The making of history
Oh my goodness … the hysterical hate that is directed at activists participating in the G20 convergence this weekend!
They are “Smelly Lefties” and “freedom-hating communists” to Andrew Landeryou, for example. And The Australian newspaper�has written one of those classic stories emphasising the convergence’s divisiveness: the organisers of A Space Outside, for example, are a “breakaway group” who may “turn violent” and have links to “terrorism”. Tim Costello says some of them are “communists, which is not what Australians want”. In fact The Australian was “barred” from entering A Space Outside (terrible isn’t it, the refusal to engage in the wearing, fruitless battle for just representation in the mainstream media!).
Convergence participants are easily juxtaposed with the consumer-friendly punters at the Make Poverty History concert - unfortunately this event, for all its positives, seems to have created another way of viciously ‘othering’ people who want to integrate their commitment to Making Poverty History in more ways than just rocking out to Pearl Jam (and who might even be possessed of an analysis which places neo-liberal capitalism and governance as the structures which Make Poverty in the first place, which uncomfortably implicates all of us, not just the anonymous Poverty Mongers).
These hateful depictions are remarkably at odds with the convergence’s detailed attention to non-violence and anti-oppressive behaviours, both within and without.
I myself am far more terrified by this man’s violence:
(Peter Costello) (intrinsically)
And indeed, these fellows (not intrinsically, but by virtue of what they are under order to do):
Than, say, these delightful young blossoms:
I mean really. A Space Outside is holding workshops on solidarity with indigenous Australian and Latin American activists, creative resistance, male privilege within activism and how activists must deal with sexual assault within their own activist communities. The convergence emphasises caring for each other, debriefing after the protests and being mindful of power imbalances across all activist processes. These processes are imperfect and problematic, yes (I wouldn’t have a thesis to write otherwise); but that level of reflection on how we can care for each other better and how we can creatively and mindfully express dissent against the global ills of endless war, endemic global poverty and ecological disaster, instead of ripping each other and our world into bloody little pieces every five minutes is certainly not echoed in how, say, our government ministers and mainstream media journalists tend to conduct themselves.
In closing, may I encourage all of you to participate this weekend in the virtual sit-in from the comfort of your own study chair.