AlternativeRadio

One of the techniques of ruling class control is to isolate people from one another. “Look out for yourself,” is the constant drumbeat. We are reduced to self-centered consumers not engaged citizens. Saul Alinsky suggests a different path. In his Rules for Radicals he said, “Change comes from power, and power comes from organization. In order to act, people must get together.” And that is happening. Popular movements such as Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Extinction Rebellion and Sunrise are shaking up the establishment. Finding kindred spirits and working collectively with allies not only has broader positive political consequences but helps to overcome negativity and feelings of loneliness and despair. You look in the mirror and you feel good about yourself. History has shown social movements can have a huge societal impact.

The wheels of justice turn slowly. How long before Jim Crow laws were overturned? How long for the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize gay marriage equality? How long the wait times in immigration courts? And even when someone, or some cause, has its proverbial day in court, the courts have an uneven record in dispensing justice. The legal field recognizes the power exerted by major court decisions. But civil rights organizations, like the American Civil Liberties Union and others, point to the need for groundswells of civic groups to take bold and principled stands. An aroused and informed citizenry are the guardians of liberty.

“How do you straighten your back up? How do you tell the truth? How do you bear witness? How do you organize? How do you mobilize? How do you generate forms of resistance and resiliency in the face of some very, very ugly forms of terror and trauma and stigma?” Activist/Scholar Cornel West asks these fundamental questions. And he takes inspiration and guidance from the prophetic tradition of ideas and images that have historically helped oppressed people develop the will and the means for taking action against their oppressors. Wedding that tradition with the Socratic legacy of Ancient Greece of seeking the truth by challenging assumptions and raising the most difficult questions is a powerful formula for achieving freedom and emancipation.

History and politics are replete with zigs and zags into all kinds of unexpected directions. Take for example, the Shah of Iran. He looked impregnable on his throne until he was toppled by massive street demonstrations. Who could have predicted that the suicide of a street vendor in a small town in Tunisia would lead to the overthrow of an entrenched dictatorship and revolts across the Arab Middle East? Or that a popular uprising in Armenia would lead to the ouster of an oligarchic regime in that country or that a real estate mogul and reality TV host would become president of the U.S.? History and politics are full of surprises. Interview by David Barsamian.  2 CDs

The dynamic Russell Means presents a moving and eloquent talk on Native America. He recounts how consciousness has changed among indigenous people but among the white European settler descendants, many of the old prejudices remain. For example, he says, “The Pope is going to canonize Father Serra an Indian murderer and Indian slave owner.” In North and South America Indian peoples, their lands and traditions are under assault. But there is resistance. Native peoples are organizing and fighting for their dignity and rights. Recorded at the University of Colorado at Denver.

Humanitarian intervention is always cloaked in altruism. Noam Chomsky says, “Almost every aggressive act by any great power is justified on humanitarian grounds.” Helping people who are suffering is laudable but injecting military force can lead to even worse outcomes. Libya is a perfect example of what can go wrong. The specter of atrocities was raised. A U.S., U.K., France and Canada bombing campaign ensued. The attacks destroyed most of Libya's infrastructure and killed thousands, leaving the country, Chomsky adds, "in the hands of warring militias." In addition, there has been a flow of arms and jihadis into West Africa and the Middle East, which has become the major source of radical terrorism in the world – largely a consequence of so-called humanitarian intervention in Libya.” We should be very leery when this doctrine is invoked as a justification for intervention.

The contemporary capitalist economic system has an extraordinary component to it. That is the connection between the government, and the financial sector, the big banks. What banks? The Big 5 are JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Their assets are in the trillions of dollars. The economic and political implications of capital resources of that magnitude are enormous. Regulations have been relaxed creating the way for another financial meltdown. But if the banks do get into trouble the state is there to bail them out as it did in the crash of 2007-2008. Some are calling for the breakup of the big banks. That will be a tough task as the state/finance nexus is so tight but it is an issue that must be addressed. There is also an alternative model, publicly-owned banks as in the case of North Dakota.

Money, you know, is the root of all evil. The pursuit of it no matter the consequences has led to us, as the New York Times describes it, “speeding toward environmental catastrophe.” Unregulated predatory capitalism and its obsession with generating profits no matter the cost to Nature is endangering civilization as we know it. Globally people, young people in particular, are demanding action. Teenagers like Greta Thunberg, Xiye Bastida, Haven Coleman, Isra Hirsi, Alexandria Villasenor and groups like the Sunrise movement, Extinction Rebellion and 350.org are leading the way and working for a future that is safe and secure from climate disruption. All over the world in late September and going forward there will be strikes, walkouts and other actions. We must move from a money-oriented society to one in harmony with and respect for the Earth.  

Around the world democracy is in trouble. Autocrats have come to power. In the U.S. democracy is compromised by a political system awash in money, gerrymandering, voter suppression and that absurd relic, the electoral college. One of the principal designers of the U.S. system of governance was James Madison. He said the main task of government is “to protect the opulent minority against the majority.” The latter being me and you. And pretty much that’s been the orientation of the state. Here and there a Progressive Era, a New Deal, or a Great Society occur but basically rulers try and keep the donor and landed gentry class happy. Democracy is more like a plutocracy. It is still alive but not at all healthy. It needs fixing. Only an informed and mobilized citizenry can reverse the ominous trajectory we are on.

Amazon, the retail behemoth, is named after the giant river in South America. The company began in the Seattle area in 1994. Since then it has not just grown and expanded but has transformed marketing. Consumers are attracted to in some instances, lower prices but overwhelmingly it’s the sheer convenience of online shopping and home delivery. But all is not rosy for Amazon’s hundreds of thousands of workers. They are pushing back, demanding better wages, working conditions and benefits. Again, as we see elsewhere in the corporate world the lack of a union to back up worker needs is glaring. Organizing is difficult and management likes it that way. Some politicians are saying Amazon is too big and too powerful and needs to be either broken up or more carefully regulated. Interview by David Barsamian Recorded at Socialism 2019