And what about revolutionary fun ?
Rather be red than dead,
Charles Brown
___________ October 1998
13 Lucky Tips for Activists by Errol Schweitzer (reproduce at will)
Inevitable Disclaimer:
This column is not meant to offend hard-working activists who are devoting much of their time and energy to social and environmental issues. It is meant as a critique of those qualities that may keep us from building an actual Movement. I know of many activists that are guilty of the things listed below, including myself. So please don't feel offended (which brings us to our first point...)
I - Have a sense of humor. ( Comedic logic is superior to tragic logic -CB)
The world is not going to change overnight, no matter how hard you work. Take time out to laugh at how messed up things really are. Take time out to laugh at yourself and the incremental changes that you and others are striving so hard for. A good chuckle now and then keeps things in perspective and may actually make you feel better about the work you have accomplished. Making fun of yourself and other activists may be a form of critique, and we all know that...
II - Critique is necessary and vital for activism.
Analyzing what went wrong and what went right about an action or a campaign may help you to not repeat the same mistakes twice. Listen to what others outside your group have to say, especially the opposition, which may be the perfect foil for your cause. Many great activists and revolutionaries engaged in rigorous self-criticism to realize what they did right or wrong. Luckily, unlike Che or Durruti, we don't have to do it under a hail of bullets (at least not yet).
III - Treat everyone as individuals.
It irks me when Marxists and anarchists refer to "the masses" or when anti-corporate activists refer to their peers as "MTV kids." By lumping people into faceless categories we forget that we are dealing with people who have reasons for believing the things they do, whether it is family upbringing, the influence of religion or state propaganda, or just growing up in this damn culture. When you approach people as individuals, you remember that once upon a time you, too may not have had the beliefs you do now and may have been alienated by how some activists can come off when trying to spread their message. And so, the most important aspect of reaching out to people may not be what you have to say but actually to...
IV - Listen to what others have to say and know your audience.
Sometimes people's responses to what you have to say may be the best guide for learning what you shouldn't do next time. When you know who you are speaking to, you can craft your message it appeals to them. This is something the Christian Right learned long ago in their direct mail campaigns. For example:
By knowing your audience you can personalize the issue so that is not some abstract cause that they cannot relate to their everyday experience. If you are talking about immigrants' rights to some middle class white people, you can preface your point by mentioning "Imagine if this had happened to your grandparents when they were trying to escape the (famines, wars, genocide, intolerance) that brought them here." If you are talking to some kids on the street about how McDonalds is fucked up, don't just dwell on the facts that they kill millions of animals every year and use beef grown on former rainforest land. Many of the kids in my neighborhood can relate to the fact that McD's pays bad wages and makes you work long, grueling hours.
4a. - And oh yeah... ditch the highfalutin lingo! If you insist on "subsuming the other" and "deconstructing the privileged hegemonies of socioeconomic systems" then don't expect much of a response. If you know your audience then you can talk to them at their level, not Foucault's. Besides, those big words are a privilege of those lucky enough to have been college educated and can set up an uncomfortable power dynamic. What's the use of promoting social change when you convey it in an elitist fashion?
V - And stop screaming all the time!
Yeah, we're pissed off but if we are always screaming AT people instead of talking to them, then they won't listen. So before you go to a protest, go work out or jog or something. You'd be surprised how people respond when you talk politely to them. There IS a time for anger, and then there is a time for discussion. So think before you scream.
VI - Single-issue activism can be problematic.
While we all have certain issues that are closest to our hearts, we shouldn't close our minds to the possible interconnections between these issues or stop from examining how they may have similar historic roots. Sometimes single-issue activism can be very detrimental, such as how some environmentalists echo right-wing propaganda about immigration or how some anti-racist activists are just as homophobic as the KKK.
VII - Having progressive politics does not exempt you from being an asshole.
There are more than a few "progressive" people who are sexist pigs or hold some pretty questionable ideas about race and class. And activists can be just as cliquey and backstabbing as frat-people. The redeeming thing is that at least by getting involved the door is open for talking about these issues, right???
VIII - You can't save the world via e-mail.
