[Street] Dear Occupy Boston, some reflections on the past 2 months...
Martin
m2 at occupyboston.org
Tue Dec 27 01:10:04 EST 2011
Dear OB community,
Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Hope all is well and y'all have have
a wonderful last couple of days filled with friends, family, food and fun!
So much like y'all ,I'm certain, I think about things a ton, constantly
reflecting and thinking. So the past month have given me far more than
enough to ponder. About the culture we are creating, this so called
"Exemplar community", the good, the bad and the ugly. How we replicate
the silliness of the systems we protest against, the ways we create a
community that by it's good deeds shines a light to a better way, the
way our internal dynamics work, the politics, group think, false claims,
the informal yet very real leadership structures, our various
vocabularies, our assumptions and presumptions, our prejudices,
ignorance, bureaucracy, impatience and infighting as well as the mind
blowing personal sacrifices, passionate and dedicated unwavering
commitment, the brilliant ideas, highly innovative and extremely
resourceful solutions, the rich diversity of view points, wealth of
knowledge and wisdom and way to many great and wonderful other virtues
and assets our amazing community.
In turn I have a few observations and suggestions on how we could make
it stronger, healthier and far more representative of the entire 99% and
the world we all wish to see come to reality. So please bear with me and
consider both the contents of this message and it's intentions which are
to make the Occupy Boston community and the global, greater movement
it's part of develop and fulfill the exponentially epic potential it has.
As I ,and would argue the general public, understand this movement is a
cultural revolution. It's about rising up against chronic and systemic
abuses of power, hoarding of all resources and mass corruption and
consumption culture which has decimated every facet of our society and
economy (which is made up of far more complexity that just the daily
number's wall st puts out after the market's closing bell) and their
mass media tactics to spread fear, anxiety, propaganda, spin pr,
distribution of twisted facts & stats and in many cases just out right
lies and deception with no evidence or substance to back any of it up.
The bought and paid for members of congress who engage in the nastiest
of party politics and fractions which create nothing but stalemates,
fear mongering and extremist with the only results being trillions of
our dollars wasted and our nation made weaker and less safe every day.
This is not the culture, society, economy... home we want. The Occupy
movement rose up to denounce, as Dorothy Day would say, "This filthy,
rotten system!" and in the most excellent example of Rosa Parks we
occupied the public spaces and dialogues to create change and offer a
better alternative.
To me and to so many from across our great nation what has been the
power behind this movement was the further developing and realization of
how deeply and greatly interconnected all of our struggles are across
the vast and expansive mosaic from all races, genders, classes, faiths,
social, cultural & political views that is our nation's culture and
society. The great and dire need to come to a understanding, and to
honor and celebrate what makes us unique and what unites us so we can
get to the most important work of rebuilding our homeland... together.
So that we can create a just, and sustainable greater Boston for each
and every neighborhood and community from all races, genders, classes,
faiths, social, cultural & political views that make up it's mosaic.
As Dr Martin Luther King wisely proclaimed in his dream
<http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html> which is still the dream of a
great many folks, many of whom occupy today for the right to their
vision of that dream in the proper context for people of all races,
genders, classes, faiths, social, cultural & political views, not just
those who come from a certain level of privilege and thus can control
commerce, trade and how our laws are made.
"In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When
the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the
Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a
promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was
a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be
guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note
insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this
sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a
check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to
believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that
there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this
nation. So we have come to cash this check --- a check that will give us
upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have
also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency
of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to
take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real
the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and
desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now
is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice
to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a
reality for all of God's children." - MLK
Some of those promissory notes that the architects of our republic wrote
in the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence where:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of
Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America." - US constitution
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,
and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal
station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a
decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should
declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among men [and women], deriving their just Powers from the consent of
the governed, --- That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to
abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on
such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." - US Declaration
of independence
"E Pluribus Unum" (Out of many, one) - US' founding national motto.
These famous, and legally binding words, are the obligations which
America has defaulted on. These promissory notes insofar as her peoples
from a great many races, genders, classes, faiths, social, cultural &
political views are concerned. Instead of honoring these sacred
obligations, America has given a great multitude of people a bad check,
a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." However we, the
occupy movement, refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt!
We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great
vaults of opportunity of this nation! So we have come to cash this check
--- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the
security of justice. We have also come to many hallowed spots across the
land to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to
engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of
gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of participatory
and horizontal democracy. Because democracy is far better lived out as a
mosaic than as a republic!
