>. counseling can
>> help them
>> understand and can help them negotiate ways to deal
>> with the situation,
>> but the real problem is never addressed. that
>> problem can only be
>> addressed by systemtic changes that individuals,
>> alone or as part of a
>> couple/family, aren't going to change.
>
>In other words, we're doomed. Who said you get to be
>happy or even not miserable. Devote yourself to the
>revo, and reconcile yourself to personal crucifixion,
>frustration, misery. That's a lotta help doll. Maybe
>yer right, but it's a dark fucking prescription. There
>is an infinite amount of hope . . . but not for us.
>Smooches to you too. jks
This contradiction around personal patch-ups is what the Panthers used to call "survival pending revolution." We gotta have some way to cope with immediate crises, but it's pointless and counterproductive to beat ourselves up when it doesn't work out, or to claim that these patches are the solution.
Knowing in some real way that it's not your fault you lost your job, or got raped, or whatever it is, does make it much more bearable. It's difficult to maintain this understanding in isolation, so having a community around you of people who blame the real culprit, not you, can help, can even keep you from blowing your brains out. I've seen it work, in feminism mostly.
This is just one way I've gotten much more out of the movement than I've put in--even if we're not on the crest of some big collective victory, we can watch each others' backs. Maybe some good therapists can provide some version of that, but as Kurt Vonnegut says, you gotta get yourself a gang.
Jenny Brown