Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Unpicking the lessons of our occupation, means recognising its realities

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, January 1, 2011

Unpicking the lessons of our occupation, means recognising its realities

by Jo Casserly from UCL Occupation.

The British students at University College London (UCL) are fighting back against tuition hikes and cutbacks. They are using the new social media and incorporating the revolutionary experiences of previous generations with new ideas of organizing from the bottom-up. Their thinking is evolving into some big ideas that sees their struggles as a part of a class war, and a war that they intend to win.

The article follows with more discussion and contains some important links to other sources of information.