We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Spanish Summer: Notes Towards a Comparative Revolutionology

Click here to access article by J.E. Hamilton from Guernica.

I am beginning to see articles appearing that are attempting to summarize the meaning of the Occupation movement across the globe and to look for future direction. While focusing on the experience of Spanish activists, the discussion here is relevant for all global activists to think about. I suggest you specifically read the content under section 3 of this article which asks and attempts to answer some key questions:
What exactly is it that will last? Direct, horizontal, and leaderless democracy? For those involved with 15-M—the number continues to grow, according to Lara and Juan Miguel—the feeling is that this year’s experiments in confrontation and horizontal democracy will not soon be forgotten. This is a lesson politicians and bureaucrats may soon shudder to learn: it’s not easy to placate a demographic whose greatest public pleasure thus far has been shutting you out of the conversation.
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