Is this a revolution?

[benbrucato]

This video is excellent. It begins with Occupy Vancouver's brilliant inclusion in their "no weapons, no violence" policy (it includes the cops!). It covers the black bloc in Oakland, the pacifist fundamentalism of liberals, the anarchist beginnings of the movement and its connection to revolutionary direct action in Egypt, etc. Good stuff all around.

Is this a revolution?

[Ryan R.]

No, we would need some actual workers for that sort of thing. The disorganized and disillusioned petty bourgeois liberal youth of the developed world are not a revolutionary agent.

On with the next question then.

[benbrucato]

Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin wrote on his FB wall today:

So I'm talking to my print company rep yesterday in Denver, who is also affiliated with the Anarchist Black Cross, and they are telling me that 39 people were arrested in demonstrations in Occupy Denver protests. Many of whom were the most militant activists: homeless, unemployed, and POC. What really jolted me is that he said the "leaders" in Occupy Denver are disowning the protesters, even helping the cops by turning over videotapes and identifying folks in the protests that "turned violent" according to the media and these leaders. That is the worst kind of treachery, even more so than the usual "peace police" at demonstrations who try to control activists from militant "outbursts" against the cops and the state, not approved by the pacifists.

He followed up on a comment, saying:

This has to be exposed and fought, and these people have to be driven out of the movement for their treachery. In Oakland, they want to run Anarchists and radical militants out of the movement, but we need to turn that around.

[benbrucato]

I'm in the bottom 20%, showing up with a state benefits card in my pocket. I always think of myself as a younger person, but then I realize that I was at my first union meeting planning for a strike (an anarchist, sitting among Trots and MLM communists) when you were still in diapers. Can I come to your revolution, Ryan?

[anonanon]

I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that they would collaborate with police or their pride and openness about the fact that they would do it:

from another thread:

Calling the APD murderous armed thugs is equally glib and dismissive. I won't tolerate anyone condoning violent tactics. It would make this a movement I would not only leave, but be disgusted with and actively work to stop. I want to see the world change, not burn and I'm not alone in feeling this way.

occupyalbany.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=radical&thread=831&page=1

[Ryan R.]

Nov 9, 2011 22:56:39 GMT -5 benbrucato said:

I'm in the bottom 20%, showing up with a state benefits card in my pocket. I always think of myself as a younger person, but then I realize that I was at my first union meeting planning for a strike (an anarchist, sitting among Trots and MLM communists) when you were still in diapers. Can I come to your revolution, Ryan?

I would actually say that it's a bloody shame we don't have more comrades like you on the barricades.

Regardless though, for a situation to be revolutionary we need the subjective factor of proletarian leadership to be firmly in place and for it to be in conjunction with a mass movement of the working class. We've yet to fully met such conditions, thus we've yet to see this situation turn revolutionary.

Though honestly, I don't think anyone has any serious illusions about this models utter incapacity to serve as a permanent revolutionary organ, as this direct string of demonstrations is obviously not going to make a revolution of thin air in the near future.

[bw]

What a great video, I love when I hear someone else speaking exactly what is on my mind. I guess I am not the only one who thinks liberal reformist are trying to take over the movement, electoral politics won't work and a revolution requires many different tactics... wierd