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Stop the show! Everyday resistance instead of anti-G8-Spectacle

Peter | 31.05.2007 06:17 | G8 Russia 2006 | Globalisation | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements

It is always similar: The rulers in politics and economy meet and protests as for example against the G8-summit in Heiligendamm react to it. Thousands of humans come together to have actions, demonstrations, discussions, etc. and after the end of this - for state and capital calculable - spectacle they all drive home and function again at home (part of the spectacle are the summits as well as the protests against it): everywhere, where capitalism reproduces itself daily, where we all reproduce it daily, by our wage labour, by our doing: whether in the factory, in the office, in the sweat shop, in the agency, in the school or university. The protests against the G8-summit and the demo tourism do not have anything to do with concrete daily resistance, where we work and live.

Everyday resistance instead of anti-G8-Spectacle

It is always similar: The rulers in politics and economy meet and protests as for example against the G8-summit in Heiligendamm react to it. Thousands of humans come together to have actions, demonstrations, discussions, etc. and after the end of this - for state and capital calculable - spectacle they all drive home and function again at home (part of the spectacle are the summits as well as the protests against it): everywhere, where capitalism reproduces itself daily, where we all reproduce it daily, by our wage labour, by our doing: whether in the factory, in the office, in the sweat shop, in the agency, in the school or university. The protests against the G8-summit and the demo tourism do not have anything to do with concrete daily resistance, where we work and live.

Criticism and resistance must be concrete!

In the proclamation for the international demonstration in Rostock on 2 June 2007 the speech is of a "world of wars, hunger, social splitting, ecocide and walls against migrants and refugees" and of "unfair world trade politics". What about our concrete locally problems, in our enterprises, in our quarters, our schools and universities? These problems are out of question in all the proclamations. No word concerning unemployment, the daily humiliation that we have to sell our skin. No word about the pressure that we have to pay for everything and our everyday' s situation on the job, about the rising rents. You can' t read anything about our everyday and concrete fears and sorrows, but also nothing about our dreams and desires. Nothing could be read about the attempts to resist or about labour disputes as these of Gate Gourmet or OPEL.

If in the proclamtion it is written that „globalization in the interest of the majority of humans“ means „fair relations between industrial and developing countries“ and „peace, justice, social security, democracy“, then these empty phrases could just as well descend from any other (social)democrats. A criticism of capitalist conditions, which are just based on democracy (at present and in our widths) and (market)justice, a criticism of wage labour, state and capital these words are lacking. For us any trade is the trade of the human misery; for us all states are prisons; for us is capitalist peace the (pre-)condition of the capitalist war; for us democracy is one of the political forms of rule of the dictatorship of the capital.

Against the liberty and equality of the capital!

A „solidary and equal living together of all humans“ and a „peaceful world“ are not possible under capitalist conditions. These Conditions are based on the capitalist competition (whether between different regions, companies or workers), on everyday exploitation and limits (exclusion and inclusion). This society is permanently in the state of crisis, which means a social war against us and our working and living conditions. In another one of these proclamations (originating from the group „Avanti“, entitled „Make capitalism history“) it is written that hey don' t want to realize „a 'better capitalism'“,but however in the same breath „global freedom of movement“, „unconditional existence money“ and „global social rights“ are demanded. What however has this to do with an end of capitalism?

Likewise in this proclamation there are „equal rights and standards world wide“ demanded: this is mainly the right that allows us to sell ourselves (at the same time a mute obligation of conditions) and a equal "standard of living" (you should think of the word "standard"). Which "social rights", which "achievements" are here defended? The right on council flats, on unemployment pay, on a minimum wage? We shall accept all this as a kind of the lesser evil, but is it really what we want? The equality that consists in the sale of our work(power). Indeed a valuable right, a great achievement!

The group of the G8 is called a „self appointed informal world government“ without any democratic „legitimation“ - in response to that, it means that it would be better if this „government“ would have been elected in democratic elections from humanity. What would this change in contents of politics? What would that change in the social bases of capitalist society? If we would (s)elect our bosses democratically, would there be then no more exploitation and problems?

You can' t demonstrate capitalism away

Also without G8-summit as this one in Heiligendamm there will be capitalism, the everyday exploitation is far more non-spectacular. The G8 is not the problem, exploitation existed already long time before such summits. Just as little the misery of our existence is not the result of the failure of some managers.

