Why social centres are pants...
cynic | 16.07.2004 00:50 | Education | Free Spaces | Social Struggles | London
Is it just me or does anyone else think that the current trend toward starting up so-called 'social centres' is a load of wank?
Whatever happened to direct action, taking to the streets, throwing a spanner in the works and fucking shit up? What has happened to the revolutionaries? Why this suden explosion of 'social centres' all over the place?
It seems that a whole generation of activists have grown soft and have aspirations to be property owners, venue managers, cinema proprietors or cafe and bar staff. What is it all for? To give a small clique of friends and so-called activists a cool )and more importantly, cheap) place to hang out?
Am I being cynical? Lets for the sake of argument imagine that these places are not simply provided for the benefit of the usual suspects and do actual get people outside of these 'activist' cliques in through the doors. What then, what is achieved? Not that I really believe these places actually succeed in attracting 'normal' people anyway, but if it were true, what radical social change do we get for showing a bunch of the middle class white kids some pirated hollywood movie or feeding them some skipped pasta for a pound donation?
Indymedia is meant to be about politics and action, not cinema night, craft workshops, gigs and art galleries and I'm feed up with reading more and more self promotion on the newswire. Just because social centre events may be s free that doesn't stop it being advertising. These social centres seem to me, to be involved in little more than self rightious wank. What we need is more active people not less - not more people going out for a good time. It's not like there arn't already loads of cafes, cinemas, and bars etc for people to go to, so why does it seem that so many people are putting energy into providing these things.
Revolution means change. As activists, we are meant to faciltate change, not change into cheap replicas of what already exists. Lets get back out on the streets and in the workplace and get on with rocking the boat.
It seems that a whole generation of activists have grown soft and have aspirations to be property owners, venue managers, cinema proprietors or cafe and bar staff. What is it all for? To give a small clique of friends and so-called activists a cool )and more importantly, cheap) place to hang out?
Am I being cynical? Lets for the sake of argument imagine that these places are not simply provided for the benefit of the usual suspects and do actual get people outside of these 'activist' cliques in through the doors. What then, what is achieved? Not that I really believe these places actually succeed in attracting 'normal' people anyway, but if it were true, what radical social change do we get for showing a bunch of the middle class white kids some pirated hollywood movie or feeding them some skipped pasta for a pound donation?
Indymedia is meant to be about politics and action, not cinema night, craft workshops, gigs and art galleries and I'm feed up with reading more and more self promotion on the newswire. Just because social centre events may be s free that doesn't stop it being advertising. These social centres seem to me, to be involved in little more than self rightious wank. What we need is more active people not less - not more people going out for a good time. It's not like there arn't already loads of cafes, cinemas, and bars etc for people to go to, so why does it seem that so many people are putting energy into providing these things.
Revolution means change. As activists, we are meant to faciltate change, not change into cheap replicas of what already exists. Lets get back out on the streets and in the workplace and get on with rocking the boat.
cynic
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