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Building a "Big Tent".
Extending the metaphor, a (long) thread.
A big tent isn't built through wishy washy positions or through ideological purity.
A big tent needs strong but limber poles/stakes to hold it up. A support structure rooted in solid, well articulated values. 1/
Extending the metaphor, a (long) thread.
A big tent isn't built through wishy washy positions or through ideological purity.
A big tent needs strong but limber poles/stakes to hold it up. A support structure rooted in solid, well articulated values. 1/
Those tent posts need to be strong & deeply planted in the ground. We need to articulate clear values & principles, & stand confidently in them. By definition, these stakes will be rooted with some distance between them, but connected & dependent on each other. 2/
These stakes are required to hold up, support & connect the broad, flexible, (social), weather resistant, fabric that we need to protect and shelter us. Protection & care that is central to our values. 3/
Narrow positions, ideological purity, hostility between different interests that are rooted in common values, but oriented around different tent poles, create an "us vs them" mentality that feeds conservative, authoritarianism. That's an umbrella, not a tent. Not alot of room. 4/
We don't need to compromise on progressive values & principles to build a big tent. In fact we need to ground ourselves in those values & model them. The duty of care, empathy & openness that progressive movements share. 5/
This means that we use what power, & capacity we have, to connect with & find common interest, with those who see the world differently than us. That doesn't mean we tolerate abuse or expect those with less power to placate those with more. That's not care. That's abuse. 6/
But it does mean we avoid hostility, & populist, torqued narratives in our engagements with others. Those feed cognitive & emotional patterns that reinforce conservative authoritarianism.
They don't need our help.
We can take strong, fierce positions without this tack. 7/
They don't need our help.
We can take strong, fierce positions without this tack. 7/
Empathy, requires boundaries. Tents need walls. We need to clearly articulate, & fiercely protect our common values, & our common humanity. Intolerance of intolerance, challenging abuse, speaking truth to power are part of our duty of care. We don't play nice with bullies. 8/
I see some centrists argue that the left needs to moderate positions/tone, to reach them. Typically insisting we water down values & be nice. Though sometimes a valid critique of torqued rhetoric, it's not the right remedy. It can also be tone policing.
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A tent with no firmly planted stakes is just burlap flapping in the wind. It doesn't protect or connect us. We need to set our stakes & make sure they are firmly planted in order to create a space for others that is big enough to welcome many & strong enough to protect them. 10/
The myth of the nice, rational political moderate that wins is a myth. We don't connect with others through rational facts. We don't connect when we don't stand for something, & we perpetuate harm if we prioritize "all sides" over taking a stand. 11/
By the same token, I see some progressives suggest that we need to be more "left" in terms of policy & more populist in tone. In many cases this is communicated in an authoritarian, hostile style with no willingness to listen or understand other voices even within their camp.12/
It's important to differentiate between this behaviour & righteous anger. When our values, our neighbours, our families, our existence is being attacked, we need a fierce response. That's care.
It's not caring to roll over & play dead & it's not caring to foment hostility. 13/
It's not caring to roll over & play dead & it's not caring to foment hostility. 13/
You can't build a tent if your not willing to connect your stake to others. A bunch of tent poles, or stakes, that we refuse to connect to others, are at best umbrellas we're hogging to ourselves. And too often they become weapons used against each other. 14/
I think both of these positions miss the point, play into conservative frames & feed the disciplined & intentional tactics, & narratives of right-wing politics. 15/
To build a progressive big tent movement, we need to ground ourselves in our values, & also model them. We need to set the stakes & also connect & defend them. Clear values, empathy, a duty of care & clear boundaries aren't policies, but they will drive them.16/
A plurality of support, for progressive political movements, requires that we build a tent that is clear about what we stand for, while also being more willing to listen & find common ground. It means caring about others - up close, not just as an intellectual exercise. 17/
This care isn't simple or easy. It means sitting in relationship, it means empathy & disagreement. It means patience & boundaries. It also means fierce challenges of those who would undermine & hurt us.
It's alot easier to argue for a mythical "rational man" &/or saber rattle.18/
It's alot easier to argue for a mythical "rational man" &/or saber rattle.18/
A strong big tent has many stakes that are rooted in the ground. A sturdy but flexible, weather proof fabric that connects & protects. It has walls that set boundaries & that protect what matters. 19/
A similar metaphor can be unpacked about building bridges. We can only do this if we also make sure to have a solid footing... And the span *requires* the right about of tension & flexibility. These spaces whether tents or bridges aren't easy to sit in. But they are impt. 20/fin
