Friday, May 11, 2012

Francois Hollande

Francois Hollande's recent victory in France's election was seen as a significant event in world politics. Hollande's election has led political junkies to ask "what does this mean for the rest of the world?" Certainly this is a symbolic victory for socialists -- libertarian or state socialists. But nothing but promises have been made by Hollande and the socialists. Although material changes haven't happened, Hollande's election may have threatened the global capitalist economy. If Hollande's victory can inspire other countries to elect socialists, then capitalism is in a precarious state.
We can hope for the best, but Hollande's victory does not let us off the hook from organizing our communities and changing ourselves.

ORGANIZE

6 comments:

  1. As the Situationists used to say, "Be Realistic, Demand the Impossible." Better yet, don't demand anything, just realize it.

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  2. I wish I knew what you meant by that .. don't demand anything, just realize it? Don't demand anything from the government? But what about the ppl?

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  3. Hm, I guess my point, SNP (can I call you that? :]), is to ask "demanding what of whom?" There is actually something subtly pro-establishment about the language of protest. Traditionally, protesters march around with signs listing out their demands, i.e. "Equality Now", "Free Leonard Peltier", etc - but who are they asking this of? Well, implicitly, they are asking the government or some other entity to grant their demands.

    What this does in effect is two things: it legitimizes the structure of power that leads to things like massive inequality in the first place, and secondly, it also dis-empowers the people, since they are reduced basically to the role of beggars or pleaders, trying to negotiate with a system that has never served them.

    I am using "realize" in the literal sense of "to make real". In other words, rather than asking the powers that be to create a better world, and hoping they listen, why not do it ourselves? I'm basically calling for direct action instead of making demands. If we are going to build a better world, we are going to have to do it ourselves - not wait for the authorities of the current order to agree to give up their power.

    A concrete example of this would be what many of the Occupy encampments are doing. Rather than coming up with a list of demands, the Occupy encampments within themselves create in miniature the society they want to see - one based on cooperation, collective action, direct democracy, solidarity, and communal empowerment. They are essentially creating the new world in the shell of the old; carving out autonomous zones and free spaces where people can meet and experience, in a very direct way, what a different kind of social order would feel like.

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  4. AHHH yes, I absolutely agree with everything you said.

    But I do think that occupiers should make demands from the masses. Demands like 'implement direct democracy when hanging out with your friends.' I believe that if we change our relationships then we can change our condition.

    How do you feel about this?

    Add me on twitter if you have an account, my account name is sociopoliticonurd

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  5. "I believe if we change our relationships than we can change our condition."

    This. 100%.

    I don't have a twitter because I'm a luddite like that, but I'll be sure to check out your tweets.

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  6. that's a shame because luddites are the best people to follow on twitter.

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