Here on the West Coast, we have a particularly unique situation and demographic of people. I'm specifically referencing this community of artists, activists, bohemians, spiritual practitioners, fashion designers and deviants of every shape and size. The freedom, openness, forward-thinking and rebellion of this community is the very reason I consider this community home. I have never before met a group of people so rich in talent that also embodies the intention and capacity to make positive changes on this planet. Yet, this potential to effect change, in my opinion, is unfocused and thereby ineffective. And so, I intend this message to serve as a call to action; to move forward from the constraint of apathy and truly consider the means for change. I also welcome your responses to the following essay and hope this will instigate open debate.
REBEL ENERGY vs REBEL CHIC
Truly, we are custodians of "Rebel Culture". This culture originated in the efforts and sacrifices of those who have come before us; I speak, naturally, of the Civil Rights movements that precede us, including the Black Panther party, the Hippie movement and the student uprisings of the 60s, just to name a few. These movements, creations in response to the ills of their time, won freedoms for the community and stood as examples to the world of the "power of the People" over repressive government power.
Here we are, once again at a truly pivotal moment in history, where institutional power seeks to fortify its walls and strengthen its grip at the expense of the people of the world. Let us be reminded that Veitnam II is well and truly underway (we all love a
sequel; as if we can't learn our lesson first time round). Here we are, a community with this vast potential to make a change, to hold government and public conscioussness accountable and yet ...
....where is the movement, where is the change?
I am aware that, as an underground community, our movements are somewhat "covert" in nature. The mainstay of our
dissent goes relatively unseen and unacknowledged by society at large. And rightly so. The foundation and framework
to build a powerful movement that flies in the face of mainstream consciousness will need extensive preparations to maintain its off-the-grid approach. I know there are those out there who know what I mean. But there comes a point where our movements must leave the safety of the shadows and deploy within society at large.
PACIFISM, PEACE & CHANGE
Most of us within this community would like to believe that we are instrumental in creating change in our world. Many of us would cite the doctrine of Pacifism as our guide, wishing to approach societal change non-violently. I would argue, however, that the doctrine of Pacifism that we have accepted does more for social apathy and "sleepwalking" than serve to dismantle odious formations of power and control.
The doctrine of Pacifism, as exhibited by Dr. Martin Luther King for example, was successful, in part, because it was exercised against the backdrop of a more militant black nationalism: the Nation of Islam, when spearheaded by Malcolm X. This militant force demanded equality by the "ballot or the bullet". Under such a threat, institutional power of that era sided with the more civilized musings of a pacifist Christian movement.
Ghandi's "Ahimsa" also sought to pacify abusive power by drawing out the British Empire's abuse of power for the world to see, until it became so intolerable that no man could sit back and watch. Ghandi did this by confronting institutional violence head-on, without concern for himself. Although he did not directly attack his opponent with violence, he engaged the violence that was implicit in its formation and made it explicit. While it may be true that violence begets more violence, that does not mean that we should sit back and idly watch the current continuum of violence and the accompanying loss of freedom and civil rights perpetuate, so as to be free of violence in our own lives. I cite these examples to raise the question of what means will work within our particular era and society to effect change in our world. Ghandi's pacifism was designed specifically for its context and his people. The fact remains that it was a pacifism that did not yeild to power so as to avoid violent confrontation. It stood its ground and broke the law (law as idea, a collectively-agreed upon set of ideals to abide by in order to maintain a society).
CALLING A SPADE A SPADE ...
Both Ghandhi and Reverend King knew that the only way to change the face of power was to confront and threaten it. They knew that to change the law, they had to break the law. With non-violent means, they threatened the law and thereby stood as a threat to prevailing formations of power. Their "brand" of pacifism was mobilized and, one could even say that it was aggressively actualized. The brand of pacifism we see in this culture and, closer to home, within our own community, does nothing to pacify power ... it is us who are pacified. Why would we want to change anything? We are comfortable with the way things are. As long as we point towards a sentiment of rebellion, we can satisfy adolescent cravings to be cool and to be part of some revolutionary underground, exhibiting revolutionary chic, performing a kind of revolutionary theatre without risk to ourselves. This community has the potential to be the revolutionary underground movement of our times, but I'm a bit wary of its true underpinnings; At the moment, our community seems more like a party in your parents backyard, comfortable and protected from the horrific realities outside, than a mobilized movement for change.
Please don't misunderstand; I am not saying that we should all go out and bomb the White House. I am merely sharing my understanding and interpretation of what has worked and what did not. With that said, I do believe violence may be a tool that could assists in our struggle, if we are serious about changing the structure and composition of power. Therefore, we should be open to using it within in the right context. Again, I am drawing the distinction between a cosmetic revolution, as opposed to changing the way we think, relate, act, react and the structure of society.
OUR LEGACY OF DISSENT
Ironically, I feel that the cosmetic sentiments toward revolution has actually attracted us and brought us together ... we all share a similar resonance. But I also feel that those cosmetic sentiments stand to scupper and dissolve any real movement focused on change. They are not substantial enough to carry us through and, in fact, at their core, are divisive to any real radical momentum. They have served their purpose, but cannot be the sole focus of our attention ... that is, if we are are serious about change. I believe that, if we can really unify and mobilize as a group and as a family, we could offer something beautiful to the world and reinvigorate the legacy of dissent which has been bequeathed to us. This legacy needs to be exercised and practiced if it is to continue to exist. We, as part of this community, are the direct descendants of this lineage. We stand on the backs of those who came before us, which is both an honour and a challenge. Let us not be negligent of this, and let us honour the continuum and vow to keep it alive.Our freedom to celebrate has been fought for. If we do not give it full expression, i.e. if we limit it to a style, it shall die, denied of its true "Rebel Energy", a force that moves mountains, shakes crowds and topples empires.
