Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Between the Leninists and the Clowns: Avoiding recklessness and professionalism in revolutionary struggle

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

Friday, August 3, 2012

Between the Leninists and the Clowns: Avoiding recklessness and professionalism in revolutionary struggle

Click here to access article by Black Orchid Collective from Anarchist News.

This quite lengthy article focuses on current issues within activist circles in the Seattle area. One might take issue with my framing it as "within activist circles" instead of anarchist circles, but I think that anarchists are the leading edge of current activist activity. I think that, in the interests of time, you can skip the initial three sections and start with section IV, "Challenges we face if we want to survive and grow". In this article they, the Collective, clearly delineate some of the most crucial issues that need to be addressed in order to create an effective revolutionary movement with mass participants.