Revolutionary Optimism (w/Vijay Prashad)

Profound change can't happen without it.

In this conversation, Vijay Prashad (Tricontinental Institute for Social Research) and I explored the topic of optimism from a leftist perspective. I enjoyed and appreciated the exchange very much—especially since I find it odd that the subject of optimism doesn’t come up more often on the left.

A movement which seeks profound transformation can’t succeed unless its participants believe that success is possible. That seems obvious enough. And yet, optimism is often derided among leftists as naive or unfounded. That’s why I think the topic is so important.

Our conversation begins with a brief digression about kung fu, boxing, and a classic soul record. I think you’ll appreciate the whole exchange. At least, I’m optimistic that you will.

Here’s a preview:

Vijay: “Something is going to happen of a great transformative character. I can't predict what it will look like. It might be ugly. It also might be beautiful. That's where we come in. We have to participate in trying to make it beautiful and stop it from being ugly … That's part of utopia. Utopia is the end, but it's also the process.”

Richard: “And if it turns out to be ugly, we'll make it beautiful.”

If you just want to hear about martial arts and classic soul, this is the excerpt for you: