A liberal bubble refers to the social isolation that an individual is confined to because of certain socioeconomic features. Although a significant portion of the Bangladeshi population caters to that mindset, the concept of a liberal bubble is still quite meager in the context of our country.
To understand this very limited demographic, we need to look into mainly four socioeconomic variables that factor into this phenomenon, namely: geographic, economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds. People that are consumed by the liberal bubble are likely to be from the following categories.
Geographic: Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong
Economic: Upper-middle-class – Upper class
Education: High school – University level
Cultural: Influenced by globalization, consciousness about arts and literature, etc.
Why is this an Echo Chamber?
From the factors surrounding liberal bubbles, it is obvious that the majority of the people of a third-world country do not fall under this demographic. Their thought process, viewpoints, cultural and social interpretations, opinions, and discussions on socioeconomic welfare are completely different from the rest of the world. The same applies to Bangladesh in different parts of its regions. People from the capital, and cities of analogous socio-demographic development, are way more unprejudiced and easy-going than residents of reticent and rural areas, which is in abundance.
Access to resources, out-of-the-box conversations, and open-minded viewpoints is drastically more common for the liberal population in comparison to the rest of the country. This results in unintentional seclusion of the liberal bubble, resulting in an echo chamber. As a consequence, it is harder for the general population to connect to the liberal outlook and change their preconceived notions.
The Liberal Thought Process
The liberal thought bubble is the culmination of various factors that is a result of an individual’s experiences. The train of thought, perspective, and core focus of the liberal thought bubble is heavily influenced by westernization and individualism.
Westernization is a result of globalization which is the exchange of social and cultural views, trade, services, and information as a whole. This cross-cultural communication has caused the mentality of the population to become more liberal by leaps and bounds. This also contributes to garnering knowledge and gaining individuality, which in return creates the liberal bubble.
At times it transcends to a whole new level, birthing situations that have become common over the internet like social justice warriors. Their westernized eyes have embodied the liberal persona so desperately that anyone with a contrasting view is a threat to them. People fighting for a noble cause also become tunnel-visioned into their beliefs, such can often be seen among some feminists, debaters, social rights activists, environmentalists, and many others.
The lack of flexibility and empathy only diminishes the reach of liberal-minded people.
This imaginary bubble is the reason why their thoughts cannot permeate through to the general population. As a consequence, there rises a conflict between them and the rest of the society.
How to Reach People and Create Change?
Bringing change is difficult on its own, especially when it concerns crippling social constitutions and problematic propagation of social issues. In instances of these situations, like misogyny, discrimination, feminism, and sexual harassment, it is more often than not that these prejudices have been instilled in the population long before.
When a child grows up in an environment where these concepts are practiced – and sometimes even celebrated – it is nearly impossible to estimate the gravity of the situation unless there is exposure to liberal or undogmatic perspectives.
The means to bring a change and properly reach the targeted demographic is by educating them. Most of the people in our country come from a poor socio-economic background with not more than a primary level of education. These people have been surrounded by age-old dogmatic perspectives.
As they never had the opportunity to receive higher education or experience reality from a different set of eyes, they never got to let go of their preconceptions.
With time, technological advancement, and overall development in lifestyle, the population of our country has seen a considerable shift in its mindset from the previous generation. This can be attributed to improved educational opportunities. Children need to be educated about social issues and the proper manner of addressing them from their early years of development.
Another factor that can directly create an impact is the consumption of media and culture. We get to improve ourselves by interacting and redefining our past discrepancies as we experience the viewpoint and perspectives of others. Information can make the ignorant more mindful. Social media in this regard is a great tool that can be used to reach a wide range of audiences with relative ease.
Awareness is the key to dealing with social issues and creating the possibility of reparations.
Steps can be taken by different organizations to arrange seminars, and workshops to reach the demographic most ignorant about these issues. It is important to gain mind space among the population, which is impossible without creating awareness in the first place.
It needs to be mentioned that the agents of change can’t force liberal ideas aggressively on a population that is not ready to accept them. Just as the recipients require some nurturing, the liberal changemakers need to learn how to adapt to their audience and convey their message appropriately.