>From: Compaero <companyero@mindspring.com> >Sent: Monday, November 27, 2000 9:32 PM > > ***This interview with Assata Shakur is from Paul > Davidson, a veteranCuba solidarity activist from > Britain who has visited Cuba many times with > IFCO/Pastors for Peace and with British solidarity > brigades. He was recently in Cuba with the 11th > Friendshipment Caravan. For a beautiful poster of > Assata go to: > http://afrocubaweb.com/assataposter.html Above the > poster are links to other pages on Assata and to a > film biography produced by Cuban filmmaker Gloria > Rolando.*** > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > Friends, > This valuable interview was granted to 60 > participants of the 11th US-Cuba Friendshipment > Caravan (Pastors for Peace) in Havana on Nov 6th > last. Assata is one of those unique human beings who > is able to articulate, through her own experience in > a lifetime of struggle, profound truths about the > world we live in. Assata is one of the 80 or so ex- > Black Panthers being persecuted by US authorities and > given sanctuary by Cuba. As a result of Cuba's noble > stand the island has been named a 'terrorist nation' > by the US regime, a categorisation they repeatedly > use in legislation to entrench the blockade. Thanks > to Karen Lee Wald for recording the event and > forwarding her transcription. > PD > Assata Shakur addresses Pastors for Peace > caravan > Instituto Cubano de Amistad a los Pueblos (ICAP) - La > Habana 6 nov. > (Missing first few questions due to bad tape. In this > first part Assata spoke about how she became a Black > Panther in the 1960s and was targeted by the FBI. She > spoke of the role of the press in collaborating with > this campaign until she and other companeros were > finally forced underground. She told how she was > captured in 1970 and accused of killing a New Jersey > policeman, although medical testimony showed that she > had been shot twice -- once with her arms up in the > air -- and so could not possibly have shot anyone > after that. Nevertheless, she was convicted by an all- > white racist jury to a sentence of life +. She spent > 6 1/2 years in prison, 2 of them in solitary > confinement. > Karen Lee Wald > > Assata: > In 1979 I was liberated by some friends, and in 1984 > I came to Cuba, where I was united with my daughter > and was able to bond with her for the first time. And > to begin healing the wounds. Here, I worked, studied, > mothered and continued to be an activist. > I found that Cuba was much different from the US; its > government was genuinely trying to erase racism. But > racism had grown out of slavery and exploitation and > was very hard to eradicate quickly and completely. > Cuba has been undergoing a process to eliminate > racism) > .. Cuba like every other place has got to struggle > against the whole racist ideology that it inherited, > the culture, the eurocentric way of viewing the world > where Europe is this big (shows with her hands) and > Africa and Asia and Latin America are these little > microscopic dots on the map. That's a process that > has to be helped and contributed to by everybody, > because the whole way the world is viewed now, the > way that science, literature and history are used, is > totally distorted and Eurocentric. In order for the > world to be free of racism that is a struggle that > has to be waged on all fronts by all people. > I think that more than anything, the whole cultural > imperialism that is going on today where people, > whether they're in Senegal, South Africa, Indonesia, > are looking at this USA vision of the world that is > totally distorted, totally unreal, that really > diminishes and minimalizes the cultural values and > wisdom of people all over the world, and sells this > kind of McDonald-ized vision of the world that > everybody is supposed to aspire to. > Cuba is very important in that struggle, because Cuba > is not only talking about racism in abstract terms, > but connecting it with imperialism, which is the > underlying motor of racism today. The underlying > reason that racism keeps on being promoted in all of > its various forms today. I think anybody who is > honestly struggling against racism must struggle > against imperialism and vice versa. > Q. You could have gone to many countries for asylum. > Why did you choose Cuba? > A. I decided to come to Cuba for a variety of > reasons. One, because it was close to the United > States, and I considered it to be a very principled > country. It has a long history of supporting victims > of political repression, not only of people in the > United States, like Huey Newton, Robert Williams, > Eldridge Cleaver (a long list of people), but also > people who were victims of political repression in > other places, like Chile, the apartheid government of > South Africa, Namibia, etc. I felt this was a place > that held the principle of international very close > to heart, so I felt comfortable coming here. It was > close, so I wouldn't be separated from my family and > friends. > And I really wanted to know what happens in a place > that is trying to build socialism, that's trying to > construct some form of social justice. That's trying > to feed people, to make health care and education a > right. > When I came I had some very silly ideas, to be > honest. My fantasy of Cuba was that everybody was > going to be going around looking like Fidel, with > green uniforms -- and it was very different from my > vision of how Cuba was going to be. I found that > people had all kinds of levels of consciousness, all > kinds of levels of education, but that Cubans in > general were very educated politically. I could go > sit in a bus and get into a conversation with someone > and that person had a wealth of knowledge. And > energy! What most impressed me about Cuba was the > optimism. > There are 11 million people on this island who have > an incredibly optimistic vision of the world. My > mother put it into words most clearly when she said: > "If these people had not won, had not taken power, > everybody would think they were insane!" (Laughs). > People would think the whole revolutionary process > was totally insane. How DARE these 11 million people > on this little island think they can change the way > that this planet is going? How dare they think they > can stand up against the United States? That they can > have their own system....But that is the kind of > magic of Cuba that people have this optimism, this > pride, this belief -- not only in themselves but in > other people. > That to me has been one of the psychic vitamins that > has fed me since I've been here and that has taught > me the power of people. I was a member of the Black > Panther Party, and we used to say "Power to the > People", but here in Cuba is where I've seen that put > into practise, where I've seen that internalized by > people in such a way that people feel empowered to > build this planet and to change it. And to contribute > and feel privileged to do that. Feel that when they > go to sleep at night that all is not in vain. There > is some sense in living on this planet. That there is > some beauty in constructing something better and > giving to other people. And work is a source of > pride, not "Oh, I've gotta go to work in the > morning". It's another way of looking at the world > and another way of living on this planet. > Q. Describe experience of being in Cuba, being exiled > here. To what extent have you been able to continue > being the political person you were in the United > States? > A. Well, exile is difficult. Anyone who says it's > nothing, that it's easy, is simplifying things. Exile > for me was hard. When I came here I spoke very little > Spanish. Like two words. I couldn't communicate, and > people would talk to me like I was a blooming idiot. > Like, how did they know? They'd say, "Hello, how are > you?" -- simple things. There was no way I could > express my personality in Spanish, tell jokes, be > specific, describe anything...It was a hard > adaptation process. But I went through it and in some > ways I guess continue to go through it. > For me personally Cuba has been a healing state. When > I first got here I had no sense that I had to heal or > anything. When you're struggling for your life and > you're in the midst of things, you don't feel all the > blows. > But after awhile I began to understand that oppressed > people --just by being oppressed -- suffer serious > wounds. You might go into a store, and somebody might > follow you around the store, and you would have a > choice of how to react: you could confront them and > say "Why are you following me around the store?" or > you could say to yourself: "Well, I came here to buy > some socks, so let me just concentrate on buying the > socks." But you still feel the pain. The obvious > racism before had affected me, the prisons, > torture...my whole life had created wounds, scars in > me that in Cuba I was able to find a space to begin > to heal. To begin to think, "Yeah, this happened, and > I can look at it and see it for what it was but not > be there, not be destroyed by it, not be turned into > something bitter and evil by it. And not be like my > enemies. Because I think that the greatest betrayal > that a revolutionary can participate in is to become > like the people you are struggling against. To become > like your persecutors. I think that is a betrayal and > a sin. > I think that people who want to change this planet > have to seriously understand that as human beings we > have to work to be good. I'm saying that in many > ways: good at what we do, better people, better in > the way we related to people, that we treat other > people. Better in our ability to outreach to people. > Better in so many ways. And the wounds that are > inflicted on our families, on ourselves, we have to > heal. We have to work within our families, within our > communities, within our neighborhoods, to make it > livable. > My experience in the United States was living in a > society that was very much at war with itself, that > was very alienated. People felt not part of a > community, but like isolated units that were afraid > of interaction, of contact, that were lonely. People > didn't build that sense of community that I found is > so rich here. > One of the things that I was able to take from this > experience was just how lovely it is to live with a > sense of community. To live where you can drop in the > street and a million people will come and help you. > That is to me a wealth that you can't find, you can't > buy, you have to build. You have to build it within > yourself to be capable of having that attitude about > your neighbors, about how you want to live on this > planet. > Q. Some people have voiced concern that the end of > the blockade will bring many negative things from the > United States to Cuba. What do you think about the > blockade ending? > A. I think that it's all positive. I think that any > time anybody gets rid of oppression, intervention, > exploitation, cruelty -- that's positive. I think > that the effects of lifting the blockade are all > positive. > Now that's another question from the effects of > exposure to US consumerism, violence, militaristic > culture, greed, institutionalized sexual > exploitation, Barby-doll vision of women -- those are > different things. One is lifting the blockade; the > other is cultural imperialism, materialism, etc. > Tourism, for example, has affected Cuba, because > tourists come and they bring racist, sexist ideas. > They bring a whole vision that there are rich people > all