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

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Greece’s uncertain future: a short documentary

Click here to access source of the 10:02m video source and brief article, reproduced below, by Brandon Jourdan and Marianne Maeckelbergh and posted on Refelections on a Revolution.

This is an excellent video presentation that covers all the main features of the current social-political drama being played out in the worst battlefield of class war--Greece. As such it covers not only the police oppression, fascist goons, a disintegrating social fabric, but also a lot of community self-organizing going on to sustain local economies and to defend their communities from police and their fascist collaborators. There are also some suggestions that the crisis is reaching a tipping point of public anger against the authorities that could develop into a different level of conflict. 
This short documentary looks at the current social crisis in Greece, the growth of alternative economies, general strikes, and the rise of the anti-fascist movement in response to violent attacks by the far-right. After six years of recession, the situation in Greece is growing increasingly dark. As the unemployment rate continues to rise and salaries continue to drop, the country has descended into an increasingly unpredictable situation.