Day 12 - The Politics of Protest - Part Eight: What is 99% plus 1%

 

 “One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” - Plato

Tonight's blog is a continuation of the series "The Politics of Protest".

 

Day 5 - The Politics of Protest – Part One: Introducing The Anatomy of Protest

Day 6 - The Politics of Protest - Part Two: The Build Before Mass Protest

Day 7 - The Politics of Protest - Part Three: The Spark that Ignites the Protest

Day 8 - The Politics of Protest - Part Four: The Winds that Snuff the Spark

Day 9 - The Politics of Protest - Part Five: Explosions of the People 

Day 10 - The Politics of Protest - Part Six: Damage Control

Day 11 - The Politics of Protest - Part Seven: Never Waste a Good Crisis/Protest/Revolution

In the blogs to follow I will introduce the "Anatomy of Protest" from the perspectives of both the protestor as well as the governmental or financial institutions, to give a multidimensional view of protest so that we can see how/why protest is NOT an effective means for permanent change - and while there have indeed been relevant changes to social, economic, and political policy - it has only achieved isolated instances of change that have been short lived, or have only yielded relief from a symptom and have not addressed the core issues.

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 Day 12 - The Politics of Protest - Part Eight: The 99 plus 1 percent

Since Day 5 of this series we have been having a look at the various dimensions of protest and we have been taking a look from the perspective of the protestor as well as the government institutions and the world system in general.

Tonight we will begin to bring it all together - to see what is going on in the bigger picture and how the conflict and struggle between the oppressed majority and the ruling elite is actually a distraction that keeps both parties locked in conflict and separation, to the benefit of the world system itself.

From the beginning of this series I have said that protest and revolution are NOT effective means to generate social, political, or economic change, and here I will clarify this statement even further.

There is a difference between protests and revolutions that happen as an expression of outrage and demanding that things be set right for the people who have been wronged, and a political movement that forces and directs a very specific change having understood the problem, the consequences, and the solution.

There have been cases in our human history where a unified people, under the leadership of those who fully stood within a principle of what is best for all - who clearly saw the consequences and the risks - who understood the nature of the system and the dangers that they faced in standing in opposition to it - and yet were able to make a political stand that could NOT be shaken, would NOT relent, and would NOT back down - and oppressor suddenly found themselves without support from the world system - and had to out of self-preservation abandon and relinquish their control.

HOW do such instances happen? What is it about those situations that are different from the thousands of riots and protests and public demonstrations and outright civil wars that end up either dissipating and collapsing from it's over exertion, or being completely shut down by the authorities and peacekeepers by overwhelming force, or manipulated and redirected by those who's profession is to cause chaos and confusion within people so that their decision making processes are hijacked without their awareness and refocused in ways that ensure no harm comes to the world system?

And is the world system or any of its institutions and governments actually evil or malicious, or are there greater consequences that must be taken into consideration when one stands in a position of leadership in this world? Is it really the world system alone that is oppressing us, or is the current system that is here a reflection of our own inability and refusal to actually care for ourselves and each other, and thus demand that a system be in place to see to such things so long as we are not bothered by the work, the consequences, and all of the abuse that must happen in order for us to continue abdicating our individual responsibility as the rightful and REAL Politicians of this world?

How can two seemingly opposed enemies ever hope to work together in unity? How can it be that the oppressed majority of people who have been made to suffer horrendously under the rule of the current system that has kept billions living below the poverty level and has maintained a constant air of tension ,conflict, war, and FEAR amongst the nations of the world, could EVER see it within themselves to FORGIVE what has been done and all that has transpired, that they would be able to work alongside with the very oppressors who acted as the agents of the world system's control?

Here the task of the REAL Politician becomes clear - we see that politics as we have known it must change to include a new starting point and a new foundational principle - which is that politics is NOT the tool of the privileged to deny privilege to others and nor is it a means through which policies and social agreements be forced upon people for their own good.

REAL Politics is the full understanding and recognition of responsibility of ALL persons - that so long as ONE person is not free and supported to have a dignified life, then NONE of us are actually free and no life here can be said to be dignified when it continues to allow suffering or indignity in any way. 