Your computer is a product of the techno-capitalist system and whatever good you do with it does not equal the power it has given Corporate America. No matter how efficient, technology can never replace the power and intimacy of human communication and contact. The internet itself was designed by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency as a way to decentralize communications in the advent of nuclear war. And over 98% of the internet's usefulness has been in speeding up commerce for speculative investment by very wealthy people all over the world. Admittedly, the internet has increased our communications and has helped to make progressive movements more globally linked; the Zapatistas may have been crushed if not for the e-mail updates they sent out during their uprising. But we can't rely on techno-activism all the time. And one other thing: Y2K.
IX - Leave the "ism's" at home.
"So that's nice. You are a (insert typical social change label here)." To most people who don't share these beliefs, these labels are loaded with media stereotypes and corporate propaganda that demean the positive aspects that these labels carry for you and me. For example, after saying to someone "I am a multiculturalist," he responded with "So you hate white people?" Instead, I should have said, "I believe in seeing race as a historical construct; it is not real in any physical or biological sense, but people are manipulated into believing that it is and treating it so." And maybe that would have spurred some lively discussion.
So before you announce yourself as some left-wing "ism-ist", consider what may be going on in someone else's head about what you label yourself. Just think of what you considered a "communist" or "anarchist" before you became so enlightened; what do most people hear about these terms from the media? Let your actions define you, not your "ism's"
X - Lifestyle fascism sucks.
A major problem with many activists is instead of personalizing the political, they politicize the personal. Finding flaws in other people's lifestyles becomes something of a hobby for many progressive-types, instead of identifying and deconstructing the institutions that are the source of violence against humans, animals and the environment. It is an easy way out of making real change happen by just attacking this or that consumption pattern.
What we need to remember is that by identifying certain aspects of Western lifestyle, such as meat-eating, smoking, or not boycotting the latest trendy issue, we are forgetting that it is the whole damn system that is wrong. Our power is more than our pocketbooks alone. To make real change we need to organize and find things that more of us have in common, not alienate others because they don't conform to some lifestyle guidelines. Why recapitulate the authoritarian tactics of the Christian Right or corporate America? Let people decide for themselves what they can or cannot boycott and get off the moral soapbox.
XI - Ha! Ha! Ha! You're gonna burnout!
Few things hurt our causes as much as exhaustion and the implosion of those who have just "had enough." You make bad decisions, you alienate friends and family, your personal hygiene takes a nosedive. You know what? You need a break! Take a nap, paint a picture, do something to relax your mind and body. Let your energy and zeal come back. Activism is tough and victories can be few and far between, so learn and take it easy. Even Assata Shakur says that the most important thing is to grow personally, to maintain relationships and hobbies. The revolution doesn't need zombies or robots. It needs people.
XII - Stop the sectarianism!
Of course, this is like asking for tropical weather in Binghamton, but hey, might as well. From petty internecine squabbles at the local Food Coop to writers of "The Nation" insisting there are two (or more) "Left's", the movement has fractured and fragmented into so many little cliques and ideologies that you wonder what we have in common anymore other than our dislike for each other. While some of the bitterness is left over from past counterinsurgency operations, such as the FBI's Cointelpro and the CIA's MH Chaos, a good deal of it is just because of activists who have split due to personal disagreements and arguments over ideology and strategy. Wherever I have been, it always seems like this one doesn't like that one, that group betrayed the cause, this one is a sellout, that one is too extreme, etc. As dismaying as this is, there are still so many people working for change that I must ask: can't we agree on certain vital things? Do we have at least a common enemy? Can we forget our differences and actually work towards some sort of consensus so that we stop shooting ourselves in the feet? If you are new to activism, stay above the pettiness and concentrate on the issues at hand. If you are from the old school, then us young folks need your experience, not your gripes and grudges.
XIII - Redefine activism.
Activism is an accepted cultural niche in our society. C'mon, we all know the stereotypes: bad dresser, self-righteous about this or that issue, screaming and chanting, holding up signs, getting dragged away by cops, etc. But by becoming part of this "activist" culture we alienate many whose side we are supposedly on. How many people can relate when they see media-bites of these "wackos?" How often do we feed these stereotypes?
