

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proprietaryresourcesbeyondthatwhichisalreadyavailableintheformofpublic

meeting spaces (cafes, bars, parks, school hall, town centre, etc) and theprivate

residencies (rented, owned etc) of members. All of this, however, is dependent

upon the time andefforts made possibleby individual members involvedin the

voluntary organisation, which is to say, that volunteer organisations are reliantuponindividualautonomyandtheco-ordinationofindividualagency.Thisallows

ustomaketheanodyneconnection,manifestlyevidentalreadyinourexperiences

withvariousgroups,betweenindividualagencyandthelong-termviabilityofsuch

groupsandprojects.

Asnotedearlier,thekeycontributorypressurefacedbyvoluntaryorganisations

isthedivisionoftimeinourindividuallives. Withinthemarket-system, to obtain

foodclothingandshelter,everyoneiscompelledtoworkorbeintrainingforwork

andtheseenforcedsocialnormstakeupsigniFicantportionsofouravailabletime.

actoring in as well the time necessary for the maintenance of personal health(sleep, diet, exercise, meditation)21aswellasthemaintenanceofnecessarysocial

obligations(management ofbills,maintenanceofofFicial documentation, etc). All

thisistodemonstratethatthetimeavailableforanindividualtodedicatetowards

voluntary organisations is limited in important but small ways. urthermore,

because these factors are intrinsically tiedto our means ofsubsistence, they are

persistent factors which constantly militate against sustained voluntary

participation in local groups and local community projects. When faced with a

dilemmaofeither maintaining ourFinancial andlabour obligations ordedicating

timetowardsvoluntaryorganisationprojects,themaintenanceofourFinancialand

laboursituationtakesprecedent.or,althoughworkwithavoluntaryorganisation

isoftensatisfyingandgeneratesasenseofbelongingthroughsolidarity,voluntary

organisations are not usually capable of feeding, clothing and sheltering its

members. The exigency of wage-labour is not irrational, it is, however, to be

lamentedforthisveryfact.

A strengthofvoluntaryorganisations, however, is theiraccessibility (withdue

regard of course given to geographic limitations). Local voluntary organisations

are(relatively)openandtendto employmoredemocraticmodesof organisation

in terms of determining what projects are to be pursued and co-ordinating the

division of labour that realises such projects. Here there is greater room for

individualstoexercisetheirautonomyinrelationtoeachother.Ratherthanthere

being clear delineations of authority, role, task, obligation, responsibility and

accountability,voluntaryorganisationscanhavegreaterFluidity,bothinternally,in

thesenseofrotatingroles,orevennodeFinedroles,andexternally,inthesenseof

being (generally)opentonewmembers withlittleorno barriersto participation.

Inwage-labourorganisationsthereareofteninternalmechanisms(meetings,etc.),

bywhichindividualperspectivesmayatleastbeaired,butwhateverweightthey

may carry relies upon the judgement and endorsement of the decision making

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hierarchy.So,whilstanindividualmayhaveagoodideaorstrategy,thereception,

development andimplementation of it requires the permissionof the individual

who holds the appropriate position of authority to authorise it. In voluntary

organisations, however, the absence of rigid and contractually formalised

authority structures allows greater room for individuals to exercise theirautonomyasopposedtomerelytheiragency.WithsigniFicantlyweakerorentirely

absenthierarchicalstructurestosubordinateindividualautonomyandco-ordinate

individualagencytowardspre-determinedtasks,theprocessoforganisationalco-

ordinationanddivisionoflabourreliesupondiscoursestructures.Primarily, this

is manifest in the processes of discussion and deliberation between individuals

andbetween the organisation as a whole. The formal andinformalpresentation

anddiscussionsconcerningtheprojectsoftheorganisation(Whatshouldwedo?

Whatwillwedo?Howwillwedoit?Whowillperformthistask?Whowill

perform that task?etc.), is, in itself, an empowering exercise as an individualsperspective has a greater impact upon the organisation and the project on the

whole. Thus, whenthereis roomfor agreateremphasisupontherecognitionof

individual perspectives andopinions, thereis a great senseofinvolvement with

the projects pursued and the people who the projects are pursued with.

