The escalation of the international conflicts has passed its anniversary and protest movements in the United States are at a fizzle. The encampments proved to not do much (some schools capitulated but few and far between) except for a lot of students facing repression, felony charges, criminal records, suspension, and even expulsion. What they did was embolden the young generation of activists to see what is possible with organizing and making a scene. Many peers were galvanized and radicalized by their explicit repression and a chance at genuine community. Many of these participants and central organizers were only fourteen years old during the George Floyd uprising. It is a promising sign that the younger generations are keeping their eyes open and recognizing the wretched actions of their government. However, we have reached the following semester. And a timeless struggle began, those still screaming their hearts out on the street antagonise and therefore alienate those who aren’t. And of course the nonviolent protests carry on with dwindling numbers, dwindling hope, and dwindling results.
It’s precisely these struggles that allowed the more self-consciously ‘militant’ elements within the party to feel (falsely) that they were carrying on the spirit of the initial insurrection (as against the mild-mannered liberal peace-police who wanted nothing but speeches and signs), when in fact, both approaches alike merely accelerated its degeneration into its opposite.
The Endnotes article from where this quote comes from was in response to the George Floyd uprising, it is both shocking and really not, how much their words apply to the current situation.
Sobering, harsh yet necessary criticism is needed for the revolutionary movement in the United States see: Surveillance Systems …to be continued eventually some time somewhere