I’m not entirely sure attacking spectators as cowards builds the movement here. This is an article that I really feel exemplifies the fallacy of believing that a movement’s visibility is equal to its power. There is some good stuff in here though!
Personally, I think that effective organizing is largely invisible. It is agonizing. And it requires a ton of patience. It looks like creating community organizations, businesses (or cooperatives), and making sure people’s needs are met locally. This slow process builds power. By making more people comfortable on relying on you and your organizations, you grow your power.
A protest by contrast is mobilizing, it spends power. Sure, it is a show of force that expresses the will of a people in a very direct matter. But it often doesn’t expand movements in the way that you would think. I’m going to have to say it, the moderates do have a point. Progressives are terrible at building power. Because they just lack the patience to do the slow organizing and community building required. This is further exacerbated as a college student movement. Many of which, will only spend 4 to 6 years here in Tucson and never return.
There’s a certain privilege that college students hold. And I say that as someone who couldn’t afford to go to college. It is important to acknowledge that privilege when engaging with the broader community. It’s mostly apparent in knowledge. College students are going to see, realize, and be inspired by things that just will not be available in the broader community. Things that require years of knowledge building that the broader community often lacks.
In conclusion, I think that this article would benefit from a different title. There are other really good parts of this to emphasize that would be more inclusive to the community you are in.
At the end of the day, I care about growing progressive power. And I completely disagree with the most visible methods because they are counterproductive. Often trading visibility, impact, and notoriety for sustainability, momentum, and solidarity.
Want to grow power? Make it so that there is a portion of the community that looks up to you after you’ve taken care of them. Then when you ask them kindly to attend a protest, they know that you have their back as much as they have yours.