Consequently, for an individual, there can be a greater sense of autonomy and

belonginginthesevoluntaryorganisations.Thisrelativeopenness 22ofvoluntary

organisations, therefore, has the potential to provide a better space for the

empowermentofindividualautonomythanwage-labourorganisations.

With regards to the empowerment of individual agency, however, voluntary

organisations fare less well because the lack of Financial, proprietary and time

resources.Thisgivesrisetothesituationinwhichthattheco-ordinationoflabour

isalwaysinaconstantstateofnegotiation.Differentmembersofthegrouphave

differenttimecommitmentsanddifferentFinancialresourcessothatestablishinga

project and realising it means negotiating between these varied and limited

individualcircumstances.Inviewofthisindividualsinvolvedinsuchorganisations

mustbehighlycreativeandprecisewhenitcomestoexpendingtimeandenergy

on projects, constantly seeking out the highest possible impactfrom their work

withlimitedresources.Indeed,thisissomethingofanart-formandoneinwhicha

bodyof learning, concerningstrategies ofengagement, perspectivesonproblems

etc,isaccumulatedbyindividualsalreadyinvolvedinacommunityandwhichmay

then be passed onto individuals new to the community. This aspect of social-

learningisvitalto thelongevityofavoluntaryorganisationanditis also ahighly

rewarding aspect of such groups as well. or voluntary organisations the

necessarynegotiationofindividualagency andsharingofthedivisionoflabouris

bothaweakness, duetocomparativelackof resources, andastrengthdueto the

respect of individual autonomy it requires and the consequent relationships it

buildsbetweenpeople.

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Nonetheless,thisorganisationalopennessandpersonnelFluiditycombinedwith

limited resources leaves pre-established voluntary organisations exposed to

internalpolitickinganddivision.Naturally,whenthestrengthofanorganisationis

reliant upon the solidarity and coherence of the community that constitutes it,

internal division and fragmentation can cripple and dissolve entire groups fromwithinor, leadto splinteringandthecalciFicationofperspectives. This is asevere

andpersistent threatto pre-establishedvoluntaryorganisations. orwage-labour

organisationsthis is(usually)muchlessofaproblem duetothebindingFinancial

and contractual relationships between employers/employees. A lack of internal

solidarityorthepresenceofinternaldisputecanbemanagedandmitigatedwhilst

the overall operation of the organisation can remain (largely) unaffected.

Conversely,voluntaryorganisationshavenosuchguarantees,ifadisputeissevere

enough, then an individual, or indeedan internal faction, is free to leave at any

time.Paramounttothesuccessandsustainabilityofvoluntaryorganisations,then,is the capacityof the people who constitute itto effectively manageandresolve

internaldisputes.Ofcoursethisisnotalwayspossibleand,indeed,itisacommon

and problematic feature of voluntary activist and political groups. A further

weaknessiscontinuity,especiallyamongstvoluntaryorganisationsestablishedby

youngerpeople. Continuity isparticularlyproblematic as youngerpeopletendto

have more Fluid personal situations (studying, renting, traveling), which means

thatunlesswaysofensuringcontinuityforagroupareestablishedormaintained,

thenvoluntary organisations can quickly lose momentumandexpire oncethose

whoarethemostpro-activeamongstthegroupmoveon,forwhateverreasons.

Voluntaryorganisationsalsofaceaproblemofscopewhenitcomestoengaging

withcomplexsocial issues.Itmustbe recognised that, even asapotentialsiteof

organisationandactivitywhichempowersindividualagency,unlessthevoluntary

organisation has a signiFicant membership base, then, engagement withcomplex

social problems is still going to be relatively limited in scope. A voluntary

organisations activities are roughly divisible between public (open events,

protests, presentations, letter writing, community welfare projects, information

sessions, reading groups, picketing, pamphleting, websites, journals etc) and

internal activities(regularmeetings, co-ordination, socialisationandorganisation

etc).Whilstthismayfeellikeanunsatisfactorylevelofengagementwithcomplex

socialproblems, withinthelimitationsofavoluntaryorganisations, thesetypesof

activities (if they can be sustained) can raise awareness and create further

opportunitiesinthelong-termforgreaterengagement.Importantly,theraisingof

awareness and creation of opportunity go hand in hand. If the strategies of

engagement are pursued with suitable openness and tact, both the voluntary

organisationandtheproblemsitistryingtoengagewithwillbecomemorevisible

withinthelocalcommunity.Thiscanattracttheattentionofindividualsandother

localorganisationswhoFindacommonpointofengagementorwhomaypossess

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resources to contribute, theresult being theexpansion ofscopefor engagement.

