‘Liberal Thought’ and Social Emancipation

The word emancipation demands an overcoming. Overcoming every obstacle, and hindrance, in the way of human flourishing. One major impediment that stultifies this flourishing, and mauls individuality, is social constriction. Creativity and individuality are the bedrock of self-actualization. It is virtually impossible to cultivate these in an environment burdened with iron-clad walls. A society that nurtures not ingenuity, but conformity, breeds caricatures of the human person. In such socio-environs, power plays its role through the subtle dictates of morality. You are either with us or against us, remains its guiding principle. It commands uniformity and fears difference. Novelty is looked at with extreme suspicion and tradition with deep reverence. Free expression is stomped and veneration regarded. Lacking proper means for creative expression; in every form of life, every person grants himself the luxury of sitting in judgment over the rest. Human relations remain bound within the didactic terms of moral chastisement – Good vs. Bad. Acknowledgment, appreciation, and even celebration of individuality remain absent. What comes forth is bickering condemnation that denies others the joy, which one himself has been stripped of.

However, social reform and emancipatory talk of liberal tenor also mark our social tapestry; albeit with exclusive outcomes. While a certain segment vouches for a partial release of the prison walls that bound the human person, it heavily lags in its acknowledgment of the class nature of the problem. While the upper layers might not bother to take notice of the lower rungs, these form an overwhelming proportion of our society. This majority still lives below, or just above, livelihood needs. They do not enjoy the comforts of a life free from toil. Their daily survival takes an extraordinary chunk of their time and energy. Sufficient leisure and extra money are elusive, to be used in activities of refinement and ‘culture’. Perceptions, here, remain clouded by daily trials. To break the unjust walls of social norms is the last dish on their menu. Rather, social bonds give a sense (even if false) of belonging, in an otherwise unforgivable world.

Liberal chatters and cocktail revolutionaries miss the mark. Talking in terms of an imaginary over-arching humanity, they fire shots at the lack of refined taste and morals among people. What they fail to realise is succinctly framed by Jean-Paul Sartre, Contemplation is a luxury of the bourgeoisie. It is economic empowerment that provides fertile ground for cultural refinement. While living in utter toil, huddled in slum-like quarters, lacking proper means for a decent life – culture and refinement are the first things that jump out of the window. While the patronizing liberal elite pass judgment, in condescending tones, on the ill-natural ruffian, they dare not question the economic systems that water the weeds. They speak on behalf of the downtrodden. They reserve the right of diagnosis, as well as the remedy. Who granted them this right? They refuse to answer. Firmly seated on the altar of judgment in cozy living rooms, they fail to connect with the daily trials and aspirations of the masses. While they probe society’s soft surface and try to brush its rough edges, they conveniently close their olfactory senses to its rotten core. 

A famous religious speaker was recently asked? What do you do for a living? He promptly replied I worship… Applause! I wish the overwhelming majority of humankind could afford the same answer. It certainly doesn’t. Again, an example of morality, that hovers over the real human condition. It is precisely such an attitude towards reality that makes social reform a certain failure. Exclusivity, here, is almost ubiquitous. Media, whether entertainment or informational, is virtually marked by an absence of organized voice from the lower sections of society. Also, what is depicted as liberal thought does not usually go beyond certain boundaries delineated by the broadly agreed social norms of the time, and, of course, class interest. The palpably obvious result is a gulf of disconnect between the elite and the masses. While the liberal elite sits in judgment on the good, bad, and ugly of the society; the general populace perceives it as repulsive sophistication; and looks back to the past for spiritual dwelling. 

This reminds one of the American Sociologist, Eric Olin Wright, who while writing on ‘Emancipatory Social Science’, helps us to better understand a socially inclusive and just society, as one in which, 

all people would have broadly equal access to the necessary material and social means to live flourishing lives.

It implies,

that human emancipation depends upon the transformation of the social world, not just the inner self.

These well-stated words chide over the liberal thought that is class-centric and exclusive, and certainly cannot break the walls of social mores. It is embedded in its own class consciousness, and class opportunism. Its purported liberalism is narrow, fearful, and piecemeal. This leads us to the other (and only) option – An inclusive and self-representative thought – through which we can dream of a new world full of opportunities for human flourishing.