Question for Liza about Palestinian Solidarity Activism at OSU

[Chuck Munson]

Doug Henwood wrote:
> 
> Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
> 
> >Is there anyone other than Chuck0 and Joe (and maybe DP, KW, & MPu)
> >who see a problem in the above?
> 
> Not me. I wouldn't join the ISO, but I respect what they do, and
> personally like many of its members I've come to know. They're open
> about who they are, and they're very open to listening to and working
> with other individuals and groups.  And, from having just spoken with
> Liza, who wrote the book on USAS
> <http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Sweatshops.html>, I can say that
> calls within the group for greater structure and organization were
> not the result of the ISO's Leninism - there were lots of other
> people who supposed the idea too. Organization doesn't equal
> Leninism, though lots of anarchists seem to think it does.

The problem isn't so much Leninism or organization, rather what type of
organization and process. What the ISO was proposing is the old school
form of leftist organization: hierarchy, leaders, centralization, steering
committees, an d so on. The anarchists, and other people with experience
with anti-capitalist groups, were proposing the more anarchistic
alternative: grassroots democracy, decentralization, network-based
organization, anti-hierarchical, and empowering of each participant.

Yeah, well I like some of the ISO members that I know and I respect their
dedication to activism. However, they are members of a dysfunctional
organization that is highly destructive to coalition groups. Those other
articles I forwarded about the SWP and Globalize Resistance show what
happens when these small groups get big ambitions about "taking over"
social change movements.

<< Chuck0 >>

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"...ironically, perhaps, the best organised dissenters in
the world today are anarchists, who are busily
undermining capitalism while the rest of the left is
still trying to form committees." 

               -- Jeremy Hardy, The Guardian (UK)