[g8-sheffield] Mass mobilisation...

[Dan]

I checked the spelling of insurection as well... maybe my computer 
allows both.  But cheers.

Well: there are a lot of people who think mass mobilisation means doing 
what you're told and following a party line.  Of course, plenty of 
people believe this is the one and only way that revolution will come - 
that all this wibble about freedom and autonomy is self-indulgent 
nonsense, stemming from the fluffy, comfortable post-materialist 
lifestyles of rich westerners.  Some say it also indicates a total lack 
of understanding of the nature and strength of the enemy. In the face of 
capitalism, division in the ranks is not a luxury the oppressed can afford.

(There's a good example of this in a recent post to Indymedia about the 
clown's frivolity vs South American unity, resolve and self-sacrifice - 
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/sheffield/2005/06/314158.html)

Many of us - myself included - refuse to submit to any 'mass 
mobilisation' if we are required to give up our freedom.  Mass 
mobilisation requires obedience to authority.  Not doing that.  If 
someone gains my trust and respect, then I will listen to them and act 
with them in solidarity: that's power-with, not power-over.  I won't 
march in an army, proletarian or otherwise.  I won't follow behind 
someone claiming to know the truth about the nature of social forces, 
any more than I would follow a priest who claimed to hold the truth 
about my soul.  All these claims - that there's one truth, and it's 
Marx's / the Bible's / science's / and anyway, stop asking questions, 
you're part of a mass mobilisation, not a thinker - they're all from the 
same style of politics.

Hell - a lot more arguing and discussion to be done!  Last point, 
though: people who believe in a command economy tend also to believe in 
command society & command democracy - democratic centralism.  But people 
have always exchanged, and always traded.  Exchange emerges naturally - 
as it does in prisons, as it did in Auschwitz even.  What neoliberalism 
does is to dismember exchange from society - turning everything into 
money machines.  Property, goods, resources - human resources included - 
'services', ideas, programs, genes... all devices for turning energy 
into pure capital...

We can claim all that back for ourselves - but I don't think we need any 
mass mobilisation to do it.  Aw f**k - it's a big leftie tiff that's 
been going on for bloody years... let's see if we can discuss it in 
civility.

See ya

Dan
----




IAN WALLACE wrote:

> What is wrong with mass mobilisation? Insurection has 2 'r's.
> Ian
> */g8-sheffield-request at lists.aktivix.org/* wrote:
>
>     Send g8-sheffield mailing list submissions to
>     g8-sheffield at lists.aktivix.org
>
>     To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>     http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/g8-sheffield
>     or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>     g8-sheffield-request at lists.aktivix.org
>
>     You can reach the person managing the list at
>     g8-sheffield-owner at lists.aktivix.org
>
>     When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>     than "Re: Contents of g8-sheffield digest..."
>
>
>     Today's Topics:
>
>     1. Thoughts for the future... (Dan)
>
>
>     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>     Message: 1
>     Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 11:20:56 +0100
>     From: Dan
>     Subject: [g8-sheffield] Thoughts for the future...
>     To: g8-sheffield at lists.aktivix.org, SSF
>     Message-ID: <42B7EA08.5020207 at aktivix.org>
>     Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>     Hey up,
>
>     When criticisms are made of another's writing, it would be lovely if -
>
>     a) they were done in a spirit of solidarity, because
>
>     b) if you read *all* the post, the sentiments of the writer are
>     wholly
>     supportive, really exciting and visionary.
>
>     They even specifically say, for example, that they don't believe in
>     old-fashioned 'mass-mobilisation' (which someone accused them of,
>     when
>     mentioning 'harnessing...'), and their discussion of the
>     anarchists is
>     full of hope and joy.
>
>     Also - the reference to filthy dirty radicals: I'm suspecting that's
>     partly because that's how we were referring to ourselves. We even had
>     two outings of the Filthy Radical Radio Show on Sheffield Live FM.
>     (being played again, today I think - 87.7fm!) That's merely a
>     reflection of not taking ourselves too seriously, and having a good
>     time. (Anyone doubting that humour isn't one of the most powerful of
>     political weapons hasn't seen any Bill Hicks or Rob Newman...)
>
>     It is, though, a sad truth that one or two words written in haste can
>     cause offence. If I were sixteen or thereabouts, I would get very
>     upset
>     if someone called me a little anything...! Which is why I always read
>     back ALL e-mails and posts I write to myself, and try not to write
>     anything when drunk!
>
>     So a big 'woo hoo!' to the spirit, hope and love of the writer. And
>     here's to a Massive Alternative Terrain of Insurection, Love and
>     Direct
>     Action...
>
>     Dan
>
>
>
>     ------------------------------
>
>     _______________________________________________
>     http://www.sheffield.dissent.org.uk/
>     http://wiki.sheffieldsocialforum.org.uk/G8
>     g8-sheffield mailing list
>     g8-sheffield at lists.aktivix.org
>     http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/g8-sheffield
>
>
>     End of g8-sheffield Digest, Vol 4, Issue 48
>     *******************************************
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>_______________________________________________
>http://www.sheffield.dissent.org.uk/
>http://wiki.sheffieldsocialforum.org.uk/G8
>g8-sheffield mailing list
>g8-sheffield at lists.aktivix.org
>http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/g8-sheffield
>  
>