Blogging the U.S. Social Forum
Modern P. is back on the scene, crispy and clean and blogging from Atlanta and the USSF. Had a long trip from NYC to ATL by bus, even missing the opening march (thanks Aicha for the photos).
Somehow, the trip became worth it by the time I got on the line for registration and got to see a real cross section of left and mass forces in the country. If things there were any indication, then the organizers made a good choice in Atlanta, getting a crowd usually ignored by the more intellectuals-and-academics oriented Left Forum in New York.
Thus far, I've been staying with the folks that helped make meatspace a bit more interesting than cyberspace for me, the folks in Students for a Democratic Society. There are a number of panels they're sponsoring at the USSF, and there'll be plenty of content from there.
Additionally, some interesting stuff is coming out from Freedom Road/El Camino para la Libertad along with a panel they're presenting on revolutionary organization in the 21st Century.
Lacking anything political to criticize, let's move on to that staple of lazy magazine writing, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Thus far, really just a New York northeastern elitist's view of Atlanta.
THE GOOD: So far MARTA earns some kudos, as a sort of miniaturized amalgamation of the better parts of the D.C. Metro system and New York MTA, and it was a wonderful respite from the 20-hours on the road.
THE BAD: I could see a thick haze over Atlanta as I came in by bus. Apparently, air quality ain't so good as Georgia isn't a believer in excise taxes on automobiles. All of which leads to traffic and smog that's apparently thick enough that a local here reports that kids are specifically told not to exercise in the summer.
THE UGLY: Okay, this may not be Atlanta, but I gotta say this -- the gift shop at the Cracker Barrel in North Carolina where we were kind of forced into stopping (as rest stops became very few for a stretch). Beanie-Baby style stuffed animals that play "Dueling Banjos" and shirts that use the American flag so much they ought to be worn by Abbie Hoffman are things I will just not understand.
On the latter, George W. Bush made a big deal last election about "September 10th" mindset. I would like to propose that we start to deal with the inanities of the "September 12th" mindset on a good swath of the nation. You know, the folks who have faded "United We Stand" bumper stickers and such. For cryin' out loud, if New York got over that, and we got hit, you'd think the rest of the country would get a clue.
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1 comments:
What Up Modern! Thanks for the notes you've posted and to you and so many others coming down to the ATL for the past several days. All of the life energy and flavor brought by so many revolutionaries, mass activists, progressive intellectuals to our fair city was a major source of inspiration for myself and many other locals.
I thought the USSF was off the hook --just incredible--with real radical politics being put forward but with strong representation from the social movement left or "social left" like Marta Harnecker talks about.
That said unfortunately large sections of the city did not know about it and were not part of it. The largest social movement happening right now for oppressed nationality people is the immigrants rights movement, and Atlanta saw the largest political demonstration in its history last year in April. With the recent debate raging over the bills in Congress there was an over 1000 person vigil in the week before the USSF but the participation of the 2 major immigrants rights orgs here was weak as hell.
They should have been in the leadership of the committee that organized the march on the first day. Ditto having the performances and cultural shit off the civic center site in neighborhood/community parks where people would have more access to them. Like so much we have to connect more of this energy with the basic people and that just didn't happen here.
I remember during the RNC in NYC everybody at my work (grocery store in LES) including some Latino and white workers were talking about the demos and what the politics were about and some were venturing out and seeing stuff for themselves. This just wasn't there with the USSF. For alot of people in the Black community and working class it was a non-event. I don't blame that on Project South. We have to re-build and pick up the work--
Thano
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