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AWordinSearchofFlesh:Solidarity
ZygmuntBauman
Theworldinwhichweliveinisnotparticularlyhospitabletosolidarity.Butthisdoes
notmeanthatthespiritofandhungerforsolidaritywillgiveup.
Topractisesolidaritymeanstobaseone’sthinkingandactionsontheprinciple“oneforallandallforone”.Respectingthisprinciple
ofmutualresponsibility(ofthegroupfortheindividual,andtheindividualforthegroup)waslabelledasthestateof
solidarité
bythe
French
Encyclopédie
in1765;anamecoinedfromtheadjective
solidaire
–“mutuallydependent”,“complete”,“whole”;meaning
aqualityderivedinitsturnfromtheword“
solide
”:fromthefeaturesof“solidity”,“completeness”,“massiveness”,and“permanence”
itimplies.
Agroupwithmemberswhodisplaytheattributesofsolidarityismarkedbypermanenceandresistancetothehardshipscausedbythe
widespreadhumanvicesofjealousy,mutualdistrust,suspicion,conflictsofinterestsandrivalry.Theattitudeofsolidaritysuccessfully
preventstheemergenceofoppositionbetweenprivateinterestsandthecommongood.Itissolidaritywhichtransformsaloose
aggregateofindividualsintoacommunity;itsupplementstheirphysicalcoexistencewithamoraloneraisingtherebytheir
interdependencetotherankofacommunityoffateanddestiny...Atleastsuchwerethehopesattachedandpursuedwhensolidarity
startedtobepromoted,cultivatedandgroomedaroundthemiddleofthe18thcentury:intheyearswhichsawthebreakdownofthe
ancienregime;
andthestartoftheeraofmodernnation-state-building.
Explosionofsolidarity
Oneofthefirstinitiativesoftheorganisersof“OccupyWallStreet”wastoinviteLechWałęsa,thelegendaryleaderofthePolish
Solidarność
(SolidarityMovement)toZuccottiParkinManhattansothathecould,inamannerofspeaking,passonthebatoninthe
“powerforthepeople”relayrace.TheoccupiersofWallStreetsawthemselvesasbrethrenofthesocialmovementwhichlabelleditself
Solidarność
andlaterbecameanembodimentofeverythingthatmanagedtounifythePolishpeopleagainstthepoliticalpowerviolating
itsrightsandignoringtheirwill.Inasimilarvein,theWallStreetoccupiersintendedtotranscendclass,ethnic,religious,politicaland
ideologicaldiscords,dividingAmericansandmakingthempreytoegoism,greed,pursuingprivateinterestsandindifferencetothe
resultinghumanmisery,withtheWallStreetbankersembodyingtheseplaguesintheireyes.
Theoccupiersregardedthemselvesasrepresentativesorratherthevanguard
of“ninetyninepercentofAmericans”.Theproponentsoftheoccupationcouldnot
havebeenunawareofthefactthatthe“occupiers”arrivedinZuccottiParkfromquite
divergentnooksandcranniesofanotoriouslyfeudinganddividedsociety;butthey
hopedtheywouldbeabletosuspendtheargumentsandtonedownantagonismfor
aperiodnecessarytopurgethenightmarewhichhauntedalloralmostallAmericans
toanequalextent(justasthedictatorialcommunistregimehauntedthePoles,the
tyrannyofMubarakhauntedtheEgyptiansandtheterrorofQaddafihauntedthe
Libyans).
Theyavoidedengaginginissuesonwhichtheydifferedatallcost–andthey
specificallyavoideddiscussionsontheshapeofAmericaafterthisrichestonepercent
ofAmericans,entrenchedintheWallStreetbanks,wouldnolongerbeallowedtocapture93percentofthenationalwealth.The
“occupiers”boastedtojournalistscrowdingintheparkthattheirmovementwastrulypopular,spontaneousandnotmanipulated
byanyone–asprovenbythelackofleadersaspiringtohijackthemintheiractions.Andtheyreallyhadnoleader–andtheycouldnot.
