"The first aim of today’s left should be to take back power from the Professional Managerial Class. We should be continually challenging their right to monopolise it. When we discuss ‘identity’ class backgrounds shouldn’t be quietly ignored."
#SamBuchanan, 2023
http://www.freedomshopaotearoa.nz/2023/09/class-war-in-21st-century-new-zealand.html?m=1
"The middle class ‘theoretical’ left needs to either get involved in grassroots activity or stop wasting our time and close itself down. There’s actually a lot going on out there in communities, and even a bit in workplaces – mutual aid, environmental projects, mental health support efforts – but the left seems pretty indifferent to it, not recognising it as ‘political’ activity."
#SamBuchanan, 2023
http://www.freedomshopaotearoa.nz/2023/09/class-war-in-21st-century-new-zealand.html
"Essential tasks include practicing non-hierarchical human relations until you get good at it, learning to get good at seeking consensus rather than trying to get your own way. Decision-making skills are one of the left’s weakest areas – another thing that professionalisation messes up. It’s much easier to follow orders, or let yourself be guided by ideology, than to have to find a compromise amongst a group of strong-minded people."
#SamBuchanan, 2023
http://www.freedomshopaotearoa.nz/2023/09/class-war-in-21st-century-new-zealand.html
Not sure about;
"We can’t blame people for wanting a decent salary, but once ensconced in a ‘good job’ they are unwilling to rock the boat, justifying their actual, if not rhetorical, support for the system by pretending that their presence makes a difference...
Now and then they cheer on activists from the sidelines, but that’s about it. It would be nice if they could accept that their jobs are just jobs, a way to make a buck and pay the mortgage."
#SamBuchanan, 2023
http://www.freedomshopaotearoa.nz/2023/09/class-war-in-21st-century-new-zealand.html
Here's my problem with the logic underlying this kind of argument. The premises are;
1) Capitalism is bad because it coerces people into spending most of our waking hours doing a job we wouldn't otherwise do, for money
2) Most people can't survive under capitalism without a paid job
3) All paid jobs serve capitalism, thinking otherwise is delusional
If all of these are true then capitalism can't be defeated, because we can never spend more hours resisting it than we spend serving it.
(1/?)
I agree with the first two premises, broadly speaking. My issue is with the third. I just don't think it's true that all paid jobs require people to spend their whole working day serving capitalism.
I know a lot of people who subvert ordinary day jobs by turning them into a form of covert activism. I also believe it's possible to build a solidarity economy in the shell of the exploitation economy, that can pay people to serve the common good instead of capitalism.
(2/?)
@strypey I like the line of the posts, great stuff...
And then for me, trying to balance out the sort of potential reality in where our attempting something is surely of value but at the same time it's sure taking from us immediately by being in very well-defined boxes and highly-calculated methods and matrices, perfected over time (it's perfect enough Matrix to not leave much for us to work with) and so we're a bit more fed but tired like soldiers, and as 'job' we can be also on red-line / deadly burn-out if doing much more than work / sleep (as that's been evolve design pushed to limits / raising the bar if found to be easy).
And then on top just everything else getting more expensive extra-ordinarily (houses x4 in a few years, x10, xNaN) showing how money is not how we're going to win even in solidarity (where if I'm honest it is alleviating suffering of people but not existing in first place / not paying for being cramp and competitive by nature of living in damaging and destruct world is kind of the real answer. I guess something might happen by delaying our life at a bigger cost... but I think even in best case the torture and pumping of enemy's pot is like 150% won since it's so superficial and all highly in their court). We sort of existed / were born from THEIR experiment (child benefit to boost population and then reduced) and naturally all protest I've come across involves undoing that but inversely withdrawing labour, cancelling membership, taking from oneself instead of others, starving, de-registering etc all of which is very hard on one's soul / physicality)
and so... well a million other deliberate things like law, rules etc that actually prey's on people living badly- now that's terrible - I say give people the option of bullet as many are looking for a way to do it I'm sure...
So I'm leaning on my side simply with these thoughts and wanted to see if you have extra thoughts about it... if it's really accepted that there isn't many jobs actually allowing or enabling people to feel good lol or something like that to have space to breath and instead 'maximising' a kind of hell-bent 'efficiency'. All at the cost of human improvement or even good day-to-day quality time between people.
█ Moving on from that overall equation (!):
You said:
"I know a lot of people who subvert ordinary day jobs by turning them into a form of covert activism. I also believe it's possible to build a solidarity economy in the shell of the exploitation economy, that can pay people to serve the common good instead of capitalism."
...so I'd like to know what kind of solidarity economy you mean - I'm guessing in the list below (just to help you a bit) you might mean a typical:
small club membership / dinner / dance / fundraiser / picnic / film night / benefit thing....?...
...which I would agree works but needs a lot more mind work itself almost blind acceptance with less internal distance. I'm not sure 'normal' and 'alt' people are even familiar with this kind of 1 family type outlook to win it all, other than occasional workshop or mini-group thing... which seems is a kind of mirror that even the good people show they prefer distance or can't handle being close to others...
I also find it hard to see how, almost physically, once you're in a job and having signed contract, a sense of duty or comfort or many things doesn't happen that Sam Buchanan quote and you mention / hint to just being on the sidelines / protests that are purely a kind of theatre unless they use it as a cover to break in somewhere strategic.
I think physically true much like when I needed a place to stay, then I needed to be in the squatting scene and actually doing / caring about it - otherwise if I'm renting now it's almost totally not on my mind... or I might write about it occasionally... and yeah just cheering from sideline in general for many things.
Maybe I'll cap it off there... was nice writing it but long perhaps (as usual for these things)
OPTIONAL MORE OR TAKE A BREAK SO YOU DON'T THROW SOMETHING IN THE ROOM AT ME!
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For example as a really real solution:
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I'd consider it activism if they, the richer activist or just better off, invited a lot more people in their house... reducing overall rent... but that kind of activism is tough and full of pot-holes perhaps...
So overall I might agree with the bit Sam writes that I too (perhaps) don't see much else and that there's not even much to do but make sure some benefits go smoothly with 5 people to pour a few beers or serve plates... and even that sometimes too many and needs more levels of mentally strategic roles for people to actually allow people to do more somehow.
Honestly for the answer this advancing of mental work is key for me just to stay friends with each other *more than just learn about the past or raise funds for next crisis* (which I do think is worthy).
The cafe or centre with core people running the show need to spend more time to figure absolutely everything out and constantly challenge themselves with others instead of the same things either complained about or falling into paying rent themselves as a losing fire-fight if brutally looking at money paid out by club premises and also progress in areas... although dearly I'd not get rid of them... but financially and even sharingly I'm not sure about them...
Take what you can from that (doesn't have to be all in reply)
