It is. It really is, and I'm not just talking about liberals tut tutting about the black block and conservatives fear mongering about planes full of anteeeefas. I'm also talking about anarchists lionizing riots as a tactic and communists discounting the bravery of rioters because they're not organizing.
But: all. of. this. misses. the. point.
The riot is so prominent because it's the only tactic left.
The American left gets most of its tactics from the 60s. Riots, strikes, electoral challenges, and sit ins (now restyled as blockades).
But most of these are impossible now. The modern equivalent to a sit in would be... blocking a cop car? Felony. Mass resisting arrest? Felony. Prison strike? Gets you in lockup.
Strikes are (for most people) out of the question because Reagan decimated the labor movement, and we're still recovering.
Electoral challenges have always been a dead end.
So that leaves rioting. Easy to whip up, easy to get away with, and most of the time is a misdemeanor.
People riot because it's the last tactic we have in our cultural memory that's still accessible.
People are gunning up and making mutual aid networks. This is the birth of a new culture of activism, one that addresses life and death incredibly directly, but it's still nascent. While we build this new culture, riots are all that's left, so whatever you think of them, they're a reality to be navigated, not an action to be analyzed.
Looking forward to new "tactics" as you call them in 2020, I think insurance is a large player that largely didn't exist at the same degree back in the 60's.
Rather than large scale violence, I'd love to see more acts of intentional vandalism of corporate brands, IP, and capital. Coordinated for maximum effect. People these days have such a muffled view toward that kind of destruction because "oh well they have insurance, right?"
A refocus of eco defense tactics & monkey wrenching onto the capitalist behemoth
Eco defense has for sure been the most productive modern reinterpretation of the sit in. Although, I think a lot of modern eco blockades have become ritualized, symbolic and mired in the martyr mentality. Given the ZAD, Standing Rock, Wetsuweten blockade etc. We have to treat them seriously anyway.
In regards to what you're suggesting, Olympia and Oakland in the US have done some good bringing the ZAD model into the city during standing rock and occupy respectively.
Yea for sure, I've been at the oly one good people here.
I should've clarified, the idea of monkey wrenching and tactics described in eco defense can and should be readapted to stymie corporate interests outside the scope of ecological salvation, even though I hold that in high regard.
Utilizing individual & cell based actions that disrupt the corporate interests bottom line tangibly, for as you said larger event become.symbolic.
Like fucking facebook tagging yourself at standing rock, very cringe.
But individuals partaking in acts that maximize impact while minimizing exposure is a way by which the tactics of actual resistance can meet the modern threat.
Essentially guerilla warfare with corporate industry as the target.
I'm talking about minecraft it's a good game
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Are you linking me to END:CIV?
Yeah, Jensen is a super mixed bag, but Sub.Media put it together really well so you only get his good side.
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