Why we need solidarity, not individualism
We tend to dehumanize the people who we work with or consume from. We often forget our own positional power and privilege in a capitalist system. We think that being “socially conscious” absolves us of our responsibilities to the functioning of society, or worse, we see people who give to others freely as those who are virtue signaling. We forget how we may exploit people in our pursuit of profit or the way we hoard money contributes to the destruction of our own society. But, we do exploit. We all do.
Research shows that escaping poverty requires almost 20 years of nothing going wrong. Peter Temin, an economist from MIT, argues that America is now left with a two-class system: one small, predominantly white upper class that wields a disproportionate share of money, power, and political influence, and a larger minority-heavy lower class that is subject to the first group’s whims.
I have lived life as the second. It is why I fight for an economy of solidarity. I was born in India and came to the United States when I was six. My father worked as a cashier at a gas station while having an accounting degree and law degree from India. He was eventually joined by my mother so that we could support our family. We grew up in a home where my brother had a disease where his muscles slowly died until the disease reached his heart and lungs. Then he passed away.
I wanted to be a doctor or genetic researcher while I was growing up, hopeful that I would somehow cure my brother’s disease. I had so much guilt over being the healthy sibling. Why couldn’t I have been the one to suffer – why my elder brother. I was in so many hospitals with so many doctors growing up – they were wonderful – but if I never saw another doctor again, I would have been so grateful.
I tried so hard to achieve, feeling the only way I could prove myself and be worthy of my health and my family’s love would be to achieve. I suffered from a deep sense of inadequacy for a good while of my life – feeling that I needed to prove that I was meant to be in the richest country in the world – that I deserved to be here. It was only when I attended my first Development Studies class at the University of California, Berkeley – how universal my struggles in this capitalist system were.
The class, my professors, and I collectively grappled with the history of political and economic exploitation that has created our world. I clearly remember my first assignment, which has completely changed the trajectory of my life. It was to write an essay researching how an Apple iPhone is produced from origin to completion, from idea formation, raw materials, manufacturing, assembly, and finally sale with an eye towards the social and political climate and disparities in power. I realized how much exploitation we normalize as a society – how little we care about the people who produce the things we use.
The class opened up my eyes to how my struggle for self-acceptance and a more inclusive world was universal. There were many people who came before me and there are many people who will come after me to fight for this world. But, as much as I am a fighter – I still live and exist in a system that serves to exploit. And I also benefit from the exploitation of others.
My team at the USC Equity Research Center (ERI) and the Institute for Social Transformation at UC Santa Cruz have created a joint project called Solidarity-at-Scale. This project draws on researchers, organizers, stakeholders, and policymakers to provide a vision for our economy; to identify opportunities, eliminate barriers, and promote new narratives to build a more inclusive economy.
As economic instability, income inequality, and political polarization have escalated in the US and and globally, many have been looking for new economic theory. People seek a framework that can explain what has gone so wrong, move civic actors to build a more inclusive economy in California, and motivate the creation of new institutions that could steer us on a better course. Our project will develop and disseminate a “solidarity economics” approach to address widening income inequality, rising economic insecurities, and growing social and racial fragmentation while also promoting innovation and economic growth.
To learn more about our work, check out the amazing articles, videos, and books my team has been producing. Maybe they will help you see the world a little differently.