In the posts to follow I will begin to address the point of HOW political movements of the majority acting in unison CAN work and CAN produce real and lasting change, as well as HOW the world system is NOT the enemy and is not malicious by nature, but by acceptance.

So for those who are ready to see and consider "politics" in a way that has not been done before - where the majority of the people DO determine the nature of the governments and the order of the world, and the world system is one of support, of administration, and of unconditional and unflinching stability - stay tuned and walk with us in the Politician's Journey to Life which is the Journey of ALL people, and understand that this Journey involves Psychologists, Economists, Lawyers, Activists, Artists, and persons from ALL walks of life - walk with us and see how lives can be changed when we understand our true responsibility, and what can be done when we stand TOGETHER with that understanding.

Day 6 - The Politics of Protest - Part Two: The Build Before Mass Protest

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

 - American Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776

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Tonight's blog is a continuation of the Series "The Politics of Protest". For context, check out -

Day 5 - The Politics of Protest – Part One: Introducing The Anatomy of Protest

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Day 6 - The Politics of Protest - Part Two: The Build Before Mass Protest

In the blogs to follow I will introduce the "Anatomy of Protest" from the perspectives of both the protestor as well as the governmental or financial institutions, to give a multidimensional view of protest so that we can see how/why protest is NOT an effective means for permanent change - and while there have indeed been relevant changes to social, economic, and political policy - it has only achieved isolated instances of change that have been short lived, or have only yielded relief from a symptom and have not addressed the core issues.

Tonight we will look at the first stage of protest, which is "The Build". We can see this pattern in every major political protest or instance of political unrest - there is first the BUILD - which I introduced in the previous post :

"The Build – This is where a problem has occurred, and the potential protestor is now frustrated at not seeing a direct and immediate resolution to their problem. Not wanting to misdirect their frustration or cause damage to the innocent, they suppress these frustrations for a moment while dealing with the problem, but become progressively more upset and irrational. This is gasoline and gunpowder starting to accumulate and compound." - Day 5 - The Politics of Protest – Part One: Introducing The Anatomy of Protest

The Dimension of the Protestor and the People - 

As mentioned above in a snippet from the American Declaration of Independence - people are more prone to simply bear and contend with their frustrations as long as it is worth putting up with - as long as it is a minor enough inconvenience that it is not worth putting the entire system into question.

When we experience our frustrations as something personal, or something that we believe we alone are responsible for and chiefly to blame, or when we feel that we are powerless to effectively change our situation because the factors leading to our frustration are beyond our personal control - we will bear the frustration as best we can - we will come up with coping mechanisms or will find other ways to express our discontent.

The problem is that the longer we struggle with issues that we feel we cannot control or cannot fully understand, the more we tend to view the world as being unfair and beyond our ability to change - and this can quickly accumulate into a sense of anger and rage - which keeps on building because the CORE issues of our discontent are NOT being dealt with and there is only so much coping we can do before things become unbearable.

But when we see that we are not alone in our frustrations - when we see that our discontent is shared amongst others - and we start to recognize our pain, our struggles, our coping mechanisms in others - often our attention and focus can shift, as we consider that we are NOT alone in our frustration, which means that there is something going on - something BIGGER than us - that must be to blame.

This is the beginning stage of a potential protestor - who has come to realize to some degree that there are major problems in the current world system that are becoming more and more unbearable - and yet each day we have to make a living - we have to continue to work within the system - we have to continue our survival and in order to not place ourselves into further instability in an already unstable system.

We begrudgingly go to work, pay our taxes, and so long as we are maintaining some level of consistent survival we do not go much further - for as long as things are tolerable - maybe eventually things will get better - because in a way it makes more 'sense' to not rock the boat and risk the relative stability we still have than to risk that relative stability and go against a system that seems beyond our understanding, let alone our reach.

The Dimension of the Institutions and the Elite

At this point the system, the institutions, those who stand in positions of influence and power - have already taken note of the discontent and the potential for more discontent - but even those in positions of "power" must abide by certain rules - rules which dictate that the survival and continued growth of the system, and within this the continued stability of the "ruling class" is the priority - because this is the ONE POINT that is believed to be holding our world together - this is the ONE POINT that must, at all costs - be defended and is a responsibility that those who are not part of the elite will not understand or appreciate.

