This past weekend at Left Forum 2011 was nothing short of a whirlwind tour through the inner workings of the political left. As someone who would consider themselves on the left side of the political spectrum, but has never spent time in this sort of forum, it was educational to say the least. I was intrigued, inspired, overwhelmed, frustrated, disappointed, excited and impressed all at the same time. Let's just say by Sunday I was rather exhausted!
After taking a few days to stew over all that happened, I have decided the best recap of the weekend would be to share the two overarching questions I came away with. As I went from panel to panel, I kept sensing these underlying tensions among the discussions that never quite bubbled to the surface, but were ever-present.
First and foremost is the question related to this notion of solidarity. I began to wonder whether solidarity and unity are one in the same. Must we always agree with each other to be in solidarity with each other? This particular question plagued me throughout the weekend, especially as discussions emerged surrounding recent actions in Libya. There seems to be a need to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be in solidarity, without falling into the false assumption that we will always be in agreement with each other.
Secondly, as I began to get frustrated with what I felt were outdated debates that continually found their way into panel discussions, I took the opportunity to look around at who was participating in these debates. Blatantly missing? My age group. This is not to say there is no validity in the older debates, but that we make progress when we bridge the gap between old and new, experienced and fresh eyes. Where are those in their late 20's to mid 30's in the Left? Why are they not participating in larger numbers in a forum such as this one?
These are just a few of the questions I came away with, but two that I believe deserve further discussion. My ultimate take away from this weekend was this:
Solidarity is complicated. It’s messy, difficult to define, and even harder to achieve. With that said, it remains an admirable goal towards which we ought to continue to aspire. As The Nation's John Nichols reminded us at the closing plenary, it's simple, “the end game is solidarity.” Solidarity is not the easy, in the moment solution. It is the ultimate goal which will require a life of pursuit.
