Progress and Privilege

Progress has a dark history. "Illiberal Reformers" tells of some of the awkward racism, eugenics, and economic segregation that was part of initial Industrial Age "Progress". The idea was that there was a single development path from savage to civilization. With even the best intention, a paternalistic attempt to spread the light. Many of the worlds greatest atrocities were justified on the basis of industrialized Civilising Missions. Forcing religion on people. Forcing lifestyles on people. Forcing work on people. 

Progress is seductive. Like growth. More seems to be the best possible incentive to keep us from sitting down and becoming a glob of inactive goo. Enough or even Less seem like giving up. Success is all about creating an aspirational future that is not only different from now, but better.

White Privilege and Male Privilege are contentious subjects. As a white, male, I have sat in many conversations with other white men where they have expressed exasperation (yes I know, get me a glass for their tears). Very few people feel privileged. No one likes being the bad guy. Particularly if there isn't an obvious "so what can I do about it" to make things right. If being the bad guy is a permanent state that you have no choice but to accept.

Through "Darwin's Dangerous Idea", Daniel Dennett helped a penny drop in my mind about the reality of Evolution. It isn't about progress at all. He used the analogy of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland to explain it. "You have to run as fast as you can to stay in the same place". We never stop running. We are always comparing locally. We are never better.

"It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." The Red Queen 

Accepting Privilege is as hard as saying you have "Enough". In some ways, it is also saying you have things "Better". It can fall into the trap of thinking there are Development Paths, Savages, and Civilised. It can stop us learning from those "with less" if what you have has to be determined by what you can weigh or count. Privilege can create blindspots. I have seen some epic homophobia and religious superiority complexes from Black Women. Racism and Sexism are clearly two prejudices where we have a long way to go. It is easier to see privilege in others.

The intent of this piece is not to defend those who don't like the concept of Privilege. Who don't believe they are privileged. Who don't want to do the work. It is just an acknowledgment that historically we have a poor history of understanding the unintended consequences of big steps. Historically, we have a poor history of listening to each other. We have a poor history of dividing people up into groups of friends and foes.

Resilience and Sustainability are the true underlying drivers of life. The ability to cope with whatever is thrown at us. The ability to create local meaning and global tolerance. It isn't about progress. It isn't about better. It isn't about growth. That implies a level of understanding that no one actually has. The world is too random, complicated, and ambiguous for us to do anything other than the best we can. To hold onto each other while we do that.