Just need to vent, I swear to god the revolutionary potential in America is just not there. So many people just have zero ideological conviction and because we’re not subject to the worst of the empire’s violence many feel no constant need to fight it, an encampment can end and so many people just go to brunch. The constant need to fight against the empire’s propaganda, infiltrated orgs, and most of all the powerful combination of privilege and individualism is so incredibly exhausting. All that feels good to do is sit home, read theory and talk with my closest comrades, I can’t be led into another unprepared police raid by people who had just collaborated with the kops, or in an org led ultimately by some undemocratically elected leader, or talk to another “ML” or anarchist white boy that can’t even admit racism and imperialism still fuckin exists.
Gonna be real with you chief. The reason why the encampments closing up don’t really affect me because I never believed they would work. I only believed they would work for propaganda purposes and pissing off zionists, which succeeded. But had I believed that camping on the lawn would end Raytheon investments, I would also be depressed when they went belly up.
I don’t fault the protestors. Those who had an understanding of material reality should’ve made sure the participants understand that this is another chapter of imperialism, not a case of bad apples. Without that, they are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Instead - while well intentioned and fine - the calls for ceasefires and making Biden and Netanyahu the center of attention gives me the impression many protestors think it’s a temporary problem and not a feature of capitalism. I don’t really have a solution to this, by the way. I don’t lead anything. But having your narrative hijacked or overshadowed is how the wrong expectations are set.
Of course many people learn the truth, but if it’s too late and they didn’t adjust their expectations before/during the actions, then that truth will lead to doomerism instead of further tactics and planning.
There is one thing I do believe they will do in the long term. Since a lot of those are Ivy League colleges, the students there will go on to be business executives and work in the government. And they’re probably not going to suddenly like Israel when they start those careers, so it’s not going to be a given that Israel will have blank checks from the United States and its corporations.
Australia’s current prime minister used to be a vocal supporter of Palestine. It was milquetoast lib support, but it was support all the same.
Then he got elected
To paraphrase Kwame Ture, expecting this to be simply a matter of conscience is a fallacious assumption because the structural forces at play have no conscience.
But it’s not because anyone “wants” these things that they happen, these things happen because of a system of incentives which we call capitalism. This is the exact same as wanting better cops, they’re still cops in the same system that they’ll then be beholdened to! Nothing will change because of hearts and minds, the working class doesn’t beg, we organize and win with force.
this isn’t a problem of the wrong individuals. them personally disliking Israel won’t change jack shit, the driver of the car cares little for the opinions of cogs - and the car is headed in a very particular direction