[Street] [Occupybostonoutreach] Dear Occupy Boston, some reflections on the past 2 months...

Eve Lyman evelyman at gmail.com
Tue Dec 27 08:30:55 EST 2011


Deeply thought out email. Have you seen this little talk by Srdja Popovic,
who was one of the leaders of the Serbian Non violent resistance. He and
his colleagues trained many in the  Arab Spring movement. He has a lot to
say in a hugely concise way

http://www.ted.com/talks/srdja_popovic_how_to_topple_a_dictator.html#.TvnHkEO_O25.mailto

On Monday, December 26, 2011, Martin <m2 at occupyboston.org> wrote:
> 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 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
>
>
>

-- 
*************************************
Eve Chayes Lyman
Photography and Graphic Arts
http://theeyeofthebeholder.net
Arab Spring <http://youtu.be/oAKyORnycEQ> - Morocco March 20th
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