I agree that affirmation in the face of growing alienation and repression — nice phrase, by the way — is an important part of what’s going on in this current wave of activism. I agree that there’s often a double-standard when judging activists’ rowdiness against others’. I even agree with the “shit happens” assessment in your second paragraph.

But my criticism of physical acting out — here and in my other post — was a criticism of such acts as political acts. My other post was a criticism of vandalism and interpersonal violence as political tactics, and this post was a criticism of a claim that such acts were politically legitimate. If you want to have a conversation about the circumstances in which that kind of acting out might be understandable, I’m happy to have that conversation. But it’s a very different question than whether such acting out is justifiable, or wise.

More soon.

This may also put things into perspective: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=242626894697&id=13300702&ref=nf Let me know if you can’t access it.

You’re so sure that the entire protest agrees with you. And it doesn’t.

You say your movement will continue to grow, but it’s already splintering apart. It’s not “those that are in power” that’s splitting you apart, it’s you. Yes, YOU, John.

You can keep saying “Oh you just don’t get it,” but the problem is, you don’t have the popular support. Most of your fellow students disagree strongly with you.

Enjoy your media stunts, I suppose.

If you look to other movements in history, never once (except perhaps for fascism or statist communism) has there been unity of message, tactics, or goals. Most often, movements are diverse in terms of goals, purpose and even tactics. Those that succeed are the ones that don’t tear themselves apart based on these differences. Those in power will always try to take advantage of these differences and pit different groups against each other. (Perhaps, that’s whats most telling of the administration’s recent press releases)

Was a torch-lit march to Birgenaeu’s mansion tactically not the smartest thing to do? probably not. Will the movement continue to grow? Of course it will. What’s at stake is much more important to fight against than petty squabbles.

And to answer snide comment about fighting capitalism: Sure, it is a fight against capitalism or more succinctly, the corporatization/privatization of public education. If you don’t get that, I don’t really know how you could comment.

Half of the protesters don’t even know what they’re protesting. Is it the fee hikes? Budget cuts? Capitalism in general? And what a fucking joke that last one is. Ask five protesters why they’re doing it, you’ll get six different answers.

While I’m sure some of those involved really do want to make a difference, so many others are there just to shout out loud and scrawl graffiti on the walls. Others just want to start breaking things and see what happens next. And how fitting it is that they target their own school! You’re actively destroying your own base and target demographic!

Until the movement sets an actual goal other then mindless mob mentality, they won’t be taken seriously. Right now, they’re just “Those stupid angry college students.” You can change that…but I doubt you will.

grow a backbone and pick a side. if you are in solidarity with the struggle of students against capitalism, bureaucracy, and the police state, don’t spend hours lecturing people on why their tactics are wrong. if you have to critique, make it from a practical rather than a patronizingly moralistic standpoint, and make your assumptions explicit.

on a practical note, i really doubt anyone was trying to physically harm the chancellor. not that i don’t think he deserves it. i just don’t buy that this was seriously on the agenda. people committed some minor vandalism and scattered. your typical neighborhood hooligans do worse on halloween every year. and speaking of which, if birgeneau is afraid of his students he should try treating them a little better. or, he could try teaching public high school in oakland and find out what that really means. he could try putting himself in the shoes of the millions of young people in california and around the world who are watching the hope of a secure future disappear before their very eyes. i for one am not going to lend a sympathetic ear to all the whining and hysterical hyperbole, like the governator who described this incident as “terrorism”.

on another practical note, the argument about the tree sit is kind of silly, because it’s not like they really needed to build that building – that was the whole point of the tree sit, or weren’t you paying attention? the $20 million could have come out of its budget and thered still have been $100 million left that could have gone to financial aid, janitors’ paychecks, etc.

anyway – and if instead you are in solidarity with capitalism, bureaucracy and the police state, and not with the multiplicity of forms of resistance to them, then fuck you.