Consensus Politics Are No Politics: A US Social Forum Diary
Printer-friendly version
by BAR columnist Jared A. Ball, Ph.D.
There was both déjà vu and surprise at the U.S. Social Forum. Déjà vu, in the feeling of being caught up in a stultifying search for meaningless “consensus politics” with “no clear goals and no clear steps to reach them.” But there was also the excitement of “ideas, criticism, flyers, books, all forms of media in fact, all being passed back and forth, with a hurried fervor.”
Consensus Politics Are No Politics: A US Social Forum Diary
by BAR columnist Jared A. Ball, Ph.D.
“It was the concern voiced by several with whom I spoke that a vague desire at the forum for ‘consensus politics’ meant in the end ‘no politics.’”
I was only at this week’s U.S. Social Forum for two full days. It was electric, exciting, full of motion, color and exchange. Ideas, criticism, flyers, books, all forms of media in fact, all being passed back and forth, with a hurried fervor. It is always nice to see well-intentioned people trying to connect and have their concerns heard by others who are likely to at least be sympathetic. But there is also a struggle to find how we go from these events to something more. In the end these gatherings take on a feeling of a real life activist Facebook experience: massive righteous self-promotion nearly to the point of stagnation.
And for some this sense of stagnation is more serious. Going from excited interaction to the assumption of power seems to be our version of “the bridge to nowhere.” Especially when it seems as though every issue raised at this forum is old, even worsening, and the same as those raised at the first US Social Forum in 2007 and those earlier at World Social Forums or the World Conferences Against Racism in 2001 and 2009. It was the concern voiced by several with whom I spoke that a vague desire at the forum for “consensus politics” meant in the end “no politics.” No clear goals and no clear steps to reach them.
“There is a struggle to find how we go from these events to something more.”
But there we were in Detroit or “Destroyed” as Herb Boyd called it. And during a brief ride with my hosts Ollie Johnson and Lori Robinson who took Roberto Lovato and me around parts of the city we saw Boyd’s description in full effect. The emptiness of the city, the abandoned buildings and the poverty were all put in some context when Roberto told us that he had met folks at the forum from Juarez Mexico who were shocked at how similar a major U.S. city looked to their own. But out of that necessarily horrible comparison comes the potential linkages around which we can build.
I also did some work with Free Speech TV which covered a bulk of the forum. By conducting a few interviews for them I was able to hear about some interesting groups and efforts. There were anti-Zionist Israelis, pro-Arab Arabs, and good people working with the Youth Justice Coalition on youth incarceration in Los Angeles. And by simply being social at the “social forum” I got to meet Lynne Stewart’s partner Ralph Poynter and to see Claude Marks of the Freedom Archives who was there screening their recently completed film on the Counter Intelligence Program narrated by Cynthia McKinney. And speaking of my presidential candidate I also got to see again her running mate Rosa Clemente whose tremendous keynote speech on the legacy of hip-hop politics was given at the adjacent gathering of the Hip-Hop Congress national convention. With her and our colleagues in the Green Party Head-Roc, Anita Rios and David Cobb we discussed the future of the party which Cobb strongly suggests becomes the electoral outlet of those gathered at these kinds of events. As it stands now they obviously can no loner consider the Democratic Party as an option.
Cobb’s point was echoed albeit differently by my more nationalist comrades who each in their own way raised the question of building a political mechanism that currently does not exist. But that also leads to the equally powerful question of “how?”
For Black Agenda Radio, I’m Jared Ball. Online go to www.BlackAgendaReport.com.
Dr. Jared Ball can be reached at jared.ball@morgan.edu.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialise correctly.
Email this page
Comments
great art/poster and posting, GF
Art identification, please. If that's the poster of the event, bravo and brava. I am pleased to see recognition of those of us who are wheelchair users. DemocracyNow had a good segment last Wednesday by two disability activists, women at the World Social Forum in Detroit. The art/poster would be perfect if it had a woman wheelchair user. I am pleased to say that I invented the female "universal" wheelchair access symbol in 1996. I did the "invention" while I was making a small wearable protest sign "EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL, FROM THE TOP ON DOWN" to protest police brutality and include the segregation of wheelchair users (by keeping us out via lack of wheelchair access to buildings, toilets, etc. and locked in institutions instead of living at home - Note that "facility" is used both for "long term care facility" (=nursing home) and "correctional facility" (=prison) and for good reason.). I made the change to the "universal" (male looking) wheelchair symbol by adding hair and breasts in the profile silhouette of the wheelchair symbol. I put it into all of my political art of protest and use it as a logo in my art also. If you don't know the symbol, it's a wheelchair user in profile (as seen from the side) in a wheelchair as implied by a large wheel with user's leg and footrest.
Where to go from here? One
Where to go from here? One important direction is to educate and inform those "not in the choir." Any real change for the better will come from the grassroots level. The ignorant masses have to be educated on the what/who/where/why of issues and how to take action to improve the situation. Forget about a 2011 Preaching to the Choir, er, Social Forum. Use resources instead to educate and mobilize the public via Internet, snail mail (still important source as there are still those who don't access Internet at all, are still skeptical about info on it, or won't take the time to read news sites) community meetings, group talks - any means available to get the word out about what's going on and how the people are the last "real hope" of saving themselves. Instead of talking about community gardens at another Forum, get with some group in any community and start one or two. Something as simple as getting the word out about good indy info sources such as BAR, Counterpunch, Ted Rall, RT.com, etc. is important (I printed on business card stock a few cards with indy websites such as BAR to keep in wallet to distribute to those interested in knowing where to get better info).
There is a struggle to find how we go from these events to somet
oh coo, this information is really useful and definately is comment worthy! hehe. I’ll see if I can try to use some of this information for my own blog. Thanks!
designer shoes, cheap wholesale clothing, wholesale handbags, discount shoes
london ugg
UGG Bailey Button Triplet UGG Classic boots UGG Classic Crochet UGG Classic Mini UGG Classic Short UGG Classic Tall UGG Boots Nightfall UGG Boots Sundance II UGG Boots Whitely UGG Boots Suede UGG Boots Upside UGG Boots Sunburst UGG Boots Dakota Ugg Bailey Button Triplet Boots Black Ugg Bailey Button Triplet Boots Chestunt Ugg Bailey Button Triplet Boots Chocolate Ugg Bailey Button Triplet Boots Grey UGG Boots Nightfall Sand UGG Boots Nightfall Black UGG Boots Nightfall Chocolate UGG Boots Nightfall Chestnut UGG Classic Sundance II Chestnut UGG Classic Sundance II Sand UGG Suede Boots Black UGG Suede Boots Sand UGG Ultra Tall Chestnut UGG Ultra Tall Sand ugg classic short bailey button fancy ugg classic short bailey button sand ugg classic short bailey button chestnut ugg classic short bailey button black ugg classic short bailey button chocolate ugg classic short bailey button style 5803 grey