Customer Reviews

The Politics Of Meaning: Restoring Hope And Possibility In An Age Of Cynicism

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book was a clarion call to the utter self-destruction of American politics and progressivism that we have witnessed with Monicagate and Clinton's even more public affair with "the inexorable logic of globalization." Lerner offers the best explanation I have ever read of why and how conservatives have been so successful during the past two decades in transforming the public debate to their agendas, and why the traditional Left remains incapable of offering a coherent reply to the seeming triumph of the neo-liberal, hyper-consumerist world view that increasingly dominates our culture. I would urge anyone who wants to move beyond the sterile and outdated philosophies and politics of Left/Right and Democrat/Republican to read this book!

Lerner both points out the moral bankruptcy of the neo-right's "every man for himself" (particularly men, particularly white and wealthy) world-view, and also provides a vision for the future of compassionate *and* workable politics, economics, and community. Like Robert Theobald's "Reworking Success," or Thom Hartmann's "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" and "The Prophet's Way" (all highly recommended and available on amazon.com), Lerner courageously confronts us with the problems we face and offers realistic solutions. Highly recommended!

Rabbi Dr. Lerner has written a wonderful book about an idea whose time has come. If the media and politicians would act upon these ideas, our national life would benefit immeasurably. Rancor and discord would be replaced by harmony and dialogue. Senator Hilary Clinton embraced this book, and her espousal of its ideas no doubt helped her win election as our junior senator from New York.

Dr. Lerner is in the forefront of Jewish thought today. He seeks to engage the culture at large in a way that is beneficial for Jews and Gentiles alike. His efforts in this book and elsewhere are to be applauded.

The author's central premise seems to be that despite a consumer culture run amok and any number of examples of a society unraveled, such as the anonymity of the suburbs, gratuious corporate downsizings, the rise of hate-radio, etc, that the public really does hunger for meaning, spirtuality, recognition, and connectedness. In other words, there is an untapped social solidarity waiting for the right situation to transform society into one that cares for all citizens.

The problem is that the author presents little evidence for any such belief other than his desire for this to become a reality. No evidence is presented to indicate that substantial numbers of people even understand the dysfunctionality of their lives and of society and what actions to take both personally and within the larger society.

The author does demonstrate the rise of cynical pandering to social discomforts by the political right usually by scapegoating the disadvantaged as well as the government. He should have explored the propagandistic effects of the mass media and the educational system.

The author seems to be saying that if we are not really the self-centered, selfish people that we clearly demonstrate on a daily basis, we could have a good society where basic needs for physical and mental well-being could be meant. But that is a big if that the author cannot explain away. His calls for society-enhancing initiatives just have a hollow ring.

In the mid-90's, rabbi, psychologist, and Tikkun founder Michael Lerner sounded this clarion call: Something must be done about the widespread cynicism and disengagement that characterize our society.

Lerner's THE POLITICS OF MEANING was written during an era analogous to the present, when Clinton failed to hold onto his Democratic Congress. The book argues that both liberals and conservatives have failed to address the crisis of meaning created by the materialistic, self-centered value system enshrined by our market society. Conservatives talk about moral values, but support economic policies in which we're all expected to fend for ourselves with little social or environmental responsibility. By contrast, liberals support policies that mitigate some of the most egregious effects of the free market system, but fail to challenge the skewed values behind it. Further, even on issues like health care, morality is rarely part of the liberal framing. The Left offers a more systemic critique of our economic system, but one that is typically so rooted in materialism as to degrade humanity. Marx himself barely seemed to recognize humanity's capacity for anything other than the pursuit of material self-interest.

And therein lies much of the appeal of the Right. The Right actually addresses the hunger for meaning, albeit in ways that are often fundamentalist, repressive, and/or xenophobic. It's long been observed that people tend to look for scapegoats in times of economic distress ("Mexicans are stealing all our jobs" or "we're losing our jobs because blacks get special treatment" or "Jews control the economy and media"). But Lerner adds another dimension. For many, being un- or underemployed brings more than strictly economic pain. In a society that, above all, values one's ability to be productive and buy stuff, hard times create alienation and even self-hatred. Then, along comes the right-wing movement that says, "Hey, we don't care what you produce or consume. We value for who you are. You deserve respect just for being [insert ethnic/religious/ideological/national category here]." Unfortunately, that kind of in-group solidarity almost always requires a vilified out-group. I think this offers some explanation for the right-wing surge we see today.

