[lbo-talk] Anti-Globalization and Anti-War Movements in the USA

[Chuck]

wrobert at uci.edu wrote:
> While I agree with Chuck's assessment of the anti-globalization movement,
> my comments were not necessarily focused on that movement.  (after all, I
> do quote Luxemburg... who is neither an anarchist, nor part of the
> anti-globalization movement.)  I think that ACT-UP might be another way of
> thinking of this issue.  ACT-UP took a decentralized approach that brought
> together direct action with concrete calls for reform.  At the same time,
> ACT-UP folks were able to produce highly charged events with very small
> numbers.  Also, this managed to produce very concrete accomplishments
> around treatment (although these are still insufficient.)  I think that a
> lot of ACT-UP's methods translated into the anti-globalization, such as
> theatricality, flexibility, and a multiplicity of tactics.  If there was
> anything that was exciting about the moment of the movement, it was that
> people of very different political perspectives on the left were in
> conversation with each other.  The friends that I have from reformist
> standpoints primarily come from this moment.

Excellent points.

I really respect the work that the ACT-UP chapter in Philadelphia has 
been doing over the years. Been to a few of their demos, which 
frequently manage to surprise me.

Chuck