over the world and that's the way it should be -- > you know? > The only way to struggle against that is ideological > struggle in terms of values. And also improving the > economy. People here being able to say, "You have > your vision of the world but we have ours, and we are > committed to ours." That's a struggle of ideas, of > values. And hopefully not only in Cuba, but all over > the world, people are saying that this kind of > McDonald's, Barby-doll culture that is being pushed > by the United States and other big powers is a very > empty, sad, alienating kind of culture, and there are > much richer values on this earth. > Q. How did you get involved in the struggle (become > an activist)? > A. Well, basically, it was hard not to. I was > fortunate enough to grow up in the 60s -- not to > idealize the 60s, but there was a lot of political > activism going on. I had dropped out of school and > was working at this terrible 9-to-5 drudge clerk-type > job. I was miserable and not going anywhere. So I > decided to go to school. I was in school like two > weeks or something and my whole world changed! First > of all I met all of these wonderful people who were > doing things and were active and positive. Then I > started to learn about myself. I grew up in the > United States totally ignorant of the history of > African people in the United States. Of the > literature. I knew about the music and parts of the > culture, but in terms of the history of African > people I knew nothing. So all of a sudden I was > exposed to these people who were talking about > Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, DuBoise -- so many people -- > and it was like waking up from a semi-sleep. It was > like saying, "Oh, wow! We were there; we struggled, > we resisted!" For me as a Black person, it was like > coming into touch with the reality of my ancestors, > my history. > I had grown up at a time when people were being > lynched, being attacked with water hoses. Becoming > active and learning a different way of viewing my > life was a healthy reaction to what I was seeing > every day. I actually believed then and still believe > that activism is fun! I think that the movement has > done more for me as a human being than I will ever be > able to do for the movement. Because there's > something nice about being able to go to sleep at > night saying "You know, tomorrow I'm gonna get up and > I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that...." > I think that being an activist on this planet is a > privilege and a pleasure. > Q. Could you talk about the Black Panther program? I > know that it influenced other activist groups like > the American Indian Movement. How could we use some > of those ideas? And could you also tell us about the > methodology the FBI used to try to infiltrate and > destroy these movements? > A. The Black Panther Party had a Ten Point Program > and Platform. We talked > about the right to control our communities, > (inaudible -- a summary from notes follows) to be > free from induction into the military, the right to > food, housing, clothing, jobs and freedom. The BPP > was an anti-imperialist, pro-people party, not a > racist party. It participated in all progressive > organizations and coalitions, with Puerto Ricans, > Asian and other liberation movements all over the > world. > Because of this the BPP came under siege by the > police. The FBI framed people on false charges, > murdered people, including murdering them in their > beds as they did with Fred Hampton... > Q. What advise would you have for activists in the US? > A. (Summary) First of all we need to put real > democracy on the agency in the US, because there is > no real democracy there now. I think we need to treat > activism as FUN -- because it is fun. We need to > develop a political style that's interesting and fun > and personal. To celebrate together. > Q. I'd like to sort of pull this back to Cuba....The > reasoning behind the debate about whether or not to > pass a law allowing the sale of food and medicine to > Cuba is because the United States has laws imposing > unilateral sanctions against trade with what are > defined [by the US government] as "terrorist > nations". Cuba is on the list of "terrorist nations", > not because it has put bombs on civilian airlines > that exploded in mid-air -- that's what has been done > TO Cuba; there was the one incident of shooting down > the airplane of the Cuban-American terrorist > organization that was flying over Cuba. But the most > important reason that has been given for a number of > years now about why Cuba is on that list, why the US > calls it a "terrorist" nation, is because Cuba gives > political asylum to individuals who the US calls > "terrorists". And the US government has demanded that > Assata and others like herself who have been given > political asylum be returned to the United States. > The question that has been raised often is, Are you > worried that Cuba will turn you back over to the US > government in order to resolve this problem? And if > you don't think that Cuba will do that, what does > that mean to you? > A. I think first of all, I trust Cuba as a principled > country. Cuba's strength is that it has been > steadfast in its commitment to the principles of > liberation, freedom, of resistance to the kind of > institutionalized terrorism that the United States > government does every day. The US has attacked > countries like Grenada, Panama, Libya....the list of > victims of US terrorism is almost infinite. And the > US government's participation in torture, whether in > El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile....is well-documented > and widely known. > I believe Cuba's strength has been its denouncing > that kind of terrorism, torture. It does this > politically not only by [providing asylum for] exiles > [from terrorist regimes] but also fighting in the > context of the United Nations Organization, in world > organizations, in denouncing all kinds of terrorist > torture in governmental policies. > All of the maneuvers by the US government to keep the > blockade alive is a manipulation by the US government > because "Cuba poses a threat". The real reason Cuba > poses a threat has nothing to do with my being here > or anyone else being here. It's because Cuba is an > example of a country that is actively fighting > against imperialist domination and insists on its own > right to self-determination and sovereignty. The US > government's most acute fear is that other countries > are going to follow the Cuban example. They want > everybody to know that if you follow this example we > will attack you in every way that we can. That is the > reality as I see it about the blockade and why it is > being continued. > The Miami Mafia (as everybody here calls them) has > some input into that, but I believe it is not the > money the Miami Mafia contributes to both parties > that is making US policy what it is. It is the United > States' government's insistence on being able to > control the world, to tell all the people how to > live, to export their version of "dollarocracy" to > everybody else and to make every country in the world > subservient to the interests of big business. I think > that as long as Cuba continued to be strong, I have > nothing whatsoever to fear from the Cuban people. In > fact I think I have much, much, much to gain in > understanding how a people can unite, how people can > be strong, and how people can take a little piece of > earth and try to mold that piece of art into a work > of art and a work of love. > Q. Can you comment on the importance of religion and > spirituality? > A. I think that spirituality is important for all > people to develop. I don't mean there necessarily has > to be a religious aspect to spirituality. Some people > are spiritual in a religious way, other people are > spiritual in their work and in their art and in their > treatment of other people. > In my case, spirituality has been important to me > because at periods in my life there's been very > little else that I've had going. I've actually needed > to call on, to feel the forces of good in this > universe to be able to survive. I've always been a > student of different ways of looking at the world, > different religions. That's been part of my survival > mechanism, and also part of my curiosity as a person, > because I believe that some people spell "good" with > two o's and some people spell it with one....and > there shouldn't be a contradiction between that. > In Cuba I was able to broaden my vision of > spirituality. Here for the first time I became aware > of the African and African-Cuban religions and began > to study them and see how people interacted and made > very common things -- rocks and leaves and shells -- > into things that were very precious. I saw how people > respected history, not only in terms of the > revolutionary government preserving history--because > I think that one of the great things that the Cuban > revolution has done is preserve history. > I came here and there's a museum called the Museum of > the Revolution. I got to one little case and there > were these shoes of one of the revolutionary heroes > who died before the victory. And as I looked at those > shoes, tears began to come out of my eyes, because -- > this was someone who gave his life for the > Revolution. So the Revolution didn't have a person, > but made sure that the person was remembered. > And in the African religions, one of the things that > was very important to me was that somehow the > struggle of so many slaves is remembered. The > ancestors remembered. All of my experience of > studying religion, studying spirituality, studying > natural healing, traditional medicine, has kind of > enriched my vision of the world. Not only seeing > reality as this moment, but as a culmination of all > of the history behind us, and all of the fruit that > hopefully we will be able to grow from the seeds that > we are trying to plant now, of goodness and peace and > beauty and equality. > Q. In the movement to free Mumia Abu Jamal, in the US > we've seen increasingly repressive tactics against > the protestors, jailings and fines against > protestors. One of the caravanistas who is usually > with us had her passport taken away from her, she > cannot be here in Cuba this week because she > participated in a protest in support of Mumia last > summer. What can you say about where the movement in > support of Mumia stands right now? > A. Looking at the repression from Cuba is like > looking at Martians. Whether it was in Seattle or > Washington or at the Conventions, the visual image > looks like these space monsters that are attacking > people. Because you don't see that here! Nobody here > lives that reality. And people in the United States > take that reality as normal. > The survival of the movement around Mumia is > absolutely one of the most important struggles that > needs to be waged, that must be waged right now. And > it is more and more obvious that the US government is > willing to ...I don't know, to set extraordinary bail > for acts of civil disobedience. Some of the fines and > bails have been out of this world in a so-called > "free country". > But in spite of that I think that what the government > can't do is squash everybody. So what the main thrust > needs to be right now is to incorporate as many > people as possible into the struggle to save Mumia, > and to do whatever is needed to save that man's life. > Because Mumia is not just one person. Mumia > represents, at this particular time in