Lonely is an election issue
Una D'Arcy
| Compliance and Development | Rural and Community Engagement | Communications and Journalism |
Have you heard the notion that's knocking about that Trump supporters might be lonely? No - it's just as legitimate an explanation as Russian misinformation campaigns, racism, inequality and a rage against the posh and privileged of the world.
Even before COVID-19 asked us to distance ourselves, literally from friends and family, the evidence was stacking that loneliness and social isolation harrowed our health, a But its more than health - it's consuming community and spitting back out the bones of selfish look out for number 1.
For me, loneliness is a type of poverty, that strips away our trust in why community matters and as importantly our responsibility to provide for our community.
Loneliness is far more complex than our elderly neighbour on their own for Christmas or a feeling of not fitting in.
It's the decline of connection, the fraying of shared values, the alienation from place brought about by thousands of hours sitting in cars, the loss of identity, the loss of role, the widespread decline in respect for how governments work or teachers, or bus drivers, or policemen. Its order hurtling towards an ugly chaos.
Why does lonely matter to an election candidate?
Lonely doesn't mean sad - it can mean angry! It also doesn't mean alone - or one person -the nature of cyberspace is creating easy to customise narratives so those that feel - left behind, -forgotten, - excluded can become a collective social tribe with political mass.
It's nearly one year since Dublin's evening rush hour was plunged into destruction and chaos. The media chalked it up to a powerful far right anti immigrant sentiment -
More than a dozen shops were damaged or looted, while 11 police vehicles, three buses and a tram were destroyed - that's anger at the government and anger at society - when you are burning things that are there to make you feel safe, that are there to make sure that you can travel to work and home again, that connects you to your community - that anger is complex and needs to be thoroughly understood.
My friend who was there described the scene of men pouring through every street from every direction to join the violence - they knew they were joining not a peaceful one but one where the fullness of their fedupness could be articulated in the most destructive terms.
Lonliness destabilises democratic systems - its not just my opinion. It steals away vitality from our young people, it steals away quality of life for our older people - and most importantly it prevents us from collective action which builds better societies and shares ambitions for doing better - for everyone rather than focusing on what the individual feels they do and do not have.
So ask when you are canvassed - what are their plans to address loneliness?
Anomie
Civic Loneliness
Loneliness and Totalitarinism
The need for chaos Voter