Re: [Marxism] A "protest in suits" movement. What do you think?

["Tom O'Lincoln" <suarsos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I remember a similar proposal in San Francisco during the Vietnam era: let's 
have a march of lawyers in three-piece suits, and this will show that the 
anti-war movement isn't just rabble.

I think it's problematic. If lawyers want to march, great, and if they wear 
their usual clothes that's fine. It's also good if a  minority of the 
"suit-wearing classes" are visible in organising their peers.

But I'm not in favour of the rest of us dressing up artificially in order to 
look respectable.

It doesn't "reclaim" the symbols of power, it *endorses* the symbols of 
power, and legitimises a view of the world that the opinions and actions of 
middle class people are more "serious" than others.

It identifies "ordinary Americans" as being the middle class, and 
de-legitimises the rest; amd it can make it harder to mobilise working class 
people, because they'll feel out of place.







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