history, > opposition to the United States government. He > represents opposition to the prison-industrial > complex. > The death penalty is used in such a blatantly racist > way in the United States. There is no way that can be > defended under any kind of definition of justice by > anybody. > I think that struggling to save Mumia's life will > save many other people's lives and in that struggle, > we need to have a new definition of what justice is. > A new definition of how people are treated in the > society. And how people are not some kind of > disposable item that you throw away, you destroy. You > have a government that is sentencing 20-year-olds to > life in prison without parole, for drug offenses. > When you're 20 years old and you sell, not even a > huge quantity of drugs -- we're not talking about the > dons or the godfathers or anybody else -- we're > talking about small quantities of drugs. And they > write in the newspapers "This is a drug kingpin" and > they sentence this person to life without parole. > What kind of reality is that creating? What kind of > future for the United States is that creating? If > these people ever get out, who will they be? After > years of watching beatings, tortures, suffering, you > know what I'm saying? So I think the struggle around > Mumia is important, to defend all of those people who > are struggling against this system. I think that the > more that people feel they can WIN that struggle, > that they can go to their neighbors, that they can > have signs on their blocks, that they can do things > where they live, and not make it so abstract. Bring > it home, take it to work, put a sign where you work. > Take it to your church, to make it more and more a > people's struggle. I think people's struggles are the > only ones that in the long run cannot be defeated. > Q. (Inaudible. Probably about media manipulation...) > A. (Talking about how absurd it was that the US could > convince people Grenada was a danger to its > security)....Grenada has about 100,000 people. I > remember Ronald Reagan holding up this map, an aerial > map of an airport, and saying this was gonna be a > military airport that was gonna threaten the people > of the United States. And actually they convinced a > huge amount of people that Grenada, a LITTLE, TINY > ISLAND, that wasn't even the size of Brooklyn, was a > threat to the United States government!!! And people > really believed it. It was like convincing people to > believe in the tooth fairy. (Laughter). So people > have to be aware of how the media manipulates the way > we think. Because they have really created a > situation where all the US government has to do is > say that such-and-such a government is terrorist, and > they can wipe people off the map! The language that > is being used in the media today is incredible. > I must have been about 14 years old when I read > "1984". It never occurred to me that anyone would > name a nuclear missile "Peacekeeper". It never > occurred to me that thousands of people would be > killed in the name of "peace-keeping". But that is > what is happening today. > Or that the deaths of 200,000 people is called > "collateral damage". How can you justify that? They > are making a language that is a callous language of > imperialism and we are using it. That doesn't mean we > are going along with their language, but that we have > not developed our own. The average person living in > the US may not even be aware that those are 200,000 > women, children, babies that are dead, and they are > not even called human beings, they are called > "collateral damage". "Friendly fire" -- what the hell > is that? It is sickening when you listen to it, but > you are inundated by it. > Because they've developed these code words, they have > been incorporated into the language of politics, and > people see that as normal. Just as they see the > police dressed up as Martians beating people up as > "normal". So the abnormal, the sick, the vicious have > become more and more interwoven into the violent > culture of the United States. Into the way news is > seen, into the way movies are seen. > I watched this movie, they had it on tv here, called > "Instinct". Black actor Cuba Gooding, very good > actor, is playing the psychologist, and his patient > is this white anthropologist who has been extradited > from some African country for killing three people. > And Cuba Gooding is trying to get at the roots of > what has made this man "mad". The man has a > relationship with gorillas that he's been studying > and is beginning to bond with gorillas; he finds that > the gorillas have this good gorilla way of living. > And this anthropologist becomes like a hero in this > movie. And he's talking about what liberation is, how > gorillas have achieved a stage of liberation, > although you are never clear what he means by that. > And because this guy stands up to this system in prison in which the >roughest > prisoner gets a turn to go out on the exercise yard; they deal out a deck >of cards and the one who gets the ace gets to go out. And the one who is the > strongest and the most evil takes the ace and always goes out into the >yard. So this anthropologist stands up against this strong guy -- who also >happens >to be black -- and he becomes the hero of the prison. In the end he >escapes. And >he's like this great white hero who escapes. > > And nowhere in the whole movie, there is not one word about these three >people he killed. All three of them were Africans, and they were poaching >on the > animals, capturing the gorillas. And this guy kills them because of the > gorillas. > > In the way that this whole history is told, we feel so much for this guy. >We begin to love him; he becomes the hero, the symbol of liberty and justice. >He and his relationship