The Other Side of the Stick: Pathologizing the Black Bloc (response to Chris Hedges)

[amanezca]

http://kasamaproject.org/2012/02/11/the-liberal-side-of-the-stick-pathologizing-the-black-bloc/



The Stockholm Syndrome of Occupy (or yet another comment on Chris Hedges to get it out my chest)

Recently, Chris Hedges wrote a piece in truthdig called “Black Bloc: The Cancer in Occupy” in which he condemns what he refers to as “Black Bloc anarchists.” In the wake of the police attack on Occupy Oakland and the following debates over strategy and tactics in the Occupy movement, Hedges’ arguments have generated much controversy. We are posting one response below because it touches on the key contradictions raised by Hedges’ piece. It was originally written as a note on Facebook.

By SKS

I do not want to repeat what many have said, more eloquently or timely. Any repetition will either be unconcious or inevitable – but I do try to bring some fresh perspectives, or at least accents. So bear with me.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Ever since the Oakland Commune came into national conciousness with their successful strike in November, liberals who initially became infatuated with OWS as a possible liberal Tea Party have been launching increasingly virulent attacks against OWS, and in particular, its most militant element.

Naomi Wolf was perhaps the first notorious salvo of the liberal commentariat, when going all in with her arrest cred called OWS protesters against NBC (a corporation) “fascists”.

While debate is healthy, and diversity of opinions and views is both inevitable and one of the refreshing things of OWS as a movement – the interventions from the liberal camp have been increasingly totalitarian, undemocratic, and full of factual and historical inaccuracies.

They have moved from honest, concerned, disagreement within the movement, to dishonest hit pieces worthy of the worse dirty politics.

And this is something we predicted – we knew that the primary contradiction within this movement would be the need of liberals and the Democratic Party machine to turn this movement into a huge astroturf to counter the successful cooption of the Republicans of the Tea Party – of sheer importance if Obama is to be re-elected.

Read the rest of this entry » (http://kasamaproject.org/2012/02/11/the-liberal-side-of-the-stick-pathologizing-the-black-bloc/)

[Mather]

Hopefully the Occupy movement will kick out the likes of Chris Hedges.

How have Occupy members responded to Chris Hedges hysterical rant?

[Ele'ill]

Hopefully the Occupy movement will kick out the likes of Chris Hedges.

How have Occupy members responded to Chris Hedges hysterical rant?

I think a lot of them were saying the same things which are either very basic knee jerk reactions or using knee jerk reactions to troll some sort of ego spot light complex.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Hopefully the Occupy movement will kick out the likes of Chris Hedges.

How have Occupy members responded to Chris Hedges hysterical rant?

Mine are split: from my occupy's facebook wall a lot seem to have condemned it but so many do not even comment it is difficult to get a fair judgment.

[Mather]

I think a lot of them were saying the same things which are either very basic knee jerk reactions or using knee jerk reactions to troll some sort of ego spot light complex.


Who said what?

[Ele'ill]

Who said what?

The liberal non-violence camp within Occupy.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

The contradiction within Occupy is that most American leftists are still pacifists or liberals of some type and either aren't able to or don't want to understand that nonviolence is not some inviolable rule of protest. Many on the left were furious over that Hedges article, which is understandable because he was being very unfair ... but it's not like he doesn't reflect the views of a large number of good, hardworking, honest people who are skeptical of Capitalism but aren't quite at the place personally where violence in their home country can be seen as acceptable.

All the Left-Wing responses I've to people like Hedges seems to be moralistic tirades which speak to fellows in the Left-Wing choir, without doing the obvious work necessary to explain to people why such violence is necessary to the more moderate voices. Instead, it just insults the goodwill and intelligence of the huge portion of the "occupy movement," the American Left and the American people in general which is not at that extreme phase. It seems to assume that there is some kind of character failure or moral evil is driving their words on the Black Block, and not false consciousness etc. Granted, that's no different than what Hedges was doing with his overly simplistic hit piece which refers to black block kids as "cancer", (and he should know better too as such an experienced journalist), but I would still put more focus on actually building more understanding and trying to explain the black block to people than just lobbing convenient ad hominem grenades at ideological enemies.

