Social problems as framework: between the naive do-goodism and the factual realism of declarations and international forums

Abstract

With the slogan “Time for action”, the agreement on the Climate Change Summit COP25 recently held in Madrid has concluded leaving a general feeling of scepticism and disappointment, but also with a growing perception that the discourse based on social criticism and position-taking towards challenges and threats facing mankind must trascend the great declarations of international political dialogues, the pages of essays and university walls, traditional stronghold of intellectuals and thinkers, to be placed down the streets, on the media, among citizens and new social movements. Both the intellectual critical analysis and social activism are only some of the expressions of a disenchanted society, disappointed with the political inaction that faces economic interests of global powers. There is plenty of evidence of a range of social initiatives which show an increasingly active society organised around groups and associations often involving intellectuals, writers, social activists and citizens in general. The British documentary entitled “The shock doctrine: The rise of disaster capitalism”, based on the book of Naomi Klein, known for her criticism of neoliberal capitalism, globalization and militarism, is an example of the so-called theory of “shock doctrine”, which represents an apocalyptic and dystopian overview showing natural disasters, the horrors of wars and, in essence, the consequences of the excesses of capitalism. Another example could be publications such as Truthout in United States which engage in a reflexive and demanding journalism, a form of popular journalism which promotes social criticism and is considered as an alternative to official media. Several of the articles published are signed by prestigious intellectuals as Henry Giroux or Peter McLaren. Moreover, there are many examples which we might sum up as alter-activism1. Yet, regardless of the role of new social movements, the truth is that most of the political and ideological clout affecting the change and/or search for social problems still remains in the guidelines marked by international forums and meetings.