to the gorillas become principal, and the three >Africans that he killed are totally irrelevant. > > And from the beginning to the end of the movie, that's the way it goes. And >I'm looking at this and thinking, "This is incredible! When Malcolm X created > 'tricknology' as a word to describe how the mind can be twisted and >distorted and manipulated into believing that the enemy is the victim and >the victim >is the enemy -- the United States is a MASTER of it! > > You have a bill: "Feed Cuba! Food for Cuba!" that not only tightens the > blockade, makes things harder for the Cuban people, and they say "Oh, this >is a wonderful thing to open trade with Cuba". And they have people believing >it. > We're living in a very tricky world, and unless we become analytical and >expose the tricknology, people will become sucked into that. It is very >easy, it >is very, very easy. > > Q. Cuba has been fighting against [neoliberal] globalization. What do you >think the potential for the anti-globalization movement is? > > A. I think that the movement against the policies of the World Bank, of the > IMF, is very important. People are really beginning to see the mechanisms >of imperialism. When colonialism existed people could see colonialism. When >racial segregation existed in its apartheid form, people could see the "whites >only" signs. But it's much more difficult to see the structures of >neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism, neo-slavery. > > I think that the movement against the World Bank, against the globalization > process that is happening, is very positive. We need a globalization, a > globalization of people who are committed to social justice, to economic > justice. We need a globalization of people who are committed to saving this > earth, to making sure that the water is drinkable, that the air is > breathable. > > When I was a child, if someone had talked to me about buying water, I would > have thought it was a joke. If we are not committed to saving this earth we > will be buying designer air filters and gas masks with little Nike swishes >on them. (Laughter, applause) > > The people who are running this planet are insane -- they are literally > destroying it. I don't know where they think they're gonna drink water, >breathe air....This planet is a wonderful place, but a vulnerable place. >And they >are making and implementing policies that are destroying the earth in all >kinds >of ways. > > The movement against the kind of global assassination that is going on, in > terms of whole countries -- because every African country is facing an > ecological disaster in terms of becoming deserts, in terms of fuel -- >Africa is one of the richest countries in the world and the > people are the poorest in the world. A lot of that > poverty is directly related to the policies of the > IMF and the World Bank. Those policies are very > important not only to Cuba but to people all over the > world who want to see their children grow up and have > access to health care, to live somewhere that is not > a desert, where they can drink water, where they can > breathe air. So I think that movement is one of the > most important, most optimistic struggles that is > going on at this moment. > Q. In 1965 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower said the > Pentagon was planning for 100 years into the future. > Most of us don't even plan for 5 years ahead. I don't > know how Cuba is coming along with it's planning. But > most of us are always REACTING to what the world > powers do. What is our pro-active plan for 5 or 10 > years from now? > A, I wish (laughs) I had those answers. I believe > that we have to...the first part of planning is to > believe that you can put that plan into practise. And > I think that one of the problems that exists in the > United States and in many places in the world is that > people don't believe that they can make a difference. > So a lot of times we're defeated before we even start. > We've become consumers of a world vision, of Kentucky > Fried Chicken, of McDonalds, and we're convinced that > Kentucky Fried Chicken tastes better than any other > thing, or that a hamburger made by McDonalds is > something special. Other than a piece of greasy meat > and some bread. McDonald's are things we've been > sold. And we've also consumed the idea of > powerlessness, of the idea that "you can't fight City > Hall" [you can't win against a powerful establishment > -ed. note], of "you can't change things, the > government is strong, that's just the way things > are". > And as long as we continue to have that vision of the > world, the planning of a better world is going to be > a hard nut to crack. So I think that one of the > things as a step towards the phase that WE plan years > and years ahead is to actually believe that this > world is redeemable, changeable; that we can > eradicate poverty, that we can eradicate alienation, > that we can eradicate this tremendous consumerism, > this disease that we have to buy everything that > exists, everything that the television says we have > to have. > We have to have a vision of the world we want to make > in 100 years. And maybe when we have that vision, > when we convince enough people that that is a > realistic vision, and that the opposite vision is > basically that if we don't do something in this 100 > years, a hundred years from now this world is gonna > be so destroyed, so raped and ravished that we won't > HAVE much of a world to save. > Internalizing the importance of this century, and how > much work we have to do, will give us at least some > ways to invent a system of planning. I think it's > really hard to plan if you don't believe you can > implement those plans. > (applause). -fin-
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