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A review by jamrock
No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need by Naomi Klein
5.0
The concluding chapter of this book begins with the following quote: “The hour calls for optimism; we’ll save pessimism for better times.” — Jean-Claude Servais and I can't think of a better mission statement for the current times.
I am so annoyed at myself for taking so long to read this book. I started it in 2017 with the hardback edition and just finished it this week. I know we joke about my "under active brain" and my inability to read non-fiction but jeez!
The book starts with an exploration of how Trump gamed the system other "hollow brands" had mastered before him and I got so mad reading every chapter that I would end up just waving my fist at the sky or shouting into my Twitter echo-chamber. In doing so it took me three years to get the crucial last section of the book which is where the articulation of optimism began and made me realise that, as the title suggests, saying "no" to Trumpism (and associated extremism) is not enough.
In part I am pleased to see this partially expressed in culture-hacking resistance (Trumps' rally plans being foiled by the #TikTokTeens and #KpopAllies is a great example). In reality though this only inflames the culture war that is dividing people who should be united.
It's time to stop pointing out the obvious dystopia and start following the example of the working class movements of the Great Depression era who were well versed in W.E.B. Du Bois' utopian vision of a pan-working class, bi-racial movement transforming an unjust economic system.
This is what always frustrates me about people who equate "intersectionalism" with some sort of "hard left radical agenda" when it is about accepting that we can't work in silos on combatting the climate change deniers, the wealth extracting oligarchs and those that would deny black people and women their human rights, all the issues intersect.
I took a lot from this book and now need to understand how I can start properly applying myself to being part of the solution rather than just railing against the status quo.
I am so annoyed at myself for taking so long to read this book. I started it in 2017 with the hardback edition and just finished it this week. I know we joke about my "under active brain" and my inability to read non-fiction but jeez!
The book starts with an exploration of how Trump gamed the system other "hollow brands" had mastered before him and I got so mad reading every chapter that I would end up just waving my fist at the sky or shouting into my Twitter echo-chamber. In doing so it took me three years to get the crucial last section of the book which is where the articulation of optimism began and made me realise that, as the title suggests, saying "no" to Trumpism (and associated extremism) is not enough.
In part I am pleased to see this partially expressed in culture-hacking resistance (Trumps' rally plans being foiled by the #TikTokTeens and #KpopAllies is a great example). In reality though this only inflames the culture war that is dividing people who should be united.
It's time to stop pointing out the obvious dystopia and start following the example of the working class movements of the Great Depression era who were well versed in W.E.B. Du Bois' utopian vision of a pan-working class, bi-racial movement transforming an unjust economic system.
This is what always frustrates me about people who equate "intersectionalism" with some sort of "hard left radical agenda" when it is about accepting that we can't work in silos on combatting the climate change deniers, the wealth extracting oligarchs and those that would deny black people and women their human rights, all the issues intersect.
I took a lot from this book and now need to understand how I can start properly applying myself to being part of the solution rather than just railing against the status quo.