"We know the drive for revolutionary change is correct," Mr. Korte says, "but blowing up buildings is not going to get us anywhere. Nor is joining the Democratic Party."
These are the words of an individual that has revived the SDS in his town. That's Students for a Democratic Society, for those too young to know the 40-year old dormant group. The great commonwealth of CT has "around 120 active chapters and 3,000 registered members." Now, you just know that the reichwinger's will jump all over this as socialist and evil.
Fuck em..like I or any other progressive gives a rat's ass what those people say. I was a member back in the day..but I digress..this is about the here and now. From the NYT via CommonDreams writeup:
According to a provisional statement, drafted at the national convention last summer at Wayne State University in Detroit, the group aims to combat "racism and white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, heterosexism and transphobia, authoritarianism and imperialism." Chapters focus on any issue that falls under the rubric of "oppression." In the past year, members have occupied military recruiting centers, participated in hunger strikes to raise wages for university workers and demonstrated in front of companies that invest in nuclear power plants.
The group's growth has surprised everyone involved, particularly former members who wondered why students would want to model themselves on an organization that ultimately self-destructed. The original S.D.S. became a major force in the opposition to the Vietnam War and grew to nearly 100,000 members before collapsing in 1969 into radicalized factions. It never quite overcame the perceived homogeneity of its leaders. Most were white, male and upper middle class.
The new S.D.S. is painstakingly self-conscious about its image and inherited failures. Men refrain from speaking for the group; if one interrupts a woman or finishes her sentence, he may be politely reminded of what he has done. There is no national hierarchy, and members coordinate through conference calls - up to 30 people on the line. (There's a roll call at the start of each conversation.)
It's a worthwhile read..check it out. I like their spunk and I love their manifesto. But they suffer the pains of the 'modern' era. Ain't that always the damn case?