Voluntary organisations can provide an accessible space for engagement with

complexsocialproblems.And,asanopenandaccessiblespace,theemphasisupon

individual autonomy and the empowerment of individual agency enables the

creative capacity for individuals to engage with and respond to their socialexistence. But, in terms of engagement with complex social issues, this space is

both dependent upon and limited by the coherence and commitment of the

individuals who constitute it. Voluntary organisations, like wage-labour

organisations,havetheirstrengthsandweaknesses,butthisisnottodiminishthe

importance ofonetype ofengagement ortheother. urthermore, eventhougha

wage-labourcommitmentwillimpingeuponvoluntarycommitments,theyarenot

mutually exclusive with many people maintaining and balancing these

commitments throughout their lives. Institutionally as well wesee Financial and

politicaloverlapsintermsofdonations,advertisingandorganisationalassociationas well. or an individual, both avenues present different possibilities for

engagement with complex social problems, but whether or not an individual is

aware of these opportunities and spaces, or is even motivated to pursue these

particularavenues,isanotherissueentirely.

As a Final note, for any wage-labour orvoluntary organisation, whatthey are

actuallyorientedtowardsachievingisthepivotalfactorforindividualengagement

with complex social issues. Wage-labour organisations are, for the most part,

orientedtowardsprivateproFitwithonlyrelativelysmall clustersof wage-labour

organisations structured as non-proFit businesses oriented towards engagement

with complex social problems. Similarly, most voluntary organisations are

oriented towards particular projects or hobbies and where there are voluntary

organisationsorientedtowards engagement withcomplex social problems, most

limit themselves to a speciFic problem or a speciFic political stance. or an

individualto engagewithcomplexissues inthesetwoformsofsocialspace, then,

theymustbeawareofthespeciFicspacesavailable(forexample,awage-labouror

voluntaryorganisationthatworkswithdisadvantagedchildren),theymustbeable

to access thespaces (geographically and, if required, betechnicallycapable) and

theymustbeabletoobtainfood, shelterandclothingwhilst engagingwithsocial

problems. This narrows down the spaces and means of engagement for an

individualtoaverysmallsetofpre-establishedspaceswhichmayormaynotbe

geographically accessible and, even then, if speciFic skills sets are required, the

individualmaynotpossesstheskillstopartake inthatspace. Certainly, from this

perspective,thespacesforanindividualtoengagewithcomplexsocialproblems

arelimited,nicheandvaryindegreesofaccessibility.

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30

17Theideaofindividualautonomy andjust what precisely this meansisfraught withdifFiculties

andthesheervolumeofliteratureonthesubjectcannotpossiblybebroachedhere.Nonetheless,I

amspeakinginahighlygeneralsenseaboutindividualautonomyanditshouldnotbethoughtofas

being synonymous with rationalautonomy which is an idea that canbe taken in two distinct

directions,bothfraughtwiththeirownextensiveproblems.18MaxHorkheimerandTheodorAdorno,DialecticofEnlightenment,1947,p.133.

19 This is not the best example as there are several layers of complexity involved in legal

representation.Take,for example,a client companywho hasclaim to reparations againstanother

company for breach of contract. The very relations involved in the claim; the particular legal

entities companies, the contract or agreement, the role of the lawyers to represent clients as

mediatoryagents,theroleofjudiciarytoarbitratebetweenthepartiesandsoonandsoforth.Here,

embedded within the simple example is layer upon layer of social organisationand normative

valuesconcerningagencyandeconomics.20Theuseofthephraseextensiveappropriationisactuallyacuriousandindicativephraseasitis

recognises thelittleways inwhich wage-labour resources maybe appropriated.Even though anindividualmayworkinalegalFirm ofsorts,thisdoesnotprevent them fromdiscretelyusingthat

time to respond to non-work related emails or to co-ordinate information and use privileged

information toassist other projects. Discreteappropriation ofwage-labourresources is certainly

not-uncommon andneither is extensiveappropriation, althoughmost cases whereanindividual

extensivelyappropriateswage-labourresourcesareforindividualFinancialgain.

