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THE FIVE FINGERS OF SOCIAL DESIRE
determination. Instead of merely striving to accumulate capital or power,
developmental desire represents the desire to develop qualitatively, to lead
richer, more meaningful lives. Within a free . society, developmental desire
represents the motivation that propels individuals and society toward an open
horizon of unending development.
However, within the context of liberal capitalism, the full range of
cooperative and creative potentiality lies largely undeveloped while a narrow
spectrum of competitive and instrumental abilities are nurtured to extremes.
Even within this narrow range of ‘acceptable potentialities’, it is mainly the
most privileged who gain access to the material means by which to develop
their abilities,
be
they intellectual,
athletic,
artistic,
or even
the more
instrumental abilities such as state politics or business. Hence, we might ask
ourselves: what happens to developmental desire in a world which eclipses its
utopian potential?
OpposiTioml DEsiRE: TIhe DesIre To Fiqkr Injustice
To explore the fate of developmental desire within the context of social
hierarchy, we must uncover within the socio-erotic an oppositional dimension
that may potentially emerge as we confront obstacles that impede our full
individual and social development. Oppositional desire, the fifth finger of social
desire, represents the rational inclination to oppose all individuals, institutions,
and ideologies hat obstruct the full expression of all forms of social desire, be
they sensual, associative, differentiative, or developmental. Oppositional desire
may be symbolized by the open palm. This first moment of opposition, the
moment of critique, represents .the act of rationally reflecting upon that which
obstructs our expression of other forms of social desire, analyzing the history of
oppression, and reasoning out coherent plans for future resistance. When we
(metaphorically) cread’ the receptive and integrative palm, we know when to
oppose even the desire for opposition, recognizing the appropriate time to
wait, listen, and be critical, holding the serious and specific weight of the world
in our open hand.
However, opposition cannot be waged by contemplative critique alone.
When he five fingers of desire come together, they also form a fist of collective
or individual defiance. This second moment of opposition, then, the moment
of resistance,
represents
taking passionate and rational action to
defy
institutions that impede the creation of a just new world. Such acts may be
covert or overt, or they may assume the form of armed insunection or active
non-violence. Throughout history, wherever there is a story of oppression,
there is a hidden and unspoken story of resistance. The oppositional desire of
the fist held high symbolizes the unity and strength of social and political
contestation.