Inspiration for this post:
“The Kremlin’s handling of the crisis reminds some of the cover-up of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which prompted Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, to launch glasnost, a campaign for more openness. “The whole system is penetrated by the spirit of bootlicking, persecution of dissidents, clannishness, window-dressing. We will put an end to all this,” Mr Gorbachev told his politburo at the time.” - Russia’s covid-19 outbreak is far worse than the Kremlin admits. The Economist May 21, 2020
A few definitions:
Bootlicking: attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery. Often manifested in lavish praise and expressions of solidarity.
Clannish: inclined to stick together as a group and exclude outsiders. Clannish insiders tend to be hyper-alert to signs that someone is not truly one of them, making people who don’t want to be excluded very careful about what they say.
Window-dressing: something used to create a deceptively favorable or attractive impression. As when ineffective programs or policies are described as success stories (with the help of misleading statistics and a few heartwarming anecdotes).
Persecute: to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict specifically: to cause to suffer because of belief. For example, the practice of outing people on social media.
Dissenter: a person who dissents, as from the majority view within a political group or government. Dissent means to differ in sentiment or opinion, withhold assent or disagree. Not sharing in the general condemnation of a hated figure may mark one as a dissenter.
Sound familiar?
I live in California, which is essentially a one-party state. Even worse, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where a good number of the progressive vanguard also live. Gorbachev’s description of the Soviet system reminded me of the spirit of local politics in this tragic place. What I see sickens me. (Which doesn’t make me a Republican).
This is not about the evils of socialism or the communist system. It’s about the evils of ideological certainty. With such certainty comes an unwillingness to listen, learn, or change course in the face of failure. And to blame failure on real or imaginary adversaries: evil corporations, greedy developers, racist Republicans, and Big whatever.
In contrast to ideologues, reformers may think they have good ideas - but not the answer. They know these good ideas could be wrong and so proceed with caution, careful to monitor the progress of their reforms and to change course if needed. They will listen to opposing points of view, because they appreciate their own basic fallibility.
Ideologues may give lip service to the “marketplace of ideas” but mostly as a tactic to gain more converts to their cause. When ideologues gain power, the marketplace of ideas is apt to be shut down, replaced by purity debates on how to best align practice with the One True Vision. Let’s hope that never happens.