Abstract
These are two autoethnographic voices. We speak in a strange time: democracy dies, social justice dies. A lot of people have died of the virus, many die of fear. We write to protest against new neoliberal and neoconservative “shock doctrine.” We write together to protest against destructive self-absorption, isolation, and fear. It is protest-text. But we are not sure what we can do now.
Keywords: shock doctrine, neoliberalism, autoethnography, ethnographies, methodologies, coronavirus
Intro
It is a strange time. I do not know what will be tomorrow. I have to stay at home. I do not know how much I will earn and what is happening around. I feel that there is the opportunity to change our social reality for a better place. But it can be changed also to the rebirth of the neoliberalism regime—make it crueler.
What we can do? How we can survive?
I try to speak. I have a lot of time, but it is not a good time for research. For thinking also. So I write such not a scientific paper. It is a note from epidemics. I write because I feel alone. I feel helpless. I feel like a felt before. And I write for the same reasons. As Ronald J. Pelias wrote—to be here, still, to be part of conversation (Pelias, 2017). And because “I write so the darkness cannot win” (Poulos, 2017, p. 38).
So I am writing to be alive—somehow—and try to make a difference.
In my country, now the situation is not so bad. We are still waiting. But the virus of neoliberalism spreads faster and intensely. It can bring more damage to our society than Coronavirus. How we can react to that when we have to stay at home? How we can protect and promote social justice and the poor? Could we use this Coronavirus as a partner in making the world a better place?” What are we taught now?
And how can we win with isolation . . . with our dark lonely thoughts.
To struggle with our destructive self-absorption, fear, and isolation, what makes us vulnerable? We are immersed in our own sad self. We are overcome by discouragement. We don’t have the strength to protest. For what if the world will end soon.
The doctrine of shock works (Klein, 2008).
I send this text to my friend. He joins me.
Marek:
Writing in Time of Plaque?
What a concept.
Oskar:
Not sure what we can do more.
Marek:
How can I think to have Anything Original to tell you in time-like-this?
And why do I need to be original anyway?
Oskar:
We do not have to be original. I know that being original is of some value for “normal science”. But now “world is out of joint”. We write to protest. Not to be original. Not to be a super academic researcher. I think this time is the end for humanities and social science.
I
Stay, stay away . . .
borders are closed
troops with guns protect you.
They defend our country against immigrant, strangers are the virus
They will kill you. We and God will protect you.
Trust us.
Stay away. . .
people are dangerous
government will protect you
trust us
or else . . .
my grandma said to me—this virus is dangerous only for foreigners
do not worry
stay away
stay at home
be responsible
everything is up to you
“We lack everything:
masks,
glasses,
helmets,
disinfectants”1
“resources are shrinking at an alarming speed”
(TVN24, 2020).
uncertainty and fear
old story in a new setting
another scene
show how
neoliberalism leads us
to extinction
II
Dear Coronavirus
I write to you with hope
You can teach us a lot
to not eat animals
and
how we are connected
how important is to have good public healthcare
how cruel are temporary contracts
how many activities our pointless
we do not travel so much
we do not go shopping so often
we can joy simple things like being together
and being alive
but
no
no no no no
nothing changes
just
intensification of necrophilics neoliberalisation (Gounari, 2014, 2016; Mendoza, 2015)
social Darwinism
disdain for the weakness
junk contracts—junk works—junks workers
just—all time
all well know anti-public pedagogy (Giroux, 2011; Morris, 2012)
junk-peoples
III
Few days ago, I read “Letter from your Future” by Italian novelist. She lives in our future—in the world that is probably one month ahead of us.
So she sends us the message. This voice of her—the voice from the City of Plaque, from the Future—has been following me since then.
“As we watch you from here, from your future, we know that many of you,
as you were told to lock yourselves up into your homes,
quoted Orwell, some even Hobbes.