While the elite of this world do exploit and abuse the honor and dignity of life for the vast majority of life on this planet, it is justified by the very SAME reasoning and logic of the majority of people - that even though their positions of power and responsibility come from MASSIVE abuse and suffering, it is "better" to not go changing things - it is better to bear it and allow the majority of people to continue their suffering, than to challenge the system - because according to the understanding and reasoning of the current elite - even though massive suffering is REQUIRED in order for the current system to continue, the current system is apparently the ONLY system that can maintain a kind of order in this world, simply because it is the only system we have known, and those in positions of power and elite influence consider that it is not only their "RIGHT", but in a way their sacred duty, to maintain this "natural order". 

"The Build" in Both Dimensions

At this point the frustrated majority of people have not yet met the "SPARK" that would ignite their dormant suppressed energies - they are frustrated with a system that does not care for them and they are giving more than their fair share in return for far less than they deserve while the elite continue to benefit without consequence or consideration - but in the interest of stability - even if this stability diminishes the majority - the frustrations will be put up with - the conditions will be accepted - because apparently this is just the way things are.

Meanwhile the elite and the controlling institutions of this world must manage a widely overpopulated, discontent, under-educated, and self-destructive world population that has been forced to accept conditions that should never have been acceptable, in the name of maintaining a world system that DEMANDS suffering and constant growth in order to sustain itself - and that should the "people" come to find out the actual abusive nature of the system and the deliberate suffering it must impose, there would be uncontrollable rage and fury - a kind that must at all cost be prevented - because it may destroy the infrastructures and system placements that would otherwise keep the world in a state of relative balance and control.

So here we see two dimensions of the issue - where the problems are known and are tolerated and we do our best to manage ourselves, our lives, and do what we require to do in order to survive in the system, or to protect the system from a collapse that happens too violently and quickly that it can cause devastating damage worse than simply putting up with it and maintaining it. 

The people contend with and try to survive within their conditions, HOPING that things will eventually get better while the institutions and the world system's leaders and elites KNOW that things will only get worse.

But this is not the END - As I walk this Politician's Journey to Life, I will explain and show the dynamics and dimensions of this and any related issues - so that we do NOT conclude that this is the way things are and that they cannot change - but rather that when we step beyond our limited considerations and begin to see the bigger context - and understand that we are NOT separate from our world and that the workings of our global system are not beyond our capacity for a new direction. 

Therefore I commit myself to show and share my perspectives and how I am learning as I walk my own Politician's Journey to Life - that there IS a WAY OUT for all, if we dare to be the REAL Politicians this world needs.

In the next post I will discuss the next stage - "The Spark" - where things are unbearable - where finally we just cannot take it anymore - where all manner of patience and suffering is pushed beyond the limit and we are no longer able to hold back the unpredictable ignition of our suppressed rage and frustration, again sharing the dimensions of the protestor as we as the perspective of the current system and those in positions of power and responsibility. 

Day 5 - The Politics of Protest – Part One: Introducing The Anatomy of Protest

"...But every time the workers come out in the only way they know to protest against conditions which are unbearable the strong hand of the law is allowed to press down heavily upon us."

 - Rose Schneiderman, Labor Union Leader

Day 5 - The Politics of Protest – Part One: Introducing The Anatomy of Protest

Protest - whether against the government, against a political figure, against an economic policy, against religious or sexual oppression, has often been romanticized into a swelling of popular discontent that eventually propels people to take political action and demand change from a government or institution that has wronged them and has refused to consider their plight time and time again, thus leading to the accumulation of distrust and frustration within the population. This accumulation eventually leads to the acts of mass protests. 

