I'm no majoritarian, but it is clear that we'll need a substantial mass movement far larger than anything we have seen for the last several decades to institute even a serious reform, not to mention anything better (like abolition of private ownership of means of production). Let's take oppositions to the war, for example. Polls have indicated that about 10% of Americans oppose the war on Afghanistan and other nations. That's a minority, but being part of such a sizable minority in itself is not discouraging, _if_ all Americans who oppose the war come out and get actively involved in organizing. What's the current U.S. population estimate? 284.8 million? 10% of the total population would be about 28.5 million. If all or even most of the 28.5 million dissenters got active, that would be a mass movement worth reckoning! The reality, however, is that most of the dissenters are not organizers, though some of them may go to a protest, a teach-in, and the like once in a while; and the majority of the dissenters are probably doing nothing in public, stuck in small towns, not knowing who else nearby shares their opinion. We need more organizers* (and more activists*) to make dissent visible & tangible.
* By "activists" I mean those who simply attend a protest, a teach-in, etc. without taking part in organizing such activities themselves. Not all activists have the time, energy, & other resources required to become organizers, even if they all had an inclination to organize. -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>