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

Sunday, March 9, 2014

"We Need Ambedkar--Now, Urgently..." — an interview with Arundhati Roy

Click here to access the interview posted on Outlook India.

This article is an excellent antidote to all the mythology about Gandhi that capitalist indoctrination has so completely filled the minds of people particularly here in the US. I am referring to the propaganda of non-violence as epitomized by the supposed teachings of Gandhi. Ruling class media and educational institutions have instilled in Americans an almost religious belief in "non-violent" tactics of resistance to discourage them from using any form of physical resistance which includes property, especially their property. If there is one thing that our ruling class respects and uses it is the infliction of violence. You see, they are worried about its use on them. Hence, the need to fill us with such nonsense about Gandhi who is portrayed as almost a god-like figure. Our resource is Roy who has made an extensive research on Gandhi and found the real human being behind the myths.
I wasn’t really researching Gandhi’s views on diet or natural cures, I was following the caste trail, and in the process I stumbled on the race trail, and eventually, through all the turbulence and mayhem, I found coherence. It all made sense.It was consistent, and consistently disturbing. The fact is that whatever else he said and did, and however beautiful some of it was, he did say and write and do some very disturbing things.