Mass protests often lead to revolutions, and revolutions often lead to rebellions of various hostility, and such rebellions in some cases lead to policy reforms, regime changes, or the overthrow of certain political figures – which are quickly replaced with temporarily better public policy, or “new” political figures who shortly after being installed, will resume the same governmental policies with just a few minor adjustments to appease their constituency. Meanwhile no lasting change has occurred, and where any change has been conceded by the previous ruling power, it is eventually subsidized or shifted in other areas, perhaps to other countries. (See the “Arab Spring” in how quickly political “overthrows” can become popularized through protest movements, and how the new leaders installed are only a superficial change that never addresses the core of public discontent)

Protest is an emotionally charged reaction – it is the inevitable reaction of suppressed energies within a population that has become discontent, yet sees no practical application or solution that they can participate in as a way to address their grievances. By the time this discontent spreads across a wide section of the population and the frustrations become unbearable – the slightest push can send the discontent into a reaction of mass protest and/or revolt – similar to introducing a spark that normally causes no harm into an environment full of gasoline and gunpowder that has been left to accumulate over time. That spark, however little, can quickly ignite otherwise “dormant” chemicals and reactions that can become quite destructive, finally seeing a “target” for the release of their suppressed volatility. 

The problem with protest is that due to its emotional and volatile nature, often the actual root causes of the frustration become lost in the suddenly explosive expression of frustration and anger that is most often directed at the person, group, or event that can be associated with their discontent even if that association is tenuous or only symbolic.

Once the core direction of a protest becomes lost in its emotional reactions, it is all too easy for those who understand the nature of the mind and how coercion and influence can be applied to emotionally charged people to co-opt or steer the masses into a direction intended to misdirect their fury, and use their own momentum against them – confusing the goals and dissipating the momentum of the group. (See the inception of the “Tea Party” movement in the US and how quickly its original ideologies became subverted and turned obscure, or the raw populist energy of "Occupy Wallstreet" that eventually tapered out)

In this series of “protest” themed blog posts – I will describe and show how protest is NOT a solution and does NOT bring lasting or sustainable change for the population despite only a few exceptions. I will describe the dimensions of the protester, the politician, the government, and how all of these points can and must come together if we are to have REAL political progress. 

I will be bringing these points to very simple examples so that all can begin to see through the eyes of the REAL politician – that each and every one of us has had to face and manage potential protests – that all of us know exactly how such protests come about, why some seem to work and others don’t, and how we would need to handle “protest” if and when we step into a position of political responsibility and influence. 

For the purpose of setting the context in a way that is easy to understand, as the next few blogs in this series will be taking on the various dimensions of “Protest”, I will break down the essential parts of a “protest” here, which we will look at:

The stages of protest and how they will be referred to in following posts in this series -

The Build – This is where a problem has occurred, and the potential protestor is now frustrated at not seeing a direct and immediate resolution to their problem. Not wanting to misdirect their frustration or cause damage to the innocent, they suppress these frustrations for a moment while dealing with the problem, but become progressively more upset and irrational. This is gasoline and gunpowder starting to accumulate and compound.

The Spark – This can be seen as the “straw that broke the camel’s back”. This is the event or situation that finally “sets off” that room full of gasoline and gunpowder, where all “reasonable” methods of dealing with the problem have seemed to fail and the friction generates this “spark” that suddenly turns a dormant room of gasoline and gunpowder into an explosion, which is the next part. 

The Explosion – This is the sudden and often violent and uncontrollable release of energy that was suppressed for a very long time. This is the point where people as “Mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore”. This is when people DEMAND a solution right away, because they can no longer hold back their frustrations. Those in the closest vicinity to this blast – those who are most obvious to attack and attempt to destroy as an act of retribution or justice become the main targets. 

Damage Control – Here is where the target of the explosion must fortify itself and ensures that this sudden outburst does not become too violent or destructive, that it may threaten the greater infrastructure upon which many things depend. If the explosion cannot be contained, a target is given and the explosion is allowed to play itself out “safely” at the expense of a non critical target. 

Defusing – Here is where the situation has been “contained” – where the explosion is controlled and steered away from becoming a full threat. This is the aftermath where the protest is no longer violent and there has either been a “change” in the system or the protest/explosion has died down. This is when the system now prepares itself and sets up protections against future protests/sparks – but the underlying problems are never addressed. 

For now I will leave it here – in the next post I will begin to bring these parts of a protest into practical daily examples and will show how there are MULTIPLE dimensions to consider when looking at a protest, and why/how protest will not change this world or the system – and how to form REAL protests that have REAL lasting change.