Foraleaderworthyofthisnameisbydefinitionsomeonewithavisionandaprogramme;andifvisionsandprogrammeswereworked
outinZuccottiPark,issuespreviouslyputasideandcautiouslypassedoverinsilence,glaringandnoteasilyresolvableconflicts
ofinterestsandpreferenceswouldinstantlycometothesurface.Then,thetentcitybuiltintheparkwouldbecomeaghosttown
inaninstant–asithadfrequentlyhappenedbefore,forexampleonKyiv’sIndependenceSquareorCairo’sLiberationSquare.The
severalmillionstrongmovement,whoseaimwastounifytheotherwiseopposedcampsandfactions,andallthereasonsfor
acontinuationofthetemporaryalliance,wouldcease,immediately.
Justasother“movementsoftheindignant”,theoccupationofWallStreetwassotospeakan“explosionsofsolidarity”.Explosions,
asweknow,aresuddenandshocking,butalsoshortlasting.Andsometimesthesemovementswere(andare)“carnivalsofsolidarity”.
AsRussianphilosopherMikhailBakhtintaught,carnivalsarebreaksinthemonotonyofthemundane,bringingamomentaryrelieffrom
theall-powerful,overwhelmingandrevoltingday-to-dayroutine.Theysuspend,declaretheroutinenullandvoidalbeitfortheduration
offestivity.Oncetheenergyisspentandthepoeticexultationsubsides,therevellersreturntotheproseofquotidianity.
Routineneedsperiodiccarnivalsasasafetyvalve–toreleasethepressure;
dangerousemotionsneedtobefromtimetotimedischarged,badblooddrainedoff,
repugnanceandaversiontoroutineunloadedsothatitsdebilitatinganddisablingmight
couldberestored.Inshort,thechancesofsolidarityaredefinedlessbythepassions
andhubbubofthe“carnival”thanbythesilenceofthedispassionateroutine.Doyou
wantsolidarity?Ifso,faceandcometogripswiththeroutineofthemundane;withits
logicoritsinanity,withthepowersofitsdemands,commandsandprohibitions.And
measureyourstrengthagainstthepatternsofdailypursuitsofthosepeoplewho
shapedhistorywhilebeingshapedbyit.
TheoccupationofWall
Streetwasanexample
ofan“explosion
ofsolidarity”.
Onecannotspeakabout
asolidarityoffatewhen
thereisnosolidarity
ofactions.
Devaluation
Toputitmildly,atleastinourpartoftheworld,theday-to-daydrudgeryisinhospitabletosolidarity.Itisthiswaynow,buthasnot
alwaysbeenlikethat.Forwithinthesocietyofbuilders,whichformedontheeveofthemodernera,therewasaveritablefactory
ofsolidarity.Itwasbuiltbythevigouranddensityofhumanbondsandtheobviousnessofhumaninterdependencies.Manyaspects
ofcontemporaryexistencetaughtusalessonaboutthesolidarityofhumanfateandencouragedustocloseranksandmarcharm
inarm:theteemingplatoonsofworkerswithinfactorywalls,uniformityoftheworkingroutineregulatedbytheclockandimposed
bytheproductionline,omnipresenceofintrusivesupervisionandstandardisationofdisciplinarydemands–butalsotheconviction
ofbothsidesoftheclassdivide,thatisthemanagersandthemanaged,thattheirmutualdependencewasinevitableanddidn’tleave
anyroomforevolution,soitwassensibletoworkoutapermanent
moduscovivendi
andself-imposedrestraintwhichthiscompromise
inescapablydemanded.
Thebenefitsofsolidaritywerealsohighlightedbythepracticeofthetradeunions,collectivebargainingandnegotiations,collective
workcontracts,cooperativesofproducers,consumersorlodgers,variouskindsoffraternitiesandmutualaidsocieties.Conducive
tosolidaritywasthelogicofstate-buildingwithintheterritoriallydefinedsovereigntyofnationalauthorities.Andfinallytheslowbutsure
expansionoftheinstitutionsofthewelfarestate(
Sozialstaat,étatprovidence
)demonstratedthecommunalnatureofhuman
coexistence,basedontheidealandexperienceofsolidarity.
Ourprofoundlyindividualised(“latemodern”,asitisnowoftenbutbaselessly
called1)societyofconsumersistheveryoppositeofafactoryofsolidarity,namely
