Cheers for the Jason Sokol piece that radman has provided us--not necessarily
agreement, but wow what an encouraging and thought-provoking article.
The obvious problem with narrowing down/focusing in a demonstration's
stated goals is, as ever, leaving groups/folks out; there is also a certain
tendency for decision-making on this matter to become internicine
attacking-ourselves, and/or a tightening into that (as too often in mass '60s
antiwar demonstrations) "bunch of hard politicos" running the show...and
turning people off.
In this regard, I was struck--well before Seattle/WTO (or summer 1999's
KPFA support street-stuff)--in January 1991 in fact, in the bridge/freeway
blockades and the mass marches against the (first) Gulf War--by the
then-20s-generation's free imagination, originality, and finally
articulateness (whether verbal, visual, or through agit-prop media); it
seemed in such contrast--sharper, more valid, more able to reach others--than
so many of the signs and slogans of mass marches etc. in the '68-''69 period
(the nonviolence persons and agit-props of 1965-67 were much more given to
open, individual articulateness, I think...in the Bay Area, anyway--these
dates may probably vary for different regions).
As for what persons may go risk their lives in the streets for--well, yes,
one is certaintly to fight the WTO (ruling class, bref) and its deprivations,
when these--or some affecting the potential protestors or those they care
about--are made clear. And what is happening to us/any real people, esp.
those on the edge but hey all of us--we're talking lives and immediate
threats to life, and maybe the situations' got to where more and people see
this. (Maybe.)
ONe thing important, we learned in those days, was to get people to see
they DO care; some of this is clearing past the cynicism propaganda, another
the constant pointing out of...that part of "revolutionary optimism" involved
in seeing that that really is human compassion one's feeling for the rulers'
victims.
Well, maybe Clinton's trying to help us build a movement, anyway,
"exhorting Africa on AIDS" w/o new funding and upping our involvement against
"leftist terrorists and drug dealers" in Colombia! Right on, it's almost
like toking.
Paula
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