Employing the concepts of Peace, Love and Positivity to Fight Oppression
The concept of utilizing the ethics of love as a way to unite against systems of domination
Peace, Love and Positivity or also known as PLP has become a message engrained in the music of the rising artist, Logic. With a recent spot at #1 on the Billboard charts, his music is gaining fame as well as his concept of love and peace for all, regardless of race, sexuality, religion and so on. So what exactly is “love” and how can it be used within politics and everyday life to respond against forms of oppression?
“The Five Ways We Define Love” article explains different notions of love that most people perceive to be true, like “love means never having to say you’re sorry.” It dissects the cliche forms of love that society and social media present the people with and explains why they’re all incorrect. Ultimately, “love is cleaning shit” becomes the final definition. Basically, love is messy and imperfect and the only way to truly love someone is to be able to clean their shit- or help them with their problems and be willing to understand that they have unique opinions, values and ideas. In order for love to occur, there must be a sense of common ground in which one accepts the other regardless of each aspect of the person that makes him/her diverse.
Bell Hooks in “Love as the Practice of Freedom” argues that an ethic of love should be incorporated within politics in order to dismantle systems of power that fuel injustice. She says, “ we desperately need an ethic of love to intervene in our self-centered longing for change.” Her argument centers on the concept of individuals being against forms of oppression when they are affected, but not so much when they are not. She then points out that by employing love in politics, people can learn to understand various forms of oppression and realize it all connects. Basically, everyone is oppressed or hurt in one way, so by learning to understand contrasting perspectives and work with them, the systems that create division and domination will no longer be effective.
This idea of love as a form of unity among systems of oppression is a prominent component in Logic’s recent album Everybody. This album calls attention to issues regarding race, religion, sexuality and more while telling his own story of being biracial. As mentioned previously, his main message has always been “peace love and positivity” which is most evident with his recent album release of Everybody, given such a title to bring together those of different backgrounds and perspectives in order to unify them in a fight for justice and equality.
Logic’s #1 spot on the charts is an example of Bell Hook’s argument for a love ethic in action. It pushes for unity and love for one another regardless of differences as well as helping others to “clean up their shit.” Logic is the child of a white mother and black father, facing racism on both sides of the family. His issue is one that many face all around the world, yet while he tells his own story he does not focus solely on his own experience. Instead, he chooses to tell stories of oppression, hate, inferiority and inequality from the perspective of all. Bell Hooks argued that most people only care to act against domination when they are the ones being hurt, which is a notion that Logic stands against as he attempts to bring light to struggles that he may not face himself, but that are still important to consider in the fight for equality. His album pushes the love ethic that Hooks argued heavily upon, making it clear that applying the concept of love rather than hate within political action can be effective, as he showed by reaching the top spot on the music charts with his debut.
Black Spiderman, the video above, is a celebration of differences among humanity that pushes the ethic of love. Logic tells his story of struggling to find himself within a biracial identity, while telling the story of others struggling with sexuality, race and class. The video incorporates those of various backgrounds in order to push a notion that a love for all regardless of differences is the first step in the struggle for equality. In order to dismantle systems of power, a sense of understanding and acceptance of all must be present. If the ethic of love is prominent in all forms of political discourse, the systems that dominate the oppressed will no longer have overpowering control.