But soon you’ll be too busy for that” (Melandri, 2020)
My friend calls me
every day
today more people die
today more people are sick
I do not feel well
My friend calls me
every day
day by day
it is getting worse
everybody in my flat feel anxiety
how long can it take?
it had to explode
today more people die
today more people are sick
“resources are shrinking at an alarming speed”
(TVN24, 2020).
Your own thoughts can be annoying. Haven’t you noticed this before?
Obsessed And I became tired even of my own favorite dark sarcasm.
“You’ll find dozens of social networking groups with tutorials
on how to spend your free time in fruitful ways.
You will join them all, then ignore them completely
after a few days.”(Melandri, 2020)
What matters now?
IV
I know I am lucky
I am white, I am man, I am low middle classes academic workers
I can work from home
and still have my job and my home
I am quite young and quite healthy
so I should not be worried
and
it taught me that
disease is a social class problems
it is political and economic problems
“The black week is coming.
Even 3 million Poles may lose their jobs”
“employees and employees will pay
for the crisis
(again)”
“The government wants to change Poland into a labor camp” (Urbański, 2020)
“Democracy is dead, long live the pandemiocracy”
On facebook words flows. . .
“We have a coup d’état.
under the guise of coronavirus
and the worst is powerlessness
I sit and cry
from
anger
pain
despair
our anger
Please
wake up!”
VI
Back from the kitchen. During the Plaque Quarantine you eat a lot.
You watch silly movies.
You try to murder Goethe and Wittgenstein.
You don’t even look at Finnegan’s Wake (ok, you don’t even know where it is now.
And you don’t care).
“You’ll pull apocalyptic literature out of your bookshelves, but will soon find you don’t really feel like reading any of it” (Melandri, 2020)
I got survey form sociologists—it is a unique situation, tell us how you live –
wow!
new data new thing
to write about it
and become famous
or just curious
how you suffer
Of course it is on-line survey
just for people who have home
computer and internet
I am thinking about what I can do now as a critical educator and critical qualitative researcher
How can we help coronavirus to change world for a better place and kill neoliberalism for good?
Yesterday
my anarchist friends made masks for people
no one spoke about revolution
Now
We cannot leave home if we do not have good reasons
Read: go to work, go to shop
work-consume-die
I cannot speak with homeless
with alone old people
the pedagogy of street is not possible anymore (Lewis, 2012; Szwabowski, 2019)
VII
I have tried to search for some rational scientific explanation the other day.
What the hell is happening to the world anyway?
Who did this? Why?
Anyone?
I spent two days at the computer surfing network.
Articles, films, diagrams, tables, statements, declarations.
Doubts, questions.
NOTHING. NOBODY.
It is just us.
“You will not sleep well.
You will ask yourselves what is happening to democracy.” (Melandri, 2020)
as humanists and social scientists we can cure our social disease
perhaps we will beat Coronavirus
but social death remain with us
unless we beat
capitalism and this permanent state of exception (Agamben, 1998)
and fascists governments
the anti-public pedagogy (Giroux, 2011; Morris, 2012) and the pedagogy of disdain (see. Szkudlarek, 2018).
in this shadow of death and pathological neoliberalism
social Darwinism fascist (Giroux, 2011, 2018)
we have to dream radically
normality will not be back
it is our new normality
we have to
find the way to be together
to make our dreams publics
is it time for the rebirth of public intellectual in old style?
or
maybe it is time for collective democratic writing
to build new world on collective experience and dreams
of course
with people who have home
computers
internet
and time
Author Biographies
Oskar Szwabowski is an assistant professor at the Institute of Pedagogy, University of Szczecin. His is interest in critical pedagogy, higher education, and philosophy of education.
Marek Wiecław is an independent researcher, corporate employee. Master thesis in economy and PhD in philosophy.
Kamil Barczyk, director of the hospital in Bolesławiec (in Rybak, 2020, March 10).
At the night of March 28, 2020, rules party changes the rules for participation in upcoming elections.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
ORCID iD: Oskar Szwabowski 
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7464-0081
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