Escaping the Trap of ‘Realism’ and ‘Utopianism

### In the text, Escaping the Trap of ‘Realism’ and ‘Utopianism’ , Yavor Tarinski tells us how to go about challenging the status quo and building a democratic and ecological Society…

There is one thing that the status quo manages to do well – to convince us that achieving radical social change is an unreachable utopia. It presents itself as pragmatic and realistic, as a pillar of stability. Furthermore, it also claims a hegemony on the social imaginary level, as the only imaginable system.
[T]he strongest and most efficient of megamachines can be overthrown[…] The collapse of the Pyramid Age proved that the megamachine exists on a basis of human beliefs, which may crumble, of human decisions, which may prove fallible, and human consent, which, when the magic becomes discredited, may be withheld. The human parts that composed the megamachine were by nature mechanically imperfect: never wholly reliable.[1]~Lewis Mumford
Some of the questions we'll discuss:

#### 1. What is meant by "Capitalist Realism," and why is it a barrier to social change?

#### 2. What are "Stalinist Realism" and "Escapist Utopianism," and how do they hinder revolutionary projects?

#### 3. How does the dominant ideology maintain its power, even when faced with resistance or alternatives?

4. What does it mean to adopt a "programmatic synthesis" for social change?

#### 5. Why is local context and grassroots participation crucial for implementing a programmatic approach?

#### 6. How should we understand the role of time and organization in achieving social change?

#### 7. How can social movements effectively intervene in the public sphere and promote direct democracy?