Spotlight - 01.2020

Fotos: XXX

16 Spotlight 1/2020 SOCIETY

concerns or experiences reflected in polit-

ical debate, and that is creating deep dis-

satisfaction with the prevailing political

order. In his view, it is this frustration that

has led to developments such as Brexit,

the election of Donald Trump and the rise

of the far right. What is the unifying char-

acteristic of this distrust and discontent

around the world? Powerlessness.

“People increasingly feel like things are

getting harder for them and those they

care about, and they can’t think of a way

to change that,” Stears says. “They feel a

sense of frustration that, despite all their

personal effort, they can’t make it better.

I think that’s causing a lot of the rage. It

is a global phenomenon of people saying

that politics are not ... responding to our

needs. We need to try something else.”

In western Sydney, ethnically diverse

and lower socio-economic sections of the

population are feeling that discontent.

Thuy Nguyen of the Sydney Alliance, a

coalition of diverse communities, says

that individuals in the region have no

faith in politicians and are of the opinion

that their concerns are neither heard nor

understood.

“Western Sydney feels like the periph-

ery,” she says. “It feels like we are on the

margins of the centre, where people actu-

ally have the power and agency to change

their lot in life. I think there is some anger.

When you feel that anger, and you feel

alone, that’s when you look to someone

on TV, the strongman, to solve your prob-

lem. But if you are able in public to tell the

stories of your private pain, and someone

next to you says: ‘I’ve experienced the

same thing’ — and to do that across di-

verse groups — it’s a recognition that all

of us are experiencing the same injustices,

and we can’t blame each other. That’s the

antidote to the rage.”

To fight powerlessness, find power

Nguyen, like many others who were at-

tending the meeting of the Sydney Policy

Lab, is helping to encourage community

resistance and activism to very difficult

problems, such as a lack of affordable

housing, energy and a labour market in

which, for many people, work is becoming

increasingly insecure and low-paid.

“People have woken up to the fact that

the solution to powerlessness is to find

agency [(eIdZEnsi]

, hier: Handlungs­

fähigkeit

antidote [(ÄntidEUt]

, Gegengift, Gegenmittel

diverse [daI(v§:s]

, unterschiedlich,

verschiedenartig

injustice [In(dZVstIs]

, Ungerechtigkeit

lot [lQt]

, Schicksal

margin [(mA:dZIn]

, Randbereich

prevail [pri(veI&l]

, vorherrschen

rage [reIdZ]

, Wu t

Climate change

protests in Sydney,

Australia