Idealism is Not a Dirty Word

I was having a discussion with my friends the other day about the mechanics of socialism, and they were of the opinion that while it's fantastic in theory - the truth is a market economy is a far more realistic option, as it 'works', unlike socialism which has failed.

I have discussed the hollow illusion of capitalism 'working' previously so shall not delve into that, nor the semantics and application of 'socialism' in modern political history. Instead I shall be focusing on the idea that leaning towards a political theory of idealism is in some way a bad thing; a faint brush of good intention but ultimately futile and not showing a real understanding of how the world works. I will be focusing on this because this was the overarching sentiment behind the discussion I had, and indeed the same sentiment that comes up every time I discuss radical left ideals in a modern society.

Idealism is not, and should not, be a dirty word. Martin Luther King said he had a 'dream' for a reason; he was envisioning something which was not within the scope of the reality of things, but was a progressive lurch forward towards a better world. If you do not dream then you have nothing to reach for and nothing to achieve but the preservation of the current state of affairs and until we reach a perfect world then idealism will continue to be the engine for progression.

I often feel quite angry to be tarnished as an idealist as if it's some sort of negative characteristic, or as if I'm still a child because of it. 'When I grow up and start to pay taxes I'll understand these things a bit better'. If that's what growing up is then send me off with Peter Pan and let me fight Captain Hook CEO for eternity. I once had a discussion with someone about the legalisation of gay marriage in Australia, and how they thought it probably wouldn't happen because they're a realist and in their opinion it just wouldn't make political sense. Sure it should happen, but what's right and wrong plays little factor in the true mechanics of society.

Maybe that holds some truth, but the reason that this line of thinking holds any substance is because the spread of the attitude itself stops us from aiming for any sort of achievement to begin with. There is a cancerous spread of realists in the world and they are holding the world back from thinking it's actually worth aspiring towards anything at all; as if bending over to receive the rigid dick of party politics is acceptable because our arsehole is so loose after years of traditionalist buggery that, actually, it feels quite enjoyable now. The old public school boy way of thinking holds true because those public school boys have grown up and are now donning their old headmasters' caps in Westminster.

No. We need to get off all fours and pretending we're still living in an animal kingdom state of affairs and accept that dreaming of not getting fucked is a good thing. The best of things. Politics is a system of constant progression but realism drags it back, and the reason that realism is so rife in society - or has any existence at all - is because people think it's an acceptable line of thinking to be resigned to the negative consequences of the political game, or that the few failed attempts at creating a stable system based on equality means we should stop trying. This, of course, links back to my previous discussions on the hollow sense of capitalism 'working' and this is because capitalism is the holy grail for the prematurely middle-aged realist. The holy grail, fittingly, has holes in and is made of wood but - hey, at least we've got a grail so let's not go out and look for a better one. Capitalism has the necessity of a distinct underclass to keep it running yet somehow it's been drummed into us that this is reconcilable with a system of politics that 'works'.

Idealism, whilst unstable and uncertain, is what has lifted man off of all fours and led him through the animal kingdom to a society where universal suffrage has started and slavery has declined. 'Radical' thinking has led us each step of the way because it's 'radical' to take a step from the trodden path and try a better one. The reason that women and black men are even allowed into Westminster is because people dared to have an ideal different from their present state of affairs, and the mechanics that drove it. Idealism has kept mankind moving forward for centuries and should apply just as much to politics as it does to science. You don't find any medical scientists saying 'well, I think that's enough diseases cured for now', and even though, after years of research and masses of funding we have no cure for cancer the response is to try even harder, not give up. For some reason people can't reconcile this way of thinking with politics, but they should.

Our society is flooded with various cancers: the middle class white man still rules, women are paid less, minorities are still racially abused at football matches and some people grow up poor with the odds firmly against them doing anything else other than dying poor as well. The irony behind my thinking is, of course, that some might say I'm not applying the same aspirational attitude for the working class as I do for myself, but I am merely saying that it requires aspiration on both sides - something the Conservatives in particular miss entirely. Yes, people growing up in poor families can, do, and should aspire to lift themselves out of poverty but the truth of the matter is that they're far less likely to achieve the same things someone growing up in a richer family is, and if we're going to ask them to aspire then we have to aspire too and change the framework of society into something that isn't so intrinsically unequal. Otherwise we're continuing to live in a society of invisible slavery; driven by cause and effect rather than the whip and chain.

Everyone should aspire. The cancers in our society will never be solved with a realist attitude, and if you're a realist then you're encouraging people around you to be a realist too - as if it's some legitimate way of thinking. It's not; it's backwards and in every sense it's anti-political philosophy. Political philosophies have ideals behind them for a reason, and harbouring those ideals at heart always is not a bad thing, even in the light of roadblocks. Politics is a world of ladders that various minorities are still climbing but the greater climb towards an overall better society requires reaching from all sides; something realists will never do. Realism is standing on the same step of the ladder where idealists forever aim upwards. Sure, you might miss the next step and sometimes you might fall entirely, but that's an awful lot better than staying where you are and enjoying the bittersweet view of a cancered, imperfect society and treating it as a utopia rather than the incomplete construction site it is. Keep climbing, keep building and never sway from the fact that this needs to be done. Hold it to heart and don't let it flutter away.

By Harvey Slade