Before moving to Amsterdam, I lived in London for 16.5 years. Those years happened to be the ones in which British economy was booming and most of those years I worked for an international consultancy firm and a Japanese invest bank. I was a typical neo-liberal, if I was asked of my political views but most of the time I was quite non-political. It was after I moved to Amsterdam to have my own super small business in a more socialistic country that I became rather political. This time I went back to socialism, my ideology as a teanager studying at protestant schools with heavily unionised teachers. When I was working for big companies in London, my salaries would come in on the same day of the month, earlier as far as I was doing what I was told to do. But as a small business owner in Amsterdam, every month I had to run hard after money and soon realised that ‘working hard’ doesn’t necessarily pay off. I may make a nice hat all by hand using the highest quality materials, but there were always ‘better known brands’ who would throw runway shows in Paris/Milan/NYC while selling factory-made hats for more than double of my price and still selling better than I did. Or, other brands who would sell ‘something like’ hats for 5,- and making more money than I. Naturally I started thinking about things like’fair market’ ‘equality’ democracy’ ‘corporate money power’ ‘journalists buy-out’ As I investigate further, the unfairness spans from mal-treatment of factory workers in less wealthy countries, mal-treatment of environment, and mal-treatment of people of certain ethnic background (directly negative ones and taking advantage of them for self-branding). The more I learn, the alone I felt as the powers that I wanted to stand against seemed just to big and powerful. Then I came across with US Senator Bernie Sanders and his Democratic Socialism. Unlike other politician who want to become US president to be powerful, he called himself ‘an organiser in chief’. He encouraged us to be the main force. His campaign slogan is ‘Not me. US.’
As I started following him on his online platforms as well as other independent media and activists, it became easier to obtain less biased information about politics and I no longer felt alone. I no longer felt I was too small to make any difference to the world. Bernie said ‘Change always comes from the bottom to the top. Grassroots movement is vital for fundamental changes.’That meant that my thoughts, words and most importantly deeds can be meaningful and useful to create a better world. It was such an empowering feeling while working in fashion, which is notoriously corporate, branding-driven and exploitative as a small player.
Dr Cornel West, one of Bernie’s surrogates once said ‘Justice is what love looks like in public’ and this has become my mantra. We often think that politics are too dry and boring and far away from concept of love. However, if you are not loved as much as you love, this is in fact no love. Our society misses compassion and love if everyone is not loved the same amount. In addition, Bernie’s epic phrase at last year’s rally in Queen’s/NY was ‘Can you fight for someone you don’t know as you would for yourself?’
I am ashamed that I finally appreciated these concept until it became a serious problem for myself. I did not have enough compassion nor social love to think for others when my life was an easy one as a neo-liberal corporate machine part. However, now I am determined to try to come close to these profound ideologies that I found in Bernie’s movement.
Bernie’s policy platforms are so comprehensive and really helped me shape new world views.
How to make New Green Deal happen despite establishments’ manipulative criticism of ‘How are you going to pay for it?’
Re-distribution of wealth.
Labour rights/minimum wage
Medicare as human right
Freedom of religion
Decriminalisation of soft drugs and expunging of those who were charged in the past (this also linked to race issue)
As well as
Dismantling current justice/police system and
Race issue (Many seem to think that former vice president Jo Biden is the guy for people of colours because of his association with the first black president but I have a different idea).
I’m sure you realise that, right now, we are on a tipping point with ALL these issues. Everything is becoming intolerable, or has been intolerable for a long time but finally getting some attention. Thanks to Bernie, I have been trying my best to educate myself on these issues for a while but of course, the biggest challenge would be to pass the test of ‘Can I fight for someone who I don’t know as if it is my own problem as if everyone is not loved and treated with respect, there is no love in this world?’ and ‘Believing in my own power as a part of the grassroots movement and stay proud and keep on going even after the short online news circle forgets about these issues?’.
This is a big challenge for me. But I realise that, finding likeminded people do help a lot. We can encourage each other and remind each other that we are not ‘no one’ but we can be someone who can impact the world in a positive way.
That’s why I started writing this blog again. If I speak my mind, I may find new people who say ‘Hey we are similar’! Also, I would like to hear from people who have different ideas. So I can continue challenging myself.
Solidarity has never been so important and let’s truly appreciate the meaning of it rather than talking about it on Instagram. I am sure joy of truly sharing the idea will bring us much much much more joy. And never say never to politics. It is about your life on a very serious level. And about love.
