Bauman Zygmunt - State of crisis

Carlo BordoniCrisis. From the Greek word , judgement, result of a trial, turning point, selection, decision (according to Thucydides), but also contention or quarrel (according to Plato), a standard, from which to derive criterion, means for judging, but also ability to discern, and critical, suitable to judge, crucial, decisive as well as pertaining to the art of judgement.

A word that occurs frequently in newspapers, on television, in everyday conversation, which is used to justify, from time to time, financial difficulties, increases in prices, a decrease in demand, a lack of liquidity, the imposition of new taxes or all these things taken together.

Economic crisis is according to dictionaries a phase of recession characterized by a lack of investments, a decrease in production, an increase in unemployment, a term that has the general meaning of unfavourable circumstances, often linked to the economy.

Any adverse event, especially concerning the economic sector, is blamed on the crisis. It is an attribution of responsibility absolutely depersonalized, which frees individuals from any involvement and refers to an abstract entity sounding vaguely sinister. This is because, some time ago, the word crisis lost its original meaning and has since taken on a purely economic connotation. It has replaced other words that have been abused historically, such as conjuncture, which was often used in the 1960s and 1970s, when the general economic situation was more optimistic, and gave way to seasons in which mass consumerism reigned undisturbed.

Experiencing a period of conjuncture was considered to be a painful but necessary transition in order to reach a new phase of prosperity. It was a time of adjustment in which to prepare the ground, refine strategies and recharge in order to regain strength and security and negotiate bargain deals as soon as things stabilized.

Conjuncture was a short period compared to all the rest. The term already implied a positive attitude that was confident about the immediate future, in contrast to other terms commonly used to indicate the economic difficulties in the past. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Great Depression set in. Still today, this term, in comparison with conjuncture, evokes doomsday scenarios, and suggests a severe, long-term recession, combined with deep existential distress something from which it is extremely difficult to recover, marked by the inevitable psychological implications.

The most serious crisis of modernity, that of 1929, which caused the stock-exchange collapse and gave rise to a chain of suicides, was skilfully resolved by applying the theories of Keynes: despite the deficit, the state invested in public works, employing labour at a time when there was no work to be found and companies were having to let people go; orders were stimulated and breathing space was given to industry, thus restarting the flywheel of the economy. However, the current crisis is different. The countries affected by the crisis are too far indebted and do not have the strength, perhaps not even the instruments, to invest. All they can do is make random cuts, which have the effect of exacerbating the recession rather than mitigating its impact on citizens.

Today we prefer to speak of crisis rather than conjuncture or depression. It is certainly a more neutral term that has been used in many other contexts, apart from an economic one, and is therefore rather familiar. From matrimonial crises that upset the life of a married couple, to adolescent crises that mark the transition from puberty to adulthood, crisis conveys the image of a moment of transition from a previous condition to a new one a transition which is necessary to growth, as a prelude to an improvement in a different status, a decisive step forward. For this reason it strikes less fear.

As can be seen, crisis, in its proper sense, expresses something positive, creative and optimistic, because it involves a change, and may be a rebirth after a break-up. It indicates separation, certainly, but also choice, decisions and therefore the opportunity to express an opinion. In a broader context, it takes on the meaning of the maturation of a new experience, which leads to a turning point (on a personal level as much as on a historicalsocial level). In short, it is the predisposing factor to change that prepares for future adjustments on a new basis, which is by no means depressing, as the current economic impasse shows us.