For instance, it's a little pathetic that the main argument being used to defend black block tactics is "hurr hurr hedges is a dumb liberal." Argument by attacking the ideology is such an obvious fallacy in this case it shouldn't be worth mentioning. Who cares if he is a "liberal" or a "socialist", the obvious issue is whether or not he is "right" or "wrong" or is factually misrepresenting the people he is criticizing. Since it is so obvious that he IS misrepresenting them, attack him for that not his alleged ideological beliefs.

[Mather]

The contradiction within Occupy is that most American leftists are still pacifists or liberals of some type and either aren't able to or don't want to understand that nonviolence is not some inviolable rule of protest. Many on the left were furious over that Hedges article, which is understandable because he was being very unfair ... but it's not like he doesn't reflect the views of a large number of good, hardworking, honest people who are skeptical of Capitalism but aren't quite at the place personally where violence in their home country can be seen as acceptable.



Ultimately, those who attend the Occupy protests will learn of the futility of non-violence/pacifism once they inevitably experience police and state brutality for themselves. After the student demonstrations of December 2010 in Britain, many students who took part in them and suffered at the hands of police/state violence became even more radicalised due to their experiences.

Middle class liberals like Hedges most likely never suffer at the hands of the police in the same way working class people, youths and African Americans do. They see the police in a much more realistic manner than Hedges will ever do, for the likes of Hedges enjoy a position of social privilege relative to most of the population of the US.



All the Left-Wing responses I've to people like Hedges seems to be moralistic tirades which speak to fellows in the Left-Wing choir, without doing the obvious work necessary to explain to people why such violence is necessary to the more moderate voices.


Care to provide any examples?



Instead, it just insults the goodwill and intelligence of the huge portion of the "occupy movement," the American Left and the American people in general which is not at that extreme phase.


Violence, especially when done in self defence against the police and the state is not "extreme" in any sense of the word.

All of the violence that has taken place at the Occupy protests (and not just in the US, but globally too) has been started by the police. Of course when protestors get attacked and beaten by the police and they then fight back and defend themselves and their fellow protestors, liberals like Hedges will decry the protestors and accuse them of 'extremism'.

With 'friends' like this, does the Occupy movement need any more enemies?



It seems to assume that there is some kind of character failure or moral evil is driving their words on the Black Block, and not false consciousness etc.


In the case of Hedges, it is neither a failure of character or false consciousness. How can Hedges have false consciousness when he is not working class himself?

In his position as a bourgeois journalist, Hedges is much more closer to the ruling class than the working class, so when he shows his support to the police he is not under any form of false consciousness, he is simply doing his job.



(and he should know better too as such an experienced journalist)


He is an experienced bourgeois journalist, his job is to provide a ruling class narrative and to disseminate their ruling ideology. So no, he does not need to know any better for that is not the point of bourgeois journalism.



For instance, it's a little pathetic that the main argument being used to defend black block tactics is "hurr hurr hedges is a dumb liberal." Argument by attacking the ideology is such an obvious fallacy in this case it shouldn't be worth mentioning. Who cares if he is a "liberal" or a "socialist", the obvious issue is whether or not he is "right" or "wrong" or is factually misrepresenting the people he is criticizing. Since it is so obvious that he IS misrepresenting them, attack him for that not his alleged ideological beliefs.


You are totally wrong on this point.

Any critique of Hedges (and those like him) that does not highlight his ideology, is worthless.

Why did Hedges attack those Occupy protestors who use direct action to organise and to defend themselves from police violence?

No doubt the ruling class ideology of liberalism informed Hedges when he attacked the Occupy protesters. On the question of violence and direct action, liberals always condemn protesters and very rarely the police and the state. Liberals (as well as all other ruling class ideologies) support the police and the state having a monopoly of violence and force and only ever come out against violence when it is done by the working class and the oppressed.

[x359594]

...How have Occupy members responded to Chris Hedges hysterical rant?

Check out the posts in the earlier response to Hedges: http://www.revleft.com/vb/chris-hedges-cancer-t167645/index.html