What’s Needed for Change at This Political Moment? 5 Well-Known Progressives, 5 Strong Opinions

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/activism/156016/what’s_needed_for_change_at_this_political_moment_5_well-known_progressives%2C_5_strong_opinions/


At the Working-Class Studies conference last weekend, I heard an amazing dialogue about class, race and movement-building by five progressive journalists and activist scholars: Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now!, Frances Fox Piven, Bill Fletcher Jr. of Blackcommentator.com, and former New York Times columnist Bob Herbert of Demos, with conference organizer Michael Zweig, author of The Working Class Majority moderating.

I was struck by how openly they disagreed with each other in front of us 200 listeners, by how passionate all five of them are about creating a more just society, and by what vast depth of experience they brought to the panel. Here are some highlights:

Juan Gonzalez: We have to start saying “working class” again. When politicians say “the middle class,” their purpose is to exclude poor and immigrant labor from the American people. The key responsibility of progressives is to reject this concept of the middle class.

Frances Fox Piven: The Citizens United Supreme Court decision (allowing corporate personhood and unlimited secret spending on elections) raises the problem of propaganda in the US. We’ve always had corporate and elite propaganda, but now the problem is much worse. The complexity of the financial crisis makes populist organizing difficult. The Citizens United decision is responsible for the defeat of the Wisconsin recall vote (to remove anti-union Governor Scott Walker); we are watching the downfall of representative democracy. A disruptive movement is needed.

[HiPointDem]

1. working class pride. sick of yuppies & climbers. consider them traitors, snitches,

sellouts, collaborators.

[Iggy]

2. "problem of propaganda in the US."

BEENGO!!

Hellooooo? I've been saying this for years over on the orange site, and getting mostly the dull bovine stare as a
result.

"Dont complain about the media, become the media!"
Jello Biafra

The answer to the "problem of propaganda" is not to overturn Citizens United (good luck overturning a Court
decision in your lifetime). the answer is not to whine about/criticize, or attempt to shame corporate owned
mainstream media into doing what needs to be done. forget it. not going to happen-- the Fourth Estate is dead.

THE answer is: better/smarter/more prolific propaganda FROM US to counter the bullcrap coming from the
wealthy class on a daily basis. and I don't mean blogging.

[TomClash]

3. Yawn, blah, blah, blah, yawn, blah, blah, blah

"People are tired of meetings, the classics, pointless marches, theoretical discussions that split hairs in four; endless distinctions, the monotony and poverty of certain political analyses." - Alfredo Bonanno

BTW, this post is not intended to mock the excellent poster, xchrom.