3B
Please post any replies to this topic on the BreakBeatBuddha tribe.... http://breakbeatbuddha.tribe.net
REBEL ENERGY vs REBEL CHIC
Truly, we are custodians of "Rebel Culture". This culture originated in the efforts and sacrifices of those who have come before us; I speak, naturally, of the Civil Rights movements that precede us, including the Black Panther party, the Hippie movement and the student uprisings of the 60s, just to name a few. These movements, creations in response to the ills of their time, won freedoms for the community and stood as examples to the world of the "power of the People" over repressive government power.
Here we are, once again at a truly pivotal moment in history, where institutional power seeks to fortify its walls and strengthen its grip at the expense of the people of the world. Let us be reminded that Veitnam II is well and truly underway (we all love a
sequel; as if we can't learn our lesson first time round). Here we are, a community with this vast potential to make a change, to hold government and public conscioussness accountable and yet ...
....where is the movement, where is the change?
I am aware that, as an underground community, our movements are somewhat "covert" in nature. The mainstay of our
dissent goes relatively unseen and unacknowledged by society at large. And rightly so. The foundation and framework
to build a powerful movement that flies in the face of mainstream consciousness will need extensive preparations to maintain its off-the-grid approach. I know there are those out there who know what I mean. But there comes a point where our movements must leave the safety of the shadows and deploy within society at large.
PACIFISM, PEACE & CHANGE
Most of us within this community would like to believe that we are instrumental in creating change in our world. Many of us would cite the doctrine of Pacifism as our guide, wishing to approach societal change non-violently. I would argue, however, that the doctrine of Pacifism that we have accepted does more for social apathy and "sleepwalking" than serve to dismantle odious formations of power and control.
The doctrine of Pacifism, as exhibited by Dr. Martin Luther King for example, was successful, in part, because it was exercised against the backdrop of a more militant black nationalism: the Nation of Islam, when spearheaded by Malcolm X. This militant force demanded equality by the "ballot or the bullet". Under such a threat, institutional power of that era sided with the more civilized musings of a pacifist Christian movement.
Ghandi's "Ahimsa" also sought to pacify abusive power by drawing out the British Empire's abuse of power for the world to see, until it became so intolerable that no man could sit back and watch. Ghandi did this by confronting institutional violence head-on, without concern for himself. Although he did not directly attack his opponent with violence, he engaged the violence that was implicit in its formation and made it explicit. While it may be true that violence begets more violence, that does not mean that we should sit back and idly watch the current continuum of violence and the accompanying loss of freedom and civil rights perpetuate, so as to be free of violence in our own lives. I cite these examples to raise the question of what means will work within our particular era and society to effect change in our world. Ghandi's pacifism was designed specifically for its context and his people. The fact remains that it was a pacifism that did not yeild to power so as to avoid violent confrontation. It stood its ground and broke the law (law as idea, a collectively-agreed upon set of ideals to abide by in order to maintain a society).
CALLING A SPADE A SPADE ...
Both Ghandhi and Reverend King knew that the only way to change the face of power was to confront and threaten it. They knew that to change the law, they had to break the law. With non-violent means, they threatened the law and thereby stood as a threat to prevailing formations of power. Their "brand" of pacifism was mobilized and, one could even say that it was aggressively actualized. The brand of pacifism we see in this culture and, closer to home, within our own community, does nothing to pacify power ... it is us who are pacified. Why would we want to change anything? We are comfortable with the way things are. As long as we point towards a sentiment of rebellion, we can satisfy adolescent cravings to be cool and to be part of some revolutionary underground, exhibiting revolutionary chic, performing a kind of revolutionary theatre without risk to ourselves. This community has the potential to be the revolutionary underground movement of our times, but I'm a bit wary of its true underpinnings; At the moment, our community seems more like a party in your parents backyard, comfortable and protected from the horrific realities outside, than a mobilized movement for change.
Please don't misunderstand; I am not saying that we should all go out and bomb the White House. I am merely sharing my understanding and interpretation of what has worked and what did not. With that said, I do believe violence may be a tool that could assists in our struggle, if we are serious about changing the structure and composition of power. Therefore, we should be open to using it within in the right context. Again, I am drawing the distinction between a cosmetic revolution, as opposed to changing the way we think, relate, act, react and the structure of society.
OUR LEGACY OF DISSENT
Ironically, I feel that the cosmetic sentiments toward revolution has actually attracted us and brought us together ... we all share a similar resonance. But I also feel that those cosmetic sentiments stand to scupper and dissolve any real movement focused on change. They are not substantial enough to carry us through and, in fact, at their core, are divisive to any real radical momentum. They have served their purpose, but cannot be the sole focus of our attention ... that is, if we are are serious about change. I believe that, if we can really unify and mobilize as a group and as a family, we could offer something beautiful to the world and reinvigorate the legacy of dissent which has been bequeathed to us. This legacy needs to be exercised and practiced if it is to continue to exist. We, as part of this community, are the direct descendants of this lineage. We stand on the backs of those who came before us, which is both an honour and a challenge. Let us not be negligent of this, and let us honour the continuum and vow to keep it alive.Our freedom to celebrate has been fought for. If we do not give it full expression, i.e. if we limit it to a style, it shall die, denied of its true "Rebel Energy", a force that moves mountains, shakes crowds and topples empires.
3B
Please post any replies to this topic on the BreakBeatBuddha tribe.... http://breakbeatbuddha.tribe.net
posted inSURYA DUB 3 YR ANNIVERSAY Sat May 29th
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