This Operating System has a Virus
The left vs right political paradigm is broken, an illusion of democracy, where whoever you vote for the system always wins — Gen Z Rising
The Labour Party as a party of change is finished and the Conservative Party is pathologically corrupt.
Welcome to the world of British politics.
This could be any number of countries however, while the world, as we know it, implodes. My American friends could exchange Labour for Democrat, Conservative for Republican and the sentence might be the same. Perhaps the left vs right political paradigm is broken, an illusion of democracy, where whoever you vote for the system always wins.
Politics, like the other structures of our society— whether education or religion, media or the judiciary — is like a supporting algorithm of the same, metaphorical, Operating System. An Operating System designed to keep running an economic machine that is structurally violent to people and planet. These are the structures we mean when pointing to structural racism, sexism or reform. Modding a structure isn’t enough to change this Operating System or the machine it serves. If we want lasting change we’ll need to redesign it all.
This is called a transformative revolution.
No one is born a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a Republican, a Democrat, or a misogynist. We’re a product of the Matrix we’ve been inserted into. We’re the unwitting sub-routines of this Operating System in service of whom, we don’t know.
This Operating System is our collective consciousness programmed to conform to a set of values and ways of being that, to paraphrase Ivan Illich, makes you believe you need society as it is. Stay silent, do as you’re told; this is your normal, your status quo.
This Operating System isn’t user friendly, it excludes and pollutes.
This Operating System has a virus.
Much has been said about a new normal emerging from the crisis of pandemic. Yet so often those invited to create this new normal are the same people who broke the last one. As beneficiaries of the status quo these people are its gatekeepers because that’s how societies work and why they’re resistant to change.
I’ve written elsewhere that it’s no coincidence the Black Lives Matter, environmental, #MeToo, women’s rights, LBGTQ+ and many other movements, including the far right, have reached a zenith at this same point in history.
It’s a consequence of waking up.
This turbulent breakdown of the current OS will become history. If we want positive change, now is the time to join the dots between these global movements so we can reimagine, redesign and replace this broken Operating System. A patch or a reboot isn’t enough.
The coming of age of Generation Z will, I believe, be the catalyst for change. Politically active and environmentally conscious, this is the largest generation in human history. 2.5 billion connected 9–24 year olds who will make voting and consumption decisions that will reshape the world.
We may have to play the system to break the system. So here’s a sketch of an idea for a peaceful revolution.
Generation Z form a movement with a crowdsourced manifesto for a people and planet recovery. They successfully run for office in all democratic countries taking control of the political structure. In a global co-operative alliance they redesign and change the Operating System. Then the machine itself. Vive la révolution.
If you have a better idea please add it to the comments below and let’s start this conversation.
This Operating System has a virus and if we don’t create a new one it will kill every last one of us.
