Summary

The article emphasizes the necessity for privileged individuals to engage actively in political and societal issues, advocating for a more equitable world.

Abstract

The author reflects on the privilege of free speech, basic needs, and time, contrasting it with the stark reality of global hunger and economic disparities. They argue that the current state of the world, with thousands dying of hunger daily and CEOs earning exponentially more than their employees, is unacceptable. The piece also criticizes the exploitation of children's online data and calls for a collective effort to reclaim the political space through voting and local action. The author asserts that while voting is crucial, it is not sufficient on its own; individuals must also engage in community-level activism and take on the moral obligation to contribute more if they are able. The ultimate goal is to create a better world for everyone, which requires ruthless execution of strategies that align with this shared vision.

Opinions

The author feels a moral imperative to act politically and socially due to their privileged position in society.
There is a strong sense of injustice regarding the vast economic inequalities, particularly the disparity between CEO and median employee pay.
The article suggests that the current societal norms, including the commodification of children's online activity, are detrimental and require change.
The author believes that individual and local actions are essential components of societal change, beyond just casting a vote.
There is an opinion that the political space should not be abandoned but rather engaged with more deeply to enact societal improvements.
The author implies that a collective vision of a better world is shared among many, and it is the strategies and execution towards this vision that will vary among individuals.

We, the People, Cannot Abandon the Political Space

Not anymore

I’m lucky enough to be able to complain.

I was born and raised in a country where free speech exists. I have food, a roof over my head, a computer, and an internet connection.

I even have the luxury of time. I don’t have to work hard today; I can wait for next week. I can choose.

I’m not one of the 25,000 people dying of hunger every day. Far from it.

I’m privileged.

And there was a time when I could tell myself that I also had the luxury of choice. I had enough money, enough privileges, to stay in the background and observe the events unfold. I had the luxury of living the life of a non-playing character in the video game that became our society.

Not anymore.

I still have the money and the privileges. But I lost the choice. Because today, if I want to have an ounce of respect for myself, the only decent act is to stand up and fight.

Do we want to live in a world where 25,000 people die of hunger every day?

While some of us are buying tickets to travel in ‘space.’

Forgetting that we were, are, and always will be already in space.

Forgetting that this imaginary boundary at 62 miles above sea level is insignificant and ridiculous compared to the immensity of our universe.

Do we want to live in a society where a CEO’s paycheck can be 6,565 times higher than the median employee pay in their company?

One payday of the CEO would pay for 25 years of a median employee’s work. Please take a moment to consider this number. On the are you kidding me scale, it rates fairly high.

That’s not obscene. There should be another word for that.

A word that makes people like me angry. A word that drives people like me mad. A word that will make the silent majority vote, become politicians, and shout its rage!

And we won’t go gentle into that good fight!

Do we want to live in a space where even our children’s online activity is sold to marketers?

In the US, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) applies only to children under 13.

“In enacting the COPPA, Congress [recognized] that younger children are particularly vulnerable to overreaching by marketers and may not understand the safety and privacy issues created by the online collection of personal information.”

It’s difficult enough for adults to be conscious of marketing tactics’ existence and resist them. Children do not stand a chance. At 13, they’re “still more than a decade from having a fully developed prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in decision-making and impulse control.”

They need to be protected from predatory behaviors.

What can we do about it?

We can vote.

Through voting, we can elect our representatives and give them the mandate to act in our names. Voting is an individual act that translates into decisions taken by and for the whole society.

But voting isn’t enough.

80 million people didn’t vote in the 2020 US Presidential Election.

Why not? What’s missing for them?

This is where we can act.

We’re never better humans than when we act locally, as individuals, for individuals. It is only at the individual level that people can see what’s in front of them, and can make real mind to mind, body to body, soul to soul impact.

We need to make these connections with the others. We need to help communities thrive. And for those of us privileged enough, we have a moral obligation to do more than the others.

We need to stop being selfish; it’s killing us.

We cannot leave the political space unattended. We owe it to our parents, we owe it to our children, and we owe it to ourselves.

The vision is simple. We want to make the world a better place for all of us.

The strategies we will employ are not important. To each of us their own. It’s my choice and yours. We can trust each other because we share a vision.

Vision, strategy, … Remains the execution.

The execution has to be ruthless.

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