Why we can’t see progress | The Gray Area

Rebecca Sontag, author of "The Beginning Comes After the End," discusses the pervasive narrative of decline in the US and argues that it obscures significant positive changes. She contends that mainstream and right-wing media have amplified a vocal minority, creating a false impression of widespread opposition to progress, which leaves many feeling powerless. Sontag emphasizes the difficulty people have in recognizing positive change as it happens, attributing this to amnesia regarding past conditions, a focus on the immediate, and a cultural tendency towards pessimism and premature surrender. She draws a parallel to Timothy Snyder's "20 Rules for Surviving Authoritarianism," particularly the injunction not to surrender in advance, highlighting how people often cede power by assuming defeat. Sontag challenges the popular view of the last 50-70 years as solely a story of disruption and decline. While acknowledging the backlash against progress, she asserts that this backlash is itself evidence of the profound changes achieved. She uses Occupy Wall Street as an example, noting that while criticized at the time, it significantly alarmed those in power. Her book's central aphorism, "An old world is dying, a new world is struggling to be born, now is the time of monsters," frames the current era. The "monsters"—authoritarianism, white supremacy, climate denial—receive ample attention, but Sontag argues that the "new world being born" through movements like civil rights, feminism, queer rights, and disability rights, all underpinned by a human rights agenda, is often overlooked. She contrasts the present with her own upbringing, where colonialism, apartheid, and severe marginalization of women and LGBTQ+ individuals were normalized, and environmental awareness was nascent. The success of these progressive movements, she posits, has incited anger and fear in the right, who perceive themselves as losing ground. A key theme explored is the backlash against interdependence itself, stemming from a hyper-individualistic ideology. Sontag observes the re-emergence of progressive Christianity and interfaith activism, emphasizing a renewed focus on "love thy neighbor." She argues that the traditional American ideal of "rugged individualism" was built on white male supremacy and ignored the societal structures and human connections necessary for success. This ideology of isolation, she contends, is deeply offensive to the science of climate change because acknowledging interconnectedness implies consequences for actions. The right's embrace of unlimited individual rights, paradoxically, often leads to the denial of rights to others, such as women's reproductive autonomy, revealing an ugly, isolating form of individualism that breeds loneliness. This is evident in the anger and misery observed in figures from Silicon Valley oligarchs to the manosphere and the Trump administration, characterized by a joyless disconnection. Sontag critiques Silicon Valley's promotion of AI as a substitute for human connection and capitalism's reliance on manufactured scarcity, arguing that there is no shortage of human beings, only a distribution problem. Sontag addresses the sympathetic skeptic who acknowledges the problems of alienation, corruption, and authoritarian resurgence but finds little solace in highlighted victories. She argues that many people are unaware of the extent of these victories, citing public support for climate action, which is often mischaracterized as a minority view due to media framing. She uses the analogy of "It's a Wonderful Life" to illustrate how the positive impacts of activism—a coal plant not built, a forest saved, lives not lost to preventable causes—are often invisible. She also notes a tendency within the progressive left to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" through habits of mind that focus on perceived failures. Sontag emphasizes that the world is multifaceted, not simply black and white, and that not having achieved everything does not mean everything has been lost. Drawing on Václav Havel, she defines hope not as a prognosis but as a spirit of attitude, acknowledging the radical uncertainty of the future as a realm of possibility and responsibility. Regarding the pace of change, Sontag believes societies are more adaptable than often assumed. She points to the abolition of slavery and women's suffrage as profound societal shifts that did not lead to collapse, even in the face of backlash. While acknowledging that progress can regress, she argues that societies never truly revert to pre-change conditions; the new idea or possibility remains. She dismisses the notion that women will ever fully return to a state of inequality, given their increased participation in public life. Sontag contrasts the world of 1955 with the present, highlighting how much has changed and how adaptable humanity is. Sontag also reflects on the internal dynamics of the left, particularly the tendency towards in-group behavior and punishment of perceived imperfections. She cites an essay by Yoav Maron suggesting that a belief in the impossibility of winning can lead to a focus on purity and the punishment of those deemed imperfect. This, she argues, can lead to the left "eating itself" and a reluctance to welcome those leaving the right, opting instead for a "perfect little tent" rather than a broad coalition. This desire for perfection, she suggests, stems from a discomfort with uncertainty and a preference for neat, binary narratives. She draws on Adorno's work on the authoritarian personality, noting that some individuals on the left, as well as the right, gravitate towards authoritarianism, punishment, and simplistic categorization. Sontag advocates for comfort with uncertainty, viewing it as the foundation for possibility, and describes categories as places where "thoughts go to die," urging a recognition of complexity and the leaky nature of all categories. She aims to equip people with the tools to think more complexly, embrace uncertainty, and see the future as a space of possibility. The conversation concludes with an appreciation for Sontag's blend of pragmatism and revolutionary spirit, her consistent and honest approach to activism, and her contribution to understanding the long arc of change and our collective power to shape the future.