reMAKING in brief: ‘Yes, AND’
We live in a time of crisis and transition.
The first warrants attention, the second ambition.
We can’t stop the work of resistance, but can we work on both fronts simultaneously?
In this ‘reMAKING in brief’ piece, Louise Tarrant offers a prompt to those seeking both justice and transformation. We can define the ground we stand on, while reaching for the sky.
Welcome to ‘Yes, And.’
Yes, and…
They say it is easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism.
Climate change makes the first very real and when we talk about reducing emissions; clean energy; 2030 targets…
Can we also talk about the system that gave rise to negative externalities; commodification of nature; unaccountable corporations; political capture; and unquestionable market faith?
Yes and…
Democracy means much more than a vote on election day – it both creates and reflects the society we want to be.
When we advocate for integrity commissions; expenditure caps; lobbying transparency; codes of conduct…
Can we also expand the notion of public good; find new ways for citizens to engage in its definition and delivery; make business accountable to stakeholders not shareholders; and ensure tax, wealth, risk and opportunity are shared fairly?
Yes and…
Black lives matter.
When we advocate for a First Nations voice; closing the gap; changes to incarceration…
Can we also talk about systemic racism, what love of country and mob can mean for all and finalise a Treaty process that reconciles the past and establishes the new?
Yes and…
Sexual assault and workplace harassment are but the tip of what gender inequity looks like.
When we educate about consent; change the reporting; hold employers and politicians accountable…
Can we also lift gendered wages; address unfair labour in the home; redress punitive welfare measures and work for real gender emancipation?
Yes and…
When ruptures like covid occur the fault lines expand.
When we talk of increasing unemployment benefits; making jobs more secure; making childcare free; addressing aged care reform…
Can we also embrace a universal support system for those in need, whether it be because of unemployment, parenting demands, drought or disability; ensure health and aged care services and staff are properly funded and in public control; facilitate worker organising and legislative protections for better work security and rights?
Yes and…
Some politicians want to strangle alternate voices.
When we talk about ways to rebuild unions; protect charities; strengthen advocacy; respect experts; diversify media…
Can we also advocate for a new state role that consciously and actively builds countervailing civic power that offsets the imbalance of influence held by corporations, big tech, the fossil fuel order and the ultra-wealthy?
Yes and…
Stories resonate. They can bind or separate, denigrate or elevate.
When we focus on ‘changing the story’ – the framing, the market testing, the memorable memes…
Can we also shift the focus of the underlying values from I to We, competition to cooperation, extraction to protection, hate to love, division to the universal, the now to the ‘now and next’?
Yes and…
