Post-progressive and metaprogressive

In this Facebook Integral Left group discussion Layman Pascal distinguishes the difference between McIntosh’s post-progressive agenda with what LP calls the metaprogresssive agenda. He said:

“Metaprogressives are deepening the critique of modern systems and privileging certain forms of progressivism as the current, emerging cultural platform around which urgent convergence is needed. […] It is strategic, in the short and midterm, to favor the largest, most complex and still-emerging major value system — while also encouraging the longer-range development of more integrative coalitions.”

One way to get practical results is through the legislative process of enacting laws. That is why my blog is focused on politics, public policy and promoting laws that set up the necessary prerequisite conditions for a more lofty integral or metamodern policy. In Hanzi’s terms, the US needs a solid social liberalism 1.0 to set the prerequisite conditions for his social liberalism 2.0. Hence I focus on the current leading edge in such politics, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and its leading lights like Sanders and AOC. I promote those candidates, their issues and the underlying values that shape those issues, as they have the best chance at enaction.

In my political framing I do not mention integral or metamodern theory but rather focus on the progressive issues at hand in their own terms. This is to reach a much wider voting audience, for laws have to be passed and we have to elect people to pass them. For most voters focusing on abstract ideals or models are perceived as the sort of elite social engineering that turns them and their votes off, since their current economic conditions belie the highfalutin promises that have been broken by those engineers. I take my cues for such framing from George Lakoff and Thom Hartmann, both leading lights with large audiences and voter influence.

As noted above, this approach doesn’t preclude integral, metamodern or postmetaphysical ideas and practices. I’ve written plenty on that too. But that’s for a different audience. For practical purposes, my blog is for a much wider audience who need to be persuaded via effecting framing to vote for the sort of representatives that will enact the sort of policies to set up the conditions for the lofty goals down the road. And to incite them to support those issues and get active in the political process. Thom’s famous sign-off line goes something like this: Democracy requires we the people to get involved. Tag, you’re it.