44 pages • 1 hour read
Rebecca SolnitA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The medical definition of amnesia is a total and sudden form of memory loss, whereby patients completely forget their past. Solnit, however, writes about a cultural form of amnesia in which people tend to forget that much of what we take for granted about life today was different in the past. Cultural amnesia, which often results from political apathy (not caring about politics) or being absorbed in one’s individual life, can be dangerous, as it reinforces the illusion that the status quo is fixed, and that ordinary people can do nothing to change it—and facilitates the aims of governments who want to minimize opposition to their policies.
In contrast, remembering that the past was different and that the campaigns of multitudes of people across different generations achieved social change is immensely empowering. It gives activists a sense of perspective and encourages them to keep on campaigning, even when they’re uncertain of the outcome.
Free trade is a staple of unchecked capitalism as it constitutes the trade of resources for money without tariffs and quotas. While free trade typically widens the profit margins of wealthy countries and corporations, local producers in poorer countries often see their incomes and standard of living fall.
By Rebecca Solnit
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Contemporary Books on Social Justice
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Essays & Speeches
View Collection
Globalization
View Collection
Nation & Nationalism
View Collection
Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics
View Collection
Politics & Government
View Collection
Popular Study Guides
View Collection
Power
View Collection
War
View Collection