21Theimportanceofpersonalhealthcannotbeoverlookedhere.ApertinentfactorIvenotthetime

toinvestigateatthismomentisthecompromisingofpersonalhealthwithincapitalistsociety.Both

interms of howwe labourand intermsof theavailable time forthe tendingto proper personal

health.Itisadeepandcomplexissuetobesureandonewhichweveallexperienced,thetradingof

sleepformoreworking time,thelegalpalliativenarcotics ofalcoholandnicotine (not tomention

the illegal palliatives), the systematically and individually ruinous state of diet and food

consumption,thelistcouldgoon.indingtimefortheappropriatetendingtoofpersonalhealthisa

problemforuslivingawage-laboursociety.22 Theopennessofvoluntaryorganisationsisrelativeintwosenses. irstly, itsrelatively openin

comparisonwithwage-labourorganisations(theresnoemploymentrelationshipand,generally,no

formalFinancialobligationsbetweenindividualmembersorenforcedworkinghours.Secondly,itis

relative in the sense that different pre-established voluntary organisations will have different

modes of functioning. Some will have formalpositions which aredemocratically elected by the

member body, some may have rotational roles whilst others may eschew all forms of formal

positionandinsteadrelyupondemocraticdelegationandvolunteeringinordertodividethetasks

oflabourtorealiseaproject.


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Sketches.

1

Rightnowitis4:35pm,Ihavebeenupsince4:30am,workingsince6:30amand

IamcurrentlywritingfromatrainwhichhasbrieFlyhalteditscommute.ThetimeIdohave,Iamstrivingtocramfull,topackwithasmuchproductivemomentsas

possible. Iam tryingto graspeverysecondI can and, ofcourse, Iam failingin

thiseffort.Nonetheless,itisthismoment,thisnow,thismomentoftravel,aftera

long10hourshiftthatthisexpressionFindsitsimportance.ItsFindsitsimportance

in this very time, this very moment, that I have given myself to. or all the

grandiosity of Marx, Nietzsche and philosophers past each of them has given

themselvestothisFleetingmoment,whatoncewas,theirnow.

2

Any critique that fails to appreciate the capacity of our form of social

organisation to maintain its power, and underestimate both the people and

institutions whochampionit, willdamagethe strategies andprojects thatwould

seek topromoteandsustainlong-term resistance. It mustbe recognisedthatthe

strengthofour mode ofsocial organisationlies inits capacityfor co-optionand

concession,toaestheticallyneuteryouthfulrebellionthroughcommodiFication,to

marginalise critique by accommodating it, to diffuse protest by conceding

inessential ground, to dissipate internal challenges by allowing for degrees of

internalmutabilityandsoonandsoforth.

3

Theopeningdecadeofthetwenty-FirstcenturyhasconFirmeditselfasadecade

of dissonance. The pervasive subtexts of fear, uncertainty and the Goldstein

terroristotherstandsunitedwiththeexplosionofcommunicationmediumsand

themarchofrelentlessinformation.orthoseofustoo youngtoknowmuchelse,

thefeelingof overwhelmingpressurewasbestdescribedbyan unknownstudent

inatutorialIattendedthisyearwhosaidItslikeyouareconstantlyoff-balance.

Theeaseofaccessto informationis matchedby the perceivedneedto access all

information. And the voluminous growth of information has exposed an

inexhaustible web of conjecture, opinion, misinformation intentional and

accidentalgivingrisetoaweariness,anexhaustionofthemind.Theeruptionof

informationleavesusconstantlyontheback-foot, constantlyrunningtocatchup,

and with the increased pressures of work and, local and global, economic

uncertainty, there isless timeforus to digest, forus toactually draw intellectual

nutrientsfromsuchinformation.

The stress of knowledge dissonance is not negligible, as individuals within a

fragmented community we are capable of engaging with society to only certain

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moment is now, the only space of pivotal action is now, the greatest of

expressions is laughter andthe grandest of gestures is an embrace ofsolidarity

andlove.

Documents

In Pursuit of Protest