>in all the insufferable sanctimony and dismissive-reductive
>'historicism' of the last two decades, it seems that one thing
>an awful lot of people forgot is that Protest Can Be Fun. seems
>like seattle might go a long way toward reminding them of that.
Yes yes yes. The RadioNation team, a band of pretty hardcore pessimists, have all been remarking on the incredible change in tone here - a left, broadly defined, that has rediscovered exuberance and confidence, led in that by a maligned generation of young people, who seem a hell of a lot smarter and more disciplined than us boomers, despite all our nostalgia for the 60s.
I just got back from the labor march in support of free speech and the Seattle 500 (or 800, depending on whose sign you read). Direct action kids marching next to Teamsters, about 3,000-5,000 all together, in a march/rally organized less than 24 hours ago. A striking image from the event: a classic disaffected-looking youth carrying a Financial Times under her arm. And a comment from one of the topless Santa Cruz Lesbian Avengers: "When we got here, the Steelworkers weren't very queer-friendly. As the week wore on, they got more comfortable with us. My nipples stand in solidarity with the Steelworkers and Teamsters and all the laboring people." Another quote from a locked-out Kaiser Aluminum worker: "A year ago I thought a redwood deck was the most beautiful thing in the world. Now I understand the importance of sustainability. I guess I'm an environmentalist now." One more, from another union worker: "When you're gassed together, that forms a bond that's hard to break."
The whole bogus cultural politics/real politics split seems to have been undone in practice this week.
Doug