But look what is happening. More and more people fighting for social change are just "regular" people: a one-day general strike by NYC cabbies in May virtually shut down the city; thousands gathered to demonstrate against anti-gay violence in NY this October; recent general strikes in Puerto Rico and Colombia had hundreds of thousands of participants; 40,000 construction workers in NYC protesting non-union contracts, etc. And then there are the selfless acts we will never hear about: people forming support groups and discussion groups; people identifying who they are and where they fit into this society; people choosing to boycott some product or lifestyle, when and if they can. These are just people responding to the basic stimulus that their lives are being fucked with and they are not going to sit back and take it. These are activists as well. This is how revolutions come about. People who consider themselves "activists" have to break out the preconceived molds and listen to what people are really talking about. Anarchism, multiculturalism, feminism, communism, veganism are all just words until our actions give them real meaning and we define for ourselves what our activism really is. Until then, activism is going to be this small, accepted, ineffectual cultural niche that alienates the people who it is supposed to be reaching out to.
Peace and Unity, Leif Brecke
"Through unity, solidarity, and love, we will heal the wounds of our Mother (earth) and each other."- Julia 'Butterfly' Hill (Who has been sitting in Luna, an ancient redwood tree since Dec. 1997)
(P.S. This is a reminder from your sponsor: The revolution won't be televised - CB_)
[Messages on BRC-NEWS may be forwarded and cross-posted to other lists and posted on web sites, as long as proper attribution is given to the author of the article (including their email address), the originating publication/organization (including any copyright notices), and the article wording is not altered in any way, other than for formatting.
While not required, as a courtesy, we'd appreciate it if you mentioned that you received the article via the BRC-NEWS list. Thank you.]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRC-NEWS: Black Radical Congress - International News/Alerts/Announcements -------------- __________
___________
+++++++++++++
YOUTHFUL ENNUI : THE ETERNAL QUESTION OF REVOLUTIONARY FUN
>>> Erosion Of Sanity <erosionofsanity at hotmail.com> 03/01/99 12:31AM >>>
This was originally posted on the Leftist_Radio list]
This public (dis)service announcement is brought to you by EROSION OF SANITY, check out our homepage at: http://eatshit.cjb.net
Face it, your politics are boring as fuck.
You know it's true. Otherwise, why does everyone cringe when you say the word? Why has attendance at your anarcho-communist theory discussion group meetings fallen to an all-time low? Why has the oppressed proletariat not come to its senses and joined you in your fight for world liberation?
Perhaps, after years of struggling to educate them about their victimhood, you have come to blame them for their condition. They must want to be ground under the heel of capitalist imperialism; otherwise, why do they show no interest in your political causes? Why haven't they joined you yet in chaining yourself to mahogany furniture, chanting slogans at carefully planned and orchestrated protests, and frequenting anarchist bookshops? Why haven't they sat down and learned all the terminology necessary for a genuine understanding of the complexities of Marxist economic theory?
The truth is, your politics are boring to them because they really are irrelevant. They know that your antiquated styles of protest-your marches, hand held signs, and gatherings-are now powerless to effect real change because they have become such a predictable part of the status quo. They know that your post-Marxist jargon is off-putting because it really is a language of mere academic dispute, not a weapon capable of undermining systems of control. They know that your infighting, your splinter groups and endless quarrels over ephemeral theories can never effect any real change in the world they experience from day to day. They know that no matter who is in office, what laws are on the books, what "ism"s the intellectuals march under, the content of their lives will remain the same. They-we-know that our boredom is proof that these "politics" are not the key to any real transformation of life. For our lives are boring enough already!
And you know it too. For how many of you is politics a responsibility? Something you engage in because you feel you should, when in your heart of hearts there are a million things you would rather be doing? Your volunteer work-is it your most favorite pastime, or do you do it out of a sense of obligation? Why do you think it is so hard to motivate others to volunteer as you do? Could it be that it is, above all, a feeling of guilt that drives you to fulfill your "duty" to be politically active? Perhaps you spice up your "work" by trying (consciously or not) to get in trouble with the authorities, to get arrested: not because it will practically serve your cause, but to make things more exciting, to recapture a little of the romance of turbulent times now long past. Have you ever felt that you were participating in a ritual, a long-established tradition of fringe protest, that really serves only to strengthen the position of the mainstream? Have you ever secretly longed to escape from the stagnation and boredom of your political "responsibilities"?
It's no wonder that no one has joined you in your political endeavors. Perhaps you tell yourself that it's tough, thankless work, but somebody's got to do it. The answer is, well, NO.
