Coda

Political engagement is too often ‘socially’ expressed though online sharing, trolling, hating in virtual ‘public spaces’ become theaters of caustic and violent outburst, narrowing what ought to be multisided political debate to ceaseless tension between tribes that are civically disconnected and imagine themselves in a state of war against their opponents. The hope, the point of the set of reflections is to stimulate dialogue, debate, and conversation—ideally, of the kinds that spark small fires of intersubjective community imagination with wildfire potential. All are objects of imaginative play—but also of conscious rhetorical construction, and of intentional discursive deployment. In order for visions of a better future to gain traction, however, individual consciousness en masse has to be propelled beyond styles of being political in which affect remains isolated, solitary, reactive, and projective.