Capitalism is a social relationship – not a meeting which could be blocked and also not a product which could be boycotted. All the existing problems cannot be demonstrated away, but be fought only by means of concrete resistance!

We need neither a market, in order to find out, what our needs are, nor state and capital, in order to satisfy these. In the opposite: We must abolish capitalism together for the satisfaction of our needs! We do not need (alternative) politicians, who talk for us, and also no welfare state, which cares about us: To release us from this misery, this could be done only by ourselves! A real fight against capitalism begins beyond the spectacle in our everyday life. Our future is to be find not in the reformation, but in the destruction of the capitalist economy.


Some enemies of the wage labour and friends of the good life

Peter
- Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/revolutiontimes/

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

ah, and why not BOTH?

31.05.2007 09:45

the blabla about criticizing big protests is bullshit. most people i know who go to big protests do a hell lot of good work in between, in everyday life. so please do not bore us with you great discovery that every day life is important, ok?

protest


yes, both..

31.05.2007 10:21

..are important, but I think he wasn't referring to your friends who do a lot of good work between protests. Hard to say, but apparently they're expecting 150.000 people in Rostock. I'd guess maybe 1.000 of those are actually "full-time" anti-capitalists...

So while I agree with you that both are equally important, I still think he has a point in posting his message, clearly a lot of people (including me) aren't doing all that they can to make protests obsolete!

andre


why now?

31.05.2007 11:05

the 'don't do that, do what I think you should do' is both stupid and counterproductive, surely a post-g8 'now the real work begins' type appeal would be more effective in encouraging people attracted to anti-capitalism into doing community activism

local activist


One army united against tyranny

31.05.2007 11:35


Demonstrating is important. What is even more important is
direct action. In other words to smash tyranny - even when it bears
fancy clothes and is disguised under various fancy titles like
WEF, WTO, G8, NAFTA, EU etc. etc.

Got get confused or mislead by the crap they are trying to sell you
every time before they arrange a meeting.

We have to be one strong army in order to be able to defeat atleast
part of this totalitarian dragon. You simply must cut off its long
tail and after that punch a big, sharp log through the
beast.

Let the mortal wound that we are going to give never again give rise
to such beasts.


Theodoros


Walking we ask questions

31.05.2007 21:14

A little humility on your part please Peter. This isn't 2000, we all know those arguments, in fact that false dichotomy between anti-summit protests and 'everyday struggle' is very old hat. The effect of the movement of movements, including summit protests has been to massively increase the room for manouvre of social movement involved in everyday struggles right around the world. The WTO has ground to a halt, a whole wave of neo-liberal reforms which would have made life immeasurably worse for millions of people has been disrupted. It certainly isn't the answer but it gives us more room in which to experiment with answers. While we're in Germany, we'll be meeting and discussing with people from all around the world, we'll be acting in common with them and that is the only way you develop answers. You in all your arrogance obviously don't have the answers for how we can win everyday struggles. Learning off each other and getting people into movement is the only place to start, if we have to go to Germany to help that process then off we go. We must resist the temptation to dismiss struggles because they aren't pure enough - people in movement move, they change. you and me need to change and learn as much as everyone else. Come to the protests Peter I think you'd learn a lot.A little humility on your part, please Peter. This isn't 2000, we all know those arguments, in fact that false dichotomy between anti-summit protests and 'everyday struggle' is very old hat. The effect of the movement of movements, including summit protests has been to massively increase the room for manoeuvre of social movement involved in everyday struggles right around the world. The WTO has ground to a halt; a whole wave of neo-liberal reforms, which would have made life immeasurably worse for millions of people, has been disrupted. It certainly isn't the answer but it gives us more room in which to experiment with answers. While we're in Germany, we'll be meeting and discussing with people from all around the world, we'll be acting in common with them and that is the only way you develop answers. You, despite your arrogance, obviously don't have the answers for how we can win everyday struggles. Learning off each other and getting people into movement is the only place to start, if we have to go to Germany to help that process then off we go. We must resist the temptation to dismiss struggles because they aren't pure enough - people in movement move, they change. You, and me as well, need to change and learn. Come to the protests Peter I think you'd learn a lot.

Grannies sucking eggs.