We ALL the people can be the architects of our democratic mosaic and
truly live out our nation's founding motto "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of
many, one) as such form a more perfect union to establish Justice,
insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the
general Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our posterity.
In order to make clear and effective strides towards these lofty ideals
there are a few things we need to have a conversation as a community
about and work out in a healthy manner where all voices are not only
heard, but listened to, honored and integrated.
The following actions, attitudes and cultural aspects are troubling as
they happen a bit too often and by many members of our community (my
self included) We need to find a way to address the very valid emotions,
concerns and histories behind these actions and attitudes and create a
much more healthy way for our community to find solutions to the problem
that gave rise to them.
* Our insistence on being a "leaderless movement" This movement is
to all empower people not to explicitly say they have no power. We
are all servant leaders. There is a very clear and marked
difference between usurpation and abuse of power and the taking up
of personal responsibility for task that either just need to be
done and/or the individual is personally more comfortable with or
qualified for. One the first commands and controls the seconds
serves and empowers.
* The severely off balance amount of political correctness ( I
totally understand and support the intent behind it) but when done
wrong it actually works against it's own aim. Let's celebrate both
our uniqueness and that which unites us. Not make us into a
homogeneous group.
* The constant attacks on folks who say or do anything that is not
very overtly inclusive and extremely well crafted to not trigger
anything that might be misunderstood by anyone or could possibly
offend even the most sensitive of people.
* The misunderstanding of what transparency means. Not that
everything, everyone does at anytime be widely publicly announced
on every conceivable method to all but rather that no one
deliberately hide information and that all information be place on
the wiki, email list and any other place where it can be easily
access by anyone.
* The rumor mills and end less accusations of conspiracy theories.
We have big trust issues. we don't give folks the benefit of the
doubt nearly as often as we should. Just because a small group of
people are working on a project together as an affinity group does
not mean they are conspiring on anything.
* The large amount of hateful and anti speech. For a non violent
movement we sure have a lot of violent words and attitudes towards
many groups. Now I get that certain groups have historically
committed a great many wrongs (in many cases some real heinous
ones) to many other groups. However hate speech and violent
attitudes towards them will not solve much restore the people who
have been wrong or really even punish those who did the wrong.
I've much appreciated Sage's modeling out the "Love your enemy"
principals.
* Dramatization, playing the victim, and manipulation of situations
and using politically or socially charged words & concepts in the
court of public opinion to get one's point across, or to make
personal attacks and paint a certain people one does not agree
with or like as the enemy or to publicly cast a bad light on them.
* Hero and savior mentalities. We can no save anyone. We sure can
try to help them and most certainly should do what ever we can to
do so. However we can not save people as individuals as a unified
community much more can be done towards this.
* Harsh criticism of how others choose to protest and address the
issues and bragging rights for certain actions (like getting
arrested)
* Derailing conversations, meetings, groups and GA's just so one's
voice can be heard or because one do not agree with them.This
speaks to the larger problem of only meeting for working groups
and ga's without many social actives to simply enjoy each others
company and community conversations simply for the sake of
conversation where people are given the change to speak their mind
with out the pressures of a process, action items, agenda and
desired outcomes and decisions.
In conclusion I suggest that we as individuals and as a community:
* We give each other far more grace when we make mistakes.
* That we listen (not just hear) at least twice as much as we speak.
* That we give folks the benefit of the doubt, that we operate with
the mindset that most people are fundamentally good and yet flawed.
* That we recognize that there are many sides to any story and that
the truth is quite often found not at it's extremes but rather
among weaved trough out all the sides.
* That we more much more tolerant and considerate with each others
backgrounds, personal views, preferences, and experiences and
approach these situations as a valuable opportunity to learn from
each them and have our own beings improved by the amazing resource
we have in each other.
* The we offer to help improve something we don't like before we
criticize it or the people behind it.
* The we actively celebrate both our uniqueness's as well as our
commonalities and unite behind them.
* That we actively invite more diversity from all races, genders,
classes, faiths, social, cultural & political views so we grow
exponentially and can continue with amazing momentum the noble and
crucial work of creating, on the macro scale (city, national and
global level), an exemplar community we can all be proud of that
more much truly and holistically represents the vast diversity and
richness that makes up the fullness of beauty that is the 99% mosaic!
Thank you for reading, thinking and reflecting on this.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Cheers
Martin
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