On Oct 30, 2011, at 10:02 PM, aren aizura wrote:
> "Why an emphasis on people with no social power?"
>
> Uh yeah, because it's only the people with social power who should be out in the streets? Good luck with that. I love to see some white middle-class men rioting, I do.
The reason OWS has gotten such traction is that it appeals to a broad swath of people. We were stunned, watching CNN last night, to see a long and rather sympathetic segment on the political impact of the protests - precisely because it's resonating far beyond the usual suspects. I completely agree that mass incarceration in the U.S. is horrible - a symptom of a deeply repressive society, and a practice that makes life miserably worse for millions of people. But a lot of the American left love to focus on the poorest and weakest members of society - understandable in a humane sense, but not a political strategy that's going to get you anywhere. Many of the anarchists and activismists around OWS, like my dear friend Malcolm Harris, hate the idea of any connection between the movement and unions. Unions, disclosed Harris, belong to "the past." Relic that I am, I don't see how we can have a better country without better unions. If we can't mobilize a significant minority of the middle 75% of this society, then this movement will evaporate.
Doug