Photo: Occupy Olympia
Yesterday I was at the
Emeryville Public Market having lunch with an associate, and when we were done, one of the workers that has been cleaning nearby tables came by our table to take the empty plates... It seems like this gentleman overheard part of the conversation I was having with my associate, and that somehow led to a brief exchange. Within one minute of the conversation, the worker was not only concurring with me on one of my recurring themes regarding the supra-national neoliberal corporate state that has captured several governments, but he was actually giving very specific examples of it regarding his country, México, and the current push to privatize the energy sector (oil). And he went on to talk about how the political class has been captured, and about how the mainstream media is being used to peddled propaganda, etc., all the stuff that I usually write about. The reason I mention this is because even though I started talking about some of that in general, he actually took off with the conversation, and talked about very specific examples regarding the privatization push by neoliberal forces in México, and how it was all part of an international agenda; he was very specific, and seem to be very knowledgeable about the subject.
When I see this sort of thing happening, one thought that comes to mind is "The tinder is dry." More and more average people are coming to an accurate understanding of the system. The myths and false narratives the tiny ruling elite has been using for decades in order to create the illusion of legitimacy are beginning to crumble under the weight of the brutality and oppression of the system.
And I think this to a large extent explains the obsessive concern corporatist cartels and their puppets in government have with grassroots protest movements. You see, the challenge for these corporate thugs is that after having bought off the political establishment (and many other institutions) and the entire corporate mainstream media, and after having used that control to take down the proper regulatory infrastructure that prevented predatory practices, and after having set the stage for the systematic undermining of workers' rights and labor union organizing, they seem to be ill-prepared to deal (i.e., suppress) non-traditional social justice grassroots movements.
And now they are crying foul! And I argue that that should tell you that the highly adaptive tactics activists are coming up with to make up for the fact that traditional organizations that once protected workers' rights have been largely co-opted or rendered ineffective, are indeed working; and therefore, that those tactics and strategies should spread like wildfire.
Today The New York Times published an article that exemplifies this situation perfectly: "Advocates for Workers Raise the Ire of Business."
After ignoring these groups for years, business groups and powerful lobbyists, heavily backed by the restaurant industry, are mounting an aggressive campaign against them, maintaining that they are fronts for organized labor.
Business officials say these groups often demonize companies unfairly and inaccurately, while the groups question why corporations have attacked such fledgling organizations.
[The emphasize is mine]
When I read the thing about these powerful and exploitative business cartels worrying about being "demonized unfairly," I think "Oh, it hurts their feelings; poor things!" F*ck them!
Speaking of... Last weekend I was watching the game between the 49ers and the Panthers, and I kept seeing these banner ads for Bank of America. And that brought into focus how these folks buy legitimacy. Here we're talking about a company that by any measures has been engaged in massive fraud and criminality, but yet get to plaster their logo all over TV. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, the too-big-to-fail and too-big-to-jail financial criminal racketeering cartels, instead of paying for the consequences of their horrendous acts, they get to put their logos all over the place (reaching right into our consciousness), trying to buy legitimacy, just like they buy off one politician and public official at a time.
And I argue that there's the answer as to why these corporations worry so much about public protests. How much? Well, let's stay with Bank of America, as reported by PopularResistance.org:
An email uncovered through a Washington state public records request has confirmed the existence of a Bank of America “social media trolling” spy team, used to carry out surveillance on multiple political groups.
Published by Washington state activist Andrew Hendricks, the email, dated September 23, 2013, details a conversation between Bank of American’s Global Corporate Security Vice President Kim Triplett-Kolerich, the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and one redacted recipient.
~snip~
“If you find any intel on Anarchists or Occupy Protesters please let me know – I will most likely find it first as Social Media trolling is not what the WSP does best,” Kolerich says. “Bank of America has a team of 20 people and that’s all they do all day and then pass it to us around the country!!”