Lerner emphasizes that the crisis of meaning cannot be solved through the solipsism of New Age philosophies, which focus on individual "self-help." He also repudiates political correctness and the liberal tendency to demonize white males. Even the ostensibly "privileged," he argues, suffer the great alienation that accompanies a bottom-line-driven individualist ethos. In place of the unhelpful solutions above, Lerner puts forth the progressive answer to the pro-family agenda championed by the Right. His approach seeks to replace the narrow concept of the isolated, patriarchal nuclear family with a more expansive definition of "family." This progressive pro-family agenda accepts non-nuclear family arrangements (and same-sex unions); respects women, children, and seniors; and places the family within a supportive larger community. In policy terms, it advocates a meaning-oriented work environment, a healthier work-family balance, a strong social safety net, and an education system that integrates ethical development into the curriculum.

I agree with Lerner's conclusion: Progressives must create a meaningful narrative of their own--one they can clearly articulate to the American people--if they want to see their vision of social change to fruition. THE POLITICS OF MEANING provides an extremely valuable jumping-off point for this effort, and in today's political landscape, there could be no better time in which to revisit it.

....However, difficult it could be to change the world we are living in to a better one as the book suggests, it is not just a challenge, but a must try.
I have a feeling though that Michael is not trying to reach the general population but is aiming at the intellectual world. His writing, although very high level, seems to be quite challenging for people of a lesser education or younger age.

If we already know that it'll take years to incorporate this new way of living, maybe we should also include a younger audience.

Aren't the children of today, the leaders of tomorrow?

Lerner is a liberal dreamer. He has a vision in his head of better times, that America can be better than the people who populate it; that is that we can attain our stated ideals by fiat -- that our ideals can happen with no costs and no pain to anyone. It is the real white hope, the new American way: when stuff hit the fan jump into the feel good mode: Dream, but keep your hands on your wallet, and on your private schools, and maintain your distance from the inner city, and keep your hands on your SUV. And by all means pray more.

It is the same liberal do-gooder delusional thinking under which much very destructive social tinkering and policymaking came about in the 60s and 70s. It virtually wrecked the black race and further crippled the poor of all races.

This is a dog-eat-dog world and Lerner knows it. It is "an eat what you kill" "take no prisoners" kind of world. It is Hobbesian and Darwinian all the way to the core. Fantasy doesn't work; and it does not matter whether the economics are capitalism or socialism. Both produce the same kind of Potemkin village that America has become: inner and outer cities; inner and outer realities, inner and outer worlds. We have socialism, but only for the rich. For the poor, we have "in your face" vampire capitalism. So, tell me again how we can "sweet talk" our way out of this 500-year dilemma?

What we need least of all is not more "airy fairy visualizing" but stronger less greedy and less mean-spirited, less racist people, who are willing to put themselves on the line in defense of the higher principles upon which this country was built and which they have never been willing to live up to; people who will make a commitment to something larger than themselves and their SUVs, Botox, breast implants and distancing themselves from those who go to fight their illegitimate wars.

We can only have a stronger country when we make our people stronger, instead of what we are doing now, which is making them weaker, more spoiled, less responsible, and more fake. Look at our leadership; from the Presidency on down, an utter embarrassment to a respectable civilized First World nation.

Two stars

Rabbi Michael Lerner wants to develop a leftist response to the Religious Right. Unfortunately he throws out the baby and _keeps_ the bathwater: retaining a vague veneer of "spirituality," he rejects the political and economic theories that are in fact the Right's real strength.

Proclaiming himself "agnostic about capitalism," he nevertheless proceeds to disagree with capitalism point by point, denouncing the "selfishness" and "materialism" of modern America and decrying the power of the "market" to impose values on its apparently passive victims (shades of Vance Packard!).

Our real problem, he asserts upon astoundingly little evidence, is that we are "systematically misrecognized" by our families, friends and peers; what we need, he says, is a "politics of meaning" that seeks to rebuild community and change the "bottom line" of our culture.

It is unfortunate that he did not feel compelled to study capitalist theory before rejecting it in toto; otherwise, he might have learned that the "market" is precisely a vast network of human beings cooperating in the production of values and that most of the "problems" he cites stem directly from the increasing power of the federal government. But his characterizations of "capitalist theory" suggest that he consulted no higher authority than John Kenneth Galbraith.

If this is the best the Left can do, then the Left is intellectually bankrupt. Anyone interested in "the politics of meaning" should skip Rabbi Lerner's book and instead study the _meaning of politics_, beginning with the Austrian School economists -- Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, et alia. And maybe a little Ayn Rand too.

Mr. Lerner to morals is what rap is to art.