You actually do us all a real disservice with your tiresome, tedious politics. For in fact, there is nothing more important than politics. NOT the politics of American "democracy" and law, of who is elected state legislator to sign the same bills and perpetuate the same system. Not the politics of the "I got involved with the radical left because I enjoy quibbling over trivial details and writing rhetorically about an unreachable utopia" anarchist. Not the politics of any leader or ideology that demands that you make sacrifices for "the cause." But the politics of our everyday lives. When you separate politics from the immediate, everyday experiences of individual men and women, it becomes completely irrelevant. Indeed, it becomes the private domain of wealthy, comfortable intellectuals, who can trouble themselves with such dreary, theoretical things. When you involve yourself in politics out of a sense of obligation, and make political action into a dull responsibility rather than an exciting game that is worthwhile for its own sake, you scare away people whose lives are already far too dull for any more tedium. When you make politics into a lifeless thing, a joyless thing, a dreadful responsibility, it becomes just another weight upon people, rather than a means to lift weight from people. And thus you ruin the idea of politics for the people to whom it should be most important. For everyone has a stake in considering their lives, in asking themselves what they want out of life and how they can get it. But you make politics look to them like a miserable, self-referential, pointless middle class/bohemian game, a game with no relevance to the real lives they are living out.
What should be political? Whether we enjoy what we do to get food and shelter. Whether we feel like our daily interactions with our friends, neighbors, and coworkers are fulfilling. Whether we have the opportunity to live each day the way we desire to. And "politics" should consist not of merely discussing these questions, but of acting directly to improve our lives in the immediate present. Acting in a way that is itself entertaining, exciting, joyous-because political action that is tedious, tiresome, and oppressive can only perpetuate tedium, fatigue, and oppression in our lives. No more time should be wasted debating over issues that will be irrelevant when we must go to work again the next day. No more predictable ritual protests that the authorities know all too well how to deal with; no more boring ritual protests which will not sound like a thrilling way to spend a Saturday afternoon to potential volunteers-clearly, those won't get us anywhere. Never again shall we "sacrifice ourselves for the cause." For we ourselves, happiness in our own lives and the lives of our fellows, must be our cause!
After we make politics relevant and exciting, the rest will follow. But from a dreary, merely theoretical and/or ritualized politics, nothing valuable can follow. This is not to say that we should show no interest in the welfare of humans, animals, or ecosystems that do not contact us directly in our day to day existence. But the foundation of our politics must be concrete: it must be immediate, it must be obvious to everyone why it is worth the effort, it must be fun in itself. How can we do positive things for others if we ourselves do not enjoy our own lives?
To make this concrete for a moment: an afternoon of collecting food from businesses that would have thrown it away and serving it to hungry people and people who are tired of working to pay for food-that is good political action, but only if you enjoy it. If you do it with your friends, if you meet new friends while you're doing it, if you fall in love or trade funny stories or just feel proud to have helped a woman by easing her financial needs, that's good political action. On the other hand, if you spend the afternoon typing an angry letter to an obscure leftist tabloid objecting to a columnist's use of the term "anarcho-syndicalist," that's not going to accomplish shit, and you know it.
Perhaps it is time for a new word for "politics," since you have made such a swear word out of the old one. For no one should be put off when we talk about acting together to improve our lives. And so we present to you our demands, which are non-negotiable, and must be met as soon as possible-because we're not going to live forever, are we?
1. Make politics relevant to our everyday experience of life again. The farther away the object of our political concern, the less it will mean to us, the less real and pressing it will seem to us, and the more wearisome politics will be.
2. All political activity must be joyous and exciting in itself. You cannot escape from dreariness with more dreariness.
3. To accomplish those first two steps, entirely new political approaches and methods must be created. The old ones are outdated, outmoded. Perhaps they were NEVER any good, and that's why our world is the way it is now.
4. Enjoy yourselves! There is never any excuse for being bored... or boring!
Join us in making the "revolution" a game; a game played for the highest stakes of all, but a joyous, carefree game nonetheless!
Thanks for reading, more like what you just read is available at http://eatshit.cjb.net
To reply directly to the editor don't just press the reply button, reply to crust at rocketmail.com
[Messages on BRC-NEWS may be forwarded and cross-posted to other lists and posted on web sites, as long as proper attribution is given to the author of the article (including their email address), the originating publication/organization (including any copyright notices), and the article wording is not altered in any way, other than for formatting.
While not required, as a courtesy, we'd appreciate it if you mentioned that you received the article via the BRC-NEWS list. Thank you.]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRC-NEWS: Black Radical Congress - International News/Alerts/Announcements --------------
--- from list marxism-thaxis at lists.econ.utah.edu ---