General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Occupy's tactics are hurting their message and the left [View all]socialist_n_TN
(11,481 posts)What do you do before those actions? What do you do after? Do you favor taking the focus off of the economic elite and putting it back on their puppets in the political power structure? There were HUGE rallies and demonstrations against the Iraqi war and they didn't do ANYTHING to even change the DISCUSSION about our invasion of Iraq. Unlike the tactics of occupation which in two and a half months has actually changed the parameters of the discussion about economic injustice in this country.
Large scale demonstrations ARE a tactic it's true, but they can't be the ONLY tactic. BECAUSE THEY DON'T WORK WITHOUT COMPLEMENTARY TACTICS! Tactics like strikes, occupations, and unity operations with the representatives of the working class like the unions. Because those tactics keep the focus on the RULERS in this dictatorship of capital and NOT the flunkies and toadies OF those rulers. You can't hurt the capitalists with demonstrations. You can only hurt them by getting into their pocketbooks with strikes and disruption of their profit chain.
One thing that you're missing is that these tactics are MATURE tactics in the class struggle being tried out in a country with an embryonic class consciousness. As I've said OFTEN anytime these tactics are brought up, it doesn't matter at this stage whether they are totally successful and effective or not. These are warning shots across the bow of the 1% AND they're practice runs for futher actions in the future. Even partial success is good practice. Because unless the capitalist rulers back off, this is just the beginning. Do you think the capitalist rulers will back off?