After the 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery, King praised the multiracial Populist movement of the late-nineteenth century and called on us to learn from it.
This may be coming from a place of hopelessness but the only viable movement I can conceptualize is one which shifts power from the government to communities through the direct action of community members. To have a shared ceiling of personal wealth and to directly share/give after that point to support the community and shared resources. Shared food production, kitchens, art spaces, child education, gyms, etc. all gifts by people in the community to have reached the financial ceiling. The most important aim would be to reduce the need for work for all members so time can be shared and ultimately people of all backgrounds and races can heal.
I guess it could be a layered approach but I just don’t see any major top down shifts happening and if they did, I know the top would be keeping score.
Of course removing all the direct insults to life would help. Demilitarization of the police, healthy water/air, fair living costs, etc. but ultimately we need strong communities and I think that can only be built when people are willing to truly give.
I appreciate you sharing and am glad to be connected. I think this is a beautiful vision. I don't pretend to know all the answers by any means. My initial thoughts are that I don't know that it is possible to build thriving communities on a mass scale without also challenging ruling class power, and mass labor solidarity and action in workplaces and politics is the only thing I have seen that has the power to do that. An Irish socialist from about 100 years ago named Joseph Connolly is one of many whose vision of social change is like this and who has inspired me.
I look forward to checking him out. Politics is far from my area of expertise but I imagine that, like in all systems, to change the dynamics there probably needs to be perturbation at several levels. It totally makes sense that the heart of the change needs to be directly related to money flow (or lack of it) through challenging the means of money accumulation. Money seems to be at the root of all power.
I do think culture must be addressed to. The nature of my work has me interacting with the 0.1%. As a young adult, I was shocked at how aimless the ruling class can be… often acting from tradition even at their own expense. My sense is that without strong solidarity birthed from shared time beyond the workplace, the culture of change won’t be strong enough to offer a tangible alternative that fundamentally changes the means of life for all classes
This may be coming from a place of hopelessness but the only viable movement I can conceptualize is one which shifts power from the government to communities through the direct action of community members. To have a shared ceiling of personal wealth and to directly share/give after that point to support the community and shared resources. Shared food production, kitchens, art spaces, child education, gyms, etc. all gifts by people in the community to have reached the financial ceiling. The most important aim would be to reduce the need for work for all members so time can be shared and ultimately people of all backgrounds and races can heal.
I guess it could be a layered approach but I just don’t see any major top down shifts happening and if they did, I know the top would be keeping score.
Of course removing all the direct insults to life would help. Demilitarization of the police, healthy water/air, fair living costs, etc. but ultimately we need strong communities and I think that can only be built when people are willing to truly give.
Interested in your thoughts
I appreciate you sharing and am glad to be connected. I think this is a beautiful vision. I don't pretend to know all the answers by any means. My initial thoughts are that I don't know that it is possible to build thriving communities on a mass scale without also challenging ruling class power, and mass labor solidarity and action in workplaces and politics is the only thing I have seen that has the power to do that. An Irish socialist from about 100 years ago named Joseph Connolly is one of many whose vision of social change is like this and who has inspired me.
I look forward to checking him out. Politics is far from my area of expertise but I imagine that, like in all systems, to change the dynamics there probably needs to be perturbation at several levels. It totally makes sense that the heart of the change needs to be directly related to money flow (or lack of it) through challenging the means of money accumulation. Money seems to be at the root of all power.
I do think culture must be addressed to. The nature of my work has me interacting with the 0.1%. As a young adult, I was shocked at how aimless the ruling class can be… often acting from tradition even at their own expense. My sense is that without strong solidarity birthed from shared time beyond the workplace, the culture of change won’t be strong enough to offer a tangible alternative that fundamentally changes the means of life for all classes
Thanks for these reflections. 🙂 Yeah and often I think the best organizing has within it cultural dimensions and political dimensions.