Privilege Politics is Reformism

Privilege theorists are a generation who have never known mass and militant struggle. They are a generation who have never seen the masses as described in Frantz Fanon’s Towards the African Revolution. They have never met an oppressed people who have simply stated, I will either live like a human or die in struggle. I do not know if they have been in rebellions where very oppressed people choose to fight the police and other oppressors risking imprisonment and much worse. Have they seen such a people? Is there any doubt it is only a people who are willing to go this far who have any chance of defeating white supremacy?

via blackorchidcollective.wordpress.com

this is my favorite critique of this piece

March 19, 2012

A personal account of the eviction of Occupy the Midwest

“Hey, would you help me unfurl this banner?”

So I found myself holding a corner of a massive banner, the size of a billboard that read “Police State.” The moment that my friend asked me this question I knew that the attempt to hold the park had failed. What occurred thirty minutes prior – a group of 100 or so people successfully shouting back the police – would not occur again. Pigs amassed in force. Suddenly, the agreement the group had made before the 10pm curfew that no one would talk to the police was forgotten, and politicians from both sides of the situation began to negotiate… well, it was more of the same “Occupy Movement” attempt to convince a city official that we had a right to set up a camp. The ridiculous 1^st amendment argument that some people think is a ticket to freedom… because freedom is apparently synonymous with “rights.”

As I stood there, confused about all the conversations I see occurring at the bottom of the hill, pissed off that people are talking with the cops and the mayor’s aid, the police began to multiply. The first group of pigs stood there, rubbing their batons, obviously fantasizing about avenging their earlier show of weakness. As their numbers continued to swell, it became clear that to prevent ourselves from being arrested in the context of civil disobedience, and to end this night with some measure of power, we had to move. With spontaneity, a march was called, this billboard banner leading the way. As we began to walk south, blocking both lanes of traffic due to the size of the sign, the cops stopped their conversations and conceivably received some kind of vague order. They were pissed. They were disorganized.

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March 9, 2012

Muchos de los graffitis son considerados un acto vandálico. Estos dibujos en aerosol son señalados por muchas personas como obras de vandalismo en espacios públicos. Lo que sí es cierto es que afectan un poco a la contaminación y ni siempre son tan estéticamente agradables, mucho menos impresionantes, agregando que algunos son hechos en los lugares menos adecuados. Con esta idea se quiere incentivar el grafiti ecológico, mostrando que además se puede ayudar a que el espacio donde se realice se vea más bonito.

Para realizar la “pintura o tinta” que se utiliza en este tipo de graffitis se necesita:
- Musgo (una buena cantidad).
- Una lata de cerveza o una taza de leche o yogurt, cualquiera de los tres. Esto se utiliza como alimento para el musgo.
- 2 tazas de agua.
- 1/2 cucharada de azúcar.

Parece una receta de cocina, pero no lo es. Necesitarás también un envase profundo, una licuadora y una brocha para pintar.

Primero, lava el musgo, de manera que quites la mayor cantidad de tierra posible. Después desmenuza el musgo en pequeños pedazos y mételo a la licuadora. Añade la cerveza, la leche o el yogurt, más el azúcar.
Con esta mezcla, realiza tu graffiti, luego solo tendrás que humedecerlo semanalmente.