Renata Salecl was in discussion with a Spanish philosopher Juan Evaristo Valls on the theme of her book Maleducados which was just published by Editiones Godot. The discussion, which took place as part of an event at the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea Conde Duque in Madrid, also focused on the fact that current climate of insecurity, anxiety and paralysis has a profound impact on people’s experience today.
This climate is related to the increase in armed conflicts, the succession of economic crises and the increase in inequality. As the Renata Salecl has pointed out in her previous books, although individual freedom has experienced a notable increase in recent years, this same freedom entails greater responsibility – not always well understood – in decisions related to love, professional career and identity. On the one hand, happiness is still closely linked to success, which creates enormous pressure to meet social and personal expectations. On the other hand, this success is tremendously difficult in an increasingly demanding and competitive environment. In the face of the increase in the number of anguished and ill-mannered people, the “pessimism of intelligence” and the “optimism of the will” of which Antonio Gramsci spoke to us might help us find a way out of current crisis.
