Abstract
These are two autoethnographic voices. We speak in a strange time: democracy dies, social justice dies. A lot of people have died of the virus, many die of fear. We write to protest against new neoliberal and neoconservative “shock doctrine.” We write together to protest against destructive self-absorption, isolation, and fear. It is protest-text. But we are not sure what we can do now.
Intro
It is a strange time. I do not know what will be tomorrow. I have to stay at home. I do not know how much I will earn and what is happening around. I feel that there is the opportunity to change our social reality for a better place. But it can be changed also to the rebirth of the neoliberalism regime—make it crueler.
What we can do? How we can survive?
I try to speak. I have a lot of time, but it is not a good time for research. For thinking also. So I write such not a scientific paper. It is a note from epidemics. I write because I feel alone. I feel helpless. I feel like a felt before. And I write for the same reasons. As Ronald J. Pelias wrote—to be here, still, to be part of conversation (Pelias, 2017). And because “I write so the darkness cannot win” (Poulos, 2017, p. 38).
So I am writing to be alive—somehow—and try to make a difference.
In my country, now the situation is not so bad. We are still waiting. But the virus of neoliberalism spreads faster and intensely. It can bring more damage to our society than Coronavirus. How we can react to that when we have to stay at home? How we can protect and promote social justice and the poor? Could we use this Coronavirus as a partner in making the world a better place?” What are we taught now?
And how can we win with isolation . . . with our dark lonely thoughts.
To struggle with our destructive self-absorption, fear, and isolation, what makes us vulnerable? We are immersed in our own sad self. We are overcome by discouragement. We don’t have the strength to protest. For what if the world will end soon.
The doctrine of shock works (Klein, 2008).
I send this text to my friend. He joins me.
Marek:
Writing in Time of Plaque?
What a concept.
Oskar:
Not sure what we can do more.
Marek:
How can I think to have Anything Original to tell you in time-like-this?
And why do I need to be original anyway?
Oskar:
We do not have to be original. I know that being original is of some value for “normal science”. But now “world is out of joint”. We write to protest. Not to be original. Not to be a super academic researcher. I think this time is the end for humanities and social science.
I
Stay, stay away . . . borders are closed troops with guns protect you. They defend our country against immigrant, strangers are the virus They will kill you. We and God will protect you. Trust us. Stay away. . . people are dangerous government will protect you trust us or else . . . my grandma said to me—this virus is dangerous only for foreigners do not worry stay away stay at home be responsible everything is up to you “We lack everything: masks, glasses, helmets, disinfectants”
1
“resources are shrinking at an alarming speed” (TVN24, 2020). uncertainty and fear old story in a new setting another scene show how neoliberalism leads us to extinction
II
Dear Coronavirus I write to you with hope You can teach us a lot to not eat animals and how we are connected how important is to have good public healthcare how cruel are temporary contracts how many activities our pointless we do not travel so much we do not go shopping so often we can joy simple things like being together and being alive but no no no no no nothing changes just intensification of necrophilics neoliberalisation (Gounari, 2014, 2016; Mendoza, 2015) social Darwinism disdain for the weakness junk contracts—junk works—junks workers just—all time all well know anti-public pedagogy (Giroux, 2011; Morris, 2012) junk-peoples
III
Few days ago, I read “Letter from your Future” by Italian novelist. She lives in our future—in the world that is probably one month ahead of us.
So she sends us the message. This voice of her—the voice from the City of Plaque, from the Future—has been following me since then.
“As we watch you from here, from your future, we know that many of you, as you were told to lock yourselves up into your homes, quoted Orwell, some even Hobbes. But soon you’ll be too busy for that” (Melandri, 2020) My friend calls me every day today more people die today more people are sick I do not feel well My friend calls me every day day by day it is getting worse everybody in my flat feel anxiety how long can it take? it had to explode today more people die today more people are sick “resources are shrinking at an alarming speed” (TVN24, 2020). Your own thoughts can be annoying. Haven’t you noticed this before? Obsessed And I became tired even of my own favorite dark sarcasm.
“You’ll find dozens of social networking groups with tutorials
on how to spend your free time in fruitful ways.
You will join them all, then ignore them completely
after a few days.”(Melandri, 2020) What matters now?
IV
I know I am lucky I am white, I am man, I am low middle classes academic workers I can work from home and still have my job and my home I am quite young and quite healthy so I should not be worried and it taught me that disease is a social class problems it is political and economic problems “The black week is coming. Even 3 million Poles may lose their jobs” “employees and employees will pay for the crisis (again)”
“Democracy is dead, long live the pandemiocracy” On facebook words flows. . . “We have a coup d’état. under the guise of coronavirus and the worst is powerlessness I sit and cry from anger pain despair our anger Please wake up!”
VI
Back from the kitchen. During the Plaque Quarantine you eat a lot. You watch silly movies. You try to murder Goethe and Wittgenstein. You don’t even look at Finnegan’s Wake (ok, you don’t even know where it is now. And you don’t care). “You’ll pull apocalyptic literature out of your bookshelves, but will soon find you don’t really feel like reading any of it” (Melandri, 2020) I got survey form sociologists—it is a unique situation, tell us how you live – wow! new data new thing to write about it and become famous or just curious how you suffer Of course it is on-line survey just for people who have home computer and internet I am thinking about what I can do now as a critical educator and critical qualitative researcher How can we help coronavirus to change world for a better place and kill neoliberalism for good? Yesterday my anarchist friends made masks for people no one spoke about revolution Now We cannot leave home if we do not have good reasons Read: go to work, go to shop work-consume-die I cannot speak with homeless with alone old people the pedagogy of street is not possible anymore (Lewis, 2012; Szwabowski, 2019)
VII
I have tried to search for some rational scientific explanation the other day. What the hell is happening to the world anyway? Who did this? Why? Anyone? I spent two days at the computer surfing network. Articles, films, diagrams, tables, statements, declarations. Doubts, questions. NOTHING. NOBODY. It is just us.
“You will not sleep well.
You will ask yourselves what is happening to democracy.” (Melandri, 2020) as humanists and social scientists we can cure our social disease perhaps we will beat Coronavirus but social death remain with us unless we beat capitalism and this permanent state of exception (Agamben, 1998) and fascists governments the anti-public pedagogy (Giroux, 2011; Morris, 2012) and the pedagogy of disdain (see. Szkudlarek, 2018). in this shadow of death and pathological neoliberalism social Darwinism fascist (Giroux, 2011, 2018) we have to dream radically normality will not be back it is our new normality we have to find the way to be together to make our dreams publics is it time for the rebirth of public intellectual in old style? or maybe it is time for collective democratic writing to build new world on collective experience and dreams of course with people who have home computers internet and time
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
