"Meet the New New Left: bold, fun, and stupid, " in TNR

[John Kawakami]

>John Kawakami:
>> This point about the anarchists (or other protesters) being mostly
>> affluent is probably true, but the overall progressive scene is
>> probably a lot more global and a lot more available than it has been
>> in a long time.  Within the middle class, there are classes, and it
>> was only the upper middle classes that were able to mobilize in the
>> colleges.  Just from what I've seen in person, the demographic is
>> opening up, and kids outside of the colleges are getting networked
>> and involved.
>> ...
>
>The people I am in contact with, e.g. Food Not Bombs, do not
>appear to be particularly affluent.  I don't know about their
>families, but I believe they're primarily working-class or
>lower-middle-class.  (Of course if they have any energy and
>intelligence the System is going to make them an Offer.)
>The people I know to be upper-middle-class seem much fonder
>and more trusting of established institutions.  If the
>current anarchist thing goes the way of the hippies, you
>will see more, not fewer, upper-middle-class types coming in
>as it becomes institutionalized.  Eventually, you'll see
>advertising promoting "anarchy"[1] and hear people talking
>about getting grants.  The Black Bloc is going to have its
>work cut out for it.
>--
>[1] Actually, Hard Rock Cafe (?) is doing this now.

I guess I'm one of these fashion anarchists too.  I'm not an 
anarchist, though, and I'll readily admit that I'm a sellout.  I need 
the cash!  Poverty sucks.  Thank goodness that anarchy's gone down 
this road before, what with those darn situationist artsy fartsies 
and all.

The way I see it, the "black" persuasion needs to be like the 
christian church.  Invite the sellouts in.  Make the affluent feel 
guilty, and then take their money and spend it to work against what 
they're working for.  And feel good about this, because that money 
would only go to purchase another PBS or NPR subscription, or an 
expensive ensemble of trendy clothes.

If you're working at an activist group and making $22k a year after 
having gone through college, tell that to a symp in IT or at a .com. 
They're perfect marks for donations.  They'll feel your pain and 
think "there, but for the grace of venture capital, go I."

Oh, and - there's already been plenty of anarchy sold as a trend.  It 
was called Rage Against the Machine.