https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
#COVID19 caused more than 10 times the deaths of the #911 attacks in the last 28 days alone – more than 200 times in total.
"""Terrorism""" was always a bullshit justification for war.
And yet, #911 was used as justification for a war that has been going on for over a decade now.
A war which has seen the US and other "ex"-colonial powers commit countless atrocities.
We have seen the photos of tortured prisoners, heard the dehumanising banter on the radio when a pilot mowed down civilians in Collateral Murder, watched people getting blown to bits on drone footage.
AND YET – the drone murders continue, the torture in Gitmo continues, the WAR continues.
And what about the other side of the fence? What about us – the privileged people in the west?
We have seen #911 justifying the ever more aggressive growth of a surveillance state that was already unjustifiable as it was at the turn of the century (see: ECHELON) with shit like the Patriot Act.
We have also seen that demonstrations don't work anymore.
Not against war.
Not against surveillance.
Not against social inequalities.
We need better tactics.
Personally, I think we have 3 areas that ought to be greatly improved:
1) Hit 'em where it hurts.
2) Crossing the fence
3) Strategy/Vision
1) We need tactics that create maximum monetary loss for capitalists for minimum effort.
Todays activism is pathetically tame, even more so when taking into account how little time we have left to turn away catastrophe.
We need to git gud at sabotage.
If possible this should be done, with minimum collateral damage.
If we sabotage fossil fuel production, prices go up – leading to poor people suffering more.
This is an inherent mechanism of capitalism, but we can't let us deter us from doing what's necessary.
At some point minimizing damage will mean we need to be providing a means to acquire basic goods to people, this loops back into the later two points.
2) Crossing the fence
We need to talk and organize more with those on the other side of the fence – the ones that are kept isolated from us but struggle against the same oppressors.
Going back to the example of the War on Terror, this would be radicals in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
If we can organize with these people, we can put the squeeze on the system from both sides.
We also need to find ways to efficiently route goods to those on the less privileged side of the fence.
3) VIsion / Strategy
We need something to actually work towards to. Something to supersede and deprecate the capitalist system.
Without this, we have nothing to inform any strategy (as opposed to tactics).
Centrally now, as it did 150 years ago, stands one question:
How do we produce and provide the basic necessities to everyone?
This is essential – and yet – most modern radicals don't have much if anything to offer here.
I do, though. 😈
I can't and won't tell you what system of governance is best – for there is none. Different systems will work for different circumstances and people.
But I can tell you how to produce and provide basic goods: BUILD OUR OWN GODDAMN INDUSTRY.
We need open (ideally libre) hardware to produce basic necessities. A community of 15 people should be able to produce everything they need for everyday use.
@phryk in that long-ass article i posted, protests are often the least effective parts of activism.. Blockades, boycotts and strikes are more effective.
Furthermore, protests seems to be something that mainly costs energy? For me at least human interactions usually cost spoons. Maybe because of TV and computers people are more that way. People also just don't know how to (be)entertained in protest conditions?
Maybe i am massively projecting..
@phryk It doesn't help that the protests are often on the other side of the country.
And the internet tends to connect according to peoples interests & language, but not at all according to physical location.
Protests are often "thing bad" maybe we should have more "thing good"... Or how to do things differently..
Think convincing people is one of the main goals.. Having more alternative media available, that always tries to get _new_ audiences..
🔗 Civil resistance versus revolution | Mano Singham https://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2021/09/12/civil-resistance-versus-revolution/ About this (long) newspaper article https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/23/how-to-stop-a-power-grab (just a bit is about stopping Trump) > Although the Internet is good at “getting people to the streets quickly, in large numbers,” its costs to movements may outweigh its benefits.
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phryk 🏴
Jasper 🍉