>>The public vandalism strategy isn't designed to convert people to
>>the left, but to recruit existing leftists to the anarchist fringe.
>
>Nope. From my discussions with anarchists involved with the BB,
>conversion of leftists from the leftist fringe is not a big priority.
Not consciously. In fact your inability to answer the question as to what *is* the strategy suggests to me that there is no conscious strategy at all. The whole Black Bloc thing is governed by instinct, trial and error. Nevertheless, I maintain that the strategy I have outlined is it.
Just because they haven't ever bothered to think it through, doesn't mean it isn't the operational strategy.
>>Of course its a problem for the wider left, in the sense that the
>>purpose of the larger demonstrations often subverted by Black Bloc
>>tactics are undermined. That wider left strategy of course is to
>>generate public support for various particular causes. The
>>anarchist Black Bloc is at odds with that because its
>>demonstrations are not aimed at influencing the public, but the
>>participants in the demo. They are preaching to the choir.
>
>This is nonsense. The people who use the black bloc tactic are
>interested in communicating to the public to some degree. Just read
>any of the communiques issued by black blocs.
Again, just because a communique is ostensibly addressed to a particular party, doesn't mean that is the real audience. For instance a public petition to a person in power makes a nominal plea to someone in power, but it is usually more directly concerned with influencing the people being approached to sign the petition. The strategy of the petition is to coerce the person in power by appealing to other people.
Likewise the Black Bloc demo may nominally be communicating with the public and may even issue a formal communique to the public. But if influencing the public was the real object, then the the whole thing would have to be considered a big flop, given the public doesn't actually read the communiques.
The question is, who actually does read it and how are they influenced. Not who you say it is addressed to.
> In fact, right now I'm trying to edit and slim down a 500-page book
>of black bloc communiques and articles down to something which can
>be published.
And you expect it to have appeal to the mass market? Or would you expect it to be read mostly by leftists? Get real.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas