Reply to 'Refusing The "Syndicalist v. Primitivist" Debate' More debate on the Infoshop newswire. A response to the a-infos list regarding this silly debate around Lorenzo's stance on syndicalism, primitivism, in respect to a speech he gave in Oregon _about an entirely different issue_: Granted, I have only heard his response and the debate second hand, but we revolutionary anarchists on the left, from earth liberation to anarchafeminist to strugglers against this racist colonialist system that calls itself "civilization": We need to wake up, there are things we badly need to discuss but there is a point where it gets way to petty, syndicalism v. primitivism, come on! Theorizing is important but we also need to know when to bicker and when to act, when to get our heads out of the books (and don't get me wrong, I am all for smuggling books, especially revolutionary banned literature into the prisons, into the so-called schools... education is key) but come on, we also need to get an education by opening our eyes to see what it going in the world. The US has been under martial law since Friday, October 26. Fact: Yesterday were apparently the worst bombardments of Afghanistan yet. 5 million people in Afghanstan alone could die of and are dying of starvation alone. Who is mourning these innocent victims? Who was mourning the millions massacred in Somalia?? Do you think people there (in Afghanistan, Somalia, Colombia, you name it...)could just say, as the antiglobalists are saying here in Germany AND in the US: "Oh, its getting too heavy now, I think we need to stop and _reflect_ a while ??" I don't think so. Reflecting is crucial, but again, there is a time and a place. Just as it is considered uncouthe in conservative America, to ... say... burn a flag, because of the victims of the attacks in New York, people in the antiglobalisation movement here in the first world are following suit with its "Not now... not now" attitude. I find it much more uncouthe to sit and watch a blitzkrieg and genocide happen before our eyes, not to mention, hypocritical, if we also say we have the decency to mourn the 5000 lives lost in New York. And don't get me even started on the so-called "autonomists" I have run into many of them here in Nuremberg, Germany... Although I am fully capably and willing to do political work here it is discouraging when the entire local left here in Nuremberg, is demoblized and divided, not to mention, not much of a revolutionary anarchist presence. Just as an example, I was called "antisemitic" by these Germans (from the Bahamas group in Berlin) who know nothing about me or my background. I was furious. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Many of the "autonomists", esp. these jokesters, Germans who call themselves "anti-Germans", see little hope and direction for a broad-based but varied movement, and generally view the antiglobalization movement as "dead" due to the attacks in NEw York. Furthermore, most German citizens are sitting by as laws are being passed to insitute martial law here as well -the "antiterrorism bill" - which are basically new enabling acts for police state, yes, thats right, Ermaechtigungsgesetze für den Polizeistaat. In surveys of the German public and in chatrooms, the majority answer saying that they are ready and willing to give up their civil liberties (whichever ones they even had) for the sake of security, the same debate that is going on in the US. These legislators who are passing these laws in Germany are Otto Schily (author of the "Das Boot is full" campaign), and other Parliamentary heads such as Edmund Stoiber, (quoted in 1992 as saying: "We do not want a mixed-race society in Germany"). Chanceloor Schroeder speaks of "civilized society" being now at war eith "barbarians". And now, rogue states such as Austria are considered "democratic" and "civilized", with its neofascist leaders such as Joerg Haider, who was quoted ten years ago referring to many immigrants as being "parasites." The language is not new-- nor the ideology. It only took Hitler three months to enstate his "enabling acts" and institute martial law after the "terrorist attacks" on the Reichstag, for which COmmunists were blamed. And, of course, the Reichskristallnacht was "in response" to "Jewish terrorism."... Now Bush says "Americans, we are one people" and refers to "smoking the enemy out." I have seen patriotic propoganda literature on mailing lists and in the Internet titled "George Bush, Our Leader." All those statements translated into German send chills up my spine. Hello anarchist and libertarian left, when are we going to stop silly debates that are erroneous while fascism and genocide continue and are now _legal_? WAKE UP we are under martial law ! This does not mean anything has fundamentally changed (for poor people, prisoners, many people of color, I think it is probably about the same) but now it is on paper, official, made more efficient, and easier. It will pave the way to extended political persecution of _all_ dissidents if we let it while we "reflect" and discuss "primitivism" and "syndicalism." Now the chance of legal recourse in cases of political persecution has been greatly diminished. The USA Patriot Bill is on the Internet, it may be wise to download it and try to plod through the legalese. It was signed by Bush on Oct. 26. It allows for such things as house searches without a warrant _in the absence of the resident_, one example. So if this is "Western civilization": fascism, genocide, chemical warfare, environmental destruction, race-based incarceration, racism, forced deportation, forced slave labor for prisoners, blitzkrieg... then call me a primitivist too, I'd rather be that than so "civilized" as these criminals we call the "leaders of Western civilization". But seriously, times like these are critical to put our past reflections into action and save the bantering and ego-battles for, I don't know, self-help sessions. As a long inactive member of the IWW, I do see the sense in workplace organizing, but the model based on the 1930's is outdated and ineffective. It is not just about getting people to "join up", getting names on a list, nor is it just about organizing in already progressive small businesses/collectives. These things are a good start, but just that, a start. But I envision much more -- a movement that is not only strenghtened by multiracial work place orgaizing, but also by organizing on all levels of society without cadres and avante-guardism, where the point of organization is thereby not just an industrial union, but also community councils, alternative economic structures, _revolutionary and politically active_ agricultural projects, free schools, prisoner publishing collectives, activist networks and so much more. On the other hand, it makes no sense to revert capitlist technological developments... technology can be quite efffective as long as it is serving our own interests (implicitly meaning the "interests" of our planet as well) and not just the interests of the few, the white, the male and the too proud at the expense of the majority population on this planet. Perhaps those who heard Lorenzo speak and debated it afterwards understood "Western civilization" to mean computers, technology, industry, progress and so forth, and thus came to the conclusion that he must be a "primitivist." If that is the case, all labeling aside, maybe they also need to check their own values and assumptions first before going to debate other people's statements with whatever terms that they see fit. That's just my own two sense. Rebellis Back to Anarchism And The Black Revolution