General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'm not counter protesting again [View all]politicat
(9,808 posts)We had most of a decade off duty. We're training the next generation as fast as we can, but bloc wasn't as necessary, so there's been knowledge loss, and those of us who got a decade or more of experience in the 80s and 90s are now at an age where it's much harder to bloc.
We all got complacent. We got good at getting victories through legislation and lobbying and activism by means other than direct action. We hoped we wouldn't need to teach another generation.
I learned from Panthers, hard core Quakers, and the first gen of ACT UP. Many of whom are in their late 60s and 70s now. It's a skill set, and it takes practice. Don't write direct action and bloc off just because you've never had to use it. Most of us aren't assholes; we're putting ourselves on the front line so other people don't have to be there.