[The emphasize is mine]
Here's what's happening... We live in an environment of 24/7 corporate propaganda. It is being used constantly, hammering us all day long with lies, half-truths, false narratives, and outright propaganda. As much as we want to claim that it doesn't really affect us, the opposite is true. It has a huge impact on our cognition, both, consciously and unconsciously. At one level you may know that Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase are
criminal enterprises, but when you keep seeing their logos at football games, at billboards, on TV, constantly, the whole thing confuses the senses; it lends an air of legitimacy. And that's how they want it. They (the powers that be) want to keep you isolated (as it were), subjected to their messaging.
What happens when people take to the streets to protest, or when they form grassroots campaigns that targets wrongdoing by these quasi-criminal enterprises, is that their system of (mental) control is bypassed, short-circuited. It breaks up the false narratives, and it helps in spreading the message to the broader public about the falsity of the corporate state myths.
As I continue doing research (for a book I'm writing) about this, I notice that what really gets the surveillance police state and massive corporate spy networks' attention is when people start organizing mass protests, and other forms of direct action.
And this also works for the debased political class. You see, the politicos pretty much work on the same premise; as long as people believe their lies (handed down to them by their corporatist paymasters), they don't have to worry. But once people start calling them on their lies and speaking truth to power, and rising up in protest, then they have to react.
Some people (many of whom are system apologists) constantly question the efficacy of direct action and mass protests; they claim that it is better to work within the political system (only) because that's where you can address actual policy issues, legislation, etc. I beg to differ. In this day and age we need to do both; yes, stay fully engaged in the political system, but also put pressure from without. And that is done through social justice activism, direct action, and yes, protest rallies.
Case in point... In San Francisco there is currently tension as the result of gentrification and rising rents due to an influx of highly-paid tech worker. This situation is affecting many low- to middle-income long-time residents.
In reaction to this situation community activists have been organizing protests during the last several months, as I reported in "The SF Mission District: Standing Up Against Gentrification And Evictions."
Has this type of pressure affected actual policy-making? I argue that it has. Not only that, I argue that in the face of injustices if people don't rise up to object, there is little chance that those injustices will be addressed by those in power. Now it looks like San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is seriously addressing the issue, as reported by The San Francisco Chronicle: "Mayor Ed Lee has a housing solution - Mayor calls for building 30,000 affordable homes."
That's the centerpiece of Lee's annual state of the city address, to be delivered Friday. He will call for 30,000 homes to be built or rehabilitated over the next six years, with more than half being affordable to low- and middle-income residents making up to $145,650 for a family of four.
~snip~
The affordability crisis has fueled a backlash against the tech sector that Lee helped grow. It has resulted in the displacement of some nonprofits, forced some longtime residents from their homes, and left many residents uncertain about their ability to afford housing in the future.
~snip~
Lee has blamed real estate speculators who buy apartment buildings, kick out the tenants and convert the units for sale. The practice is allowed under the state's Ellis Act law.
One aspect of his plan includes his announced effort to amend the Ellis Act and seek greater protections for tenants.
[The emphasize is mine]
A backlash, huh? Could part of that backlash be in the form of massive street protests? I argue that by and large, that is the case, and this represents a clear example of how direct action and street protests lead to actual policy changes.
So folks, let's keep it going! We're just getting started. Let's engage against the corporate state full-spectrum, at the ballot box (of course), but also through direct action and protest rallies. The times demand that of us.
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Market For The People |Ray Pensador | Email List | Twitter | Facebook
Sockpuppets & Trolls Watch: Their aim is to disrupt, to annoy, to introduce "noise" in order to prevent meaningful discussions of issues. Their tactics include casting aspersions (attack on the reputation or integrity), and ad hominems, where instead of addressing issues, they attack the character of people. They also engage in mockery, and logical fallacies. A good source of information about the tactics used by sockpuppets, trolls and hacks is "The 15 Rules of Web Disruption." Once you familiarize yourself with those tactics, it is pretty easy to spot the potential troll. Once spotted, the best thing is to ignore them. [Image credit: Jacob Bøtter from Copenhagen, Denmark]