Thanks, you can keep it?

By Anja Presnukhina

A significant portion of my politically awakened life was spent in the embrace of the girl government, when everything I had come into politics for at the age of 15 seemed self-evident. Environmental protection mattered, bigotry against minorities wasn't publicly acceptable, and the value of education itself seemed unquestionable. Everyone became green! Blue-green, red-green, zero-waste activists, and girlbosses! We had so much to offer! Almost everything from the large and beautiful, deeply reasoned and decades-marinated pot was ready to be given away. Green theses were plentiful for both coalition partners and opposition representatives. Our entire society enjoyed them, or at least it felt that way. The green transition was here to stay, and that was clear. The world's largest investors have realized that it's easier to at least appear to be trying to curb the climate crisis before it's too late. Decades of work bore fruit; we were part of awakening society to action for the future! However, one thing remained in the shadows. It wriggled and twisted and didn't want to come out until it was absolutely necessary. That thing was human rights. In the euphoria of victory, when we handed over our political power to communication agencies, we forgot that outsourcing thinking may not be sustainable. Unpopular and unpolished minority politics cannot inspire those for whom the concept of being a member of a marginalized group moves somewhere between a president’s Independence day party guest and an Instagram influencer. The significance of the solidarity movement is not easily readable, and decolonization is annoyingly difficult to sell. The zeitgeist has undergone yassification. But this does not mean that fascism cannot be hidden under many layers. When our themes and ways of speaking have come to the forefront of politics, it is also our duty to ensure that our language is not used for purposes that are fundamentally at odds with our values. If everyone is green, then no one is green anymore. Have our goals been achieved, or have we forgotten our goals? Articulating green politics can sometimes feel difficult, but I believe we can do it. We can dream of a better tomorrow outside the realm of reason and regardless of scaremongering. Because change does not happen overnight, we must practice courage at the latest now, because soon it may be too late.