AUT: Re: Re: Re: THE ANTI-G8 PROTESTS IN CALGARY

["cwright" <cwright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>
> A couple of comments Chris (Wright) to yout thoughts around
> the "diversity of tacticts" thread:
>
> You write "For people I know, diversity of tactics was originally
> a slogan aimed at opening up demonstrations, of breaking the
> stage-managing by Leninists and Liberals. ..."
>
> Or in other words, it was opportunistic.

I am not exactly sure why this would necessarily be opportunistic, as long
as the political problems were in fact raised.  If not, then I hope that my
post made clear that I agree.  The apoliticism of the process in many
instances has certainly justified your critique, but to assume that
'diversity of tactics' can only be an un(der)theorized ideological recycling
of the marketplace seems unjustified.

> That is one reason why
> I never managed to take the term too seriously. Another way to
> put it is that it serves as means of depolitization. No need to
> discuss political ends and means (these seemed to have be-
> come completly dicorced), means of direct , indirect and symbolic
> communication, and the concrete possible political consequences
> of ones acts and priorities. Everything is real, and all that is real
> is good, just as in the marketplace.
>         Another thing is that implicit assumption always seem to
> be a "diversity" among activists, as if they made up the whole
> world, and where the center of the world always remains
> "demos".

Ah, too true.

>         There is also some other funny things involved, on the one
> hand one hate the liberals and Leninists (though it might be said
> that  the most "militant" faction often also include liberals
> and Leninists, members of Stalinist parties not excluded), on
> the other hand one get desperate if they withdraw or decide to
> march on their own. As they generally still make up the largest
> numbers, the so-called "critical mass," another more often
> than not stupefying, and in its essence instrumental term.
>     So a greater degree of honesty and facing realities rather than
> the spinning of myths about ones own importance, might be
> called for.

After I posted this, I thought to myself that of course the Maoists are
often the most likely to engage in 'direct action'. The Leninists most often
acting like the liberals are certain Stalinists and Trotskyists, who always
start from the premise that 'confrontation with the cops will scare people
away', which in most cases means the union bureaucrats or liberal activists
these groups orient towards.  So yes, I would do well to be more clear on
the real differentiation in practice in demonstrations.  In mentioning the
RCP example, however, I implicitly recognized that, since the RCP is the
biggest Maoist group in the US, but didn't follow the thought through.

>         It is not that nothing positive happen. They do. And as you,
> I find the idea of 'free speech zones' a pretty good idea if one
> can manage to make them inclusive: Into real spaces for direct
> communication and not just proclamations.
>
> But when I want to address the question of "smashing of corpo-
> rate property," or confrontation with the forces of law and order,
> I want to address this in political terms and not through vague
> concepts as "diversity of tactics"  (or through moralism).
> That only serves the forces of stupefication and depolitization,
> and in the final end, the forces of law and order and passivity.
> Let us rather put the question of social communication as a
> means for developing spaces and frameworkes for real collective
> actions at the centre of discussions, and dare to say that for
> some actions the term "stupid" is more telling than "militant."

Yep.  Still not convinced that 'diversity of tactics' didn't have a value at
a specific moment in helping to open up such discussions.  Then again, I
think that you and I are arguing for the same approach, except that for you
DOT has been a barrier to the kind of discussion which needs to happen more,
whereas I think it can actually be useful.

Cheers,
Chris
"In a world which really is topsy-turvy, the true is a moment of the
false." - Debord




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