We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Ah-Anti-Anti-Capitalista

Click here to access article by Mickey Z. from World News Trust. 

Beautifully written, very inspiring.
I often wonder what the cops, passersby, media types, etc. are thinking when occupiers break into the joyous song/dance of ah-anti-anti-capitalista.

Here in the Land of the Free™, we are consciously conditioned to worship capitalism (and capitalists) so I'll bet some outsiders perceive such a chant as a very convenient excuse to dismiss Occupy Wall Street (OWS) as -- pick one -- naïve, anarchist, communist, socialist, anti-American, selfish, lazy, or "too radical."

Losing potential allies might understandably lead some to ditch any blatant anti-capitalism slogans but what if we instead put in the time and effort to explain the simple -- and I do mean simple -- reasoning behind such sentiment?