Leslie Feinberg speaking about activists only letting the most palatable mainstream-acceptable members of a group represent the movement.
[CC: “But, as soon as a movement begins to emerge and shake things up you get two approaches. First, you get suddenly those from on high who have never been our friends before who come rushing up to say ‘Wait wait wait wait wait! Don’t- don’t… don’t go too fast. Wait, we’re gonna show you how to work within the system.’ And they say ‘You know, some of these people, you don’t want to associate with them in the movement. They’re so angry. They’re gonna discredit your cause.’ Angry. You know, as if anger against oppression is not a clean-burning fuel. They say ‘Well just take a group of your best educated and most articulate and most well-dressed’ Well you know right away we should just say ‘That’s-That’s just racist, elitist, classist-coded. We know what that means.’ But they say ‘You know, if you could just get away from those people who are kind of bringing your struggle down and they’re bringing in all these extraneous things, you know, racism and sexism and the… you- you don’t want a mess… just gay rights now, keep it simple. You know, just one demand and that’ll kinda trickle down, you know.’ But those of us who have traditionally been trickled ON are not real impressed with that strategy. Because here’s what happens, they say ‘Well we’re just gonna go inside and negotiate for these rights. And kinda like, eh, don’t make any noise, you know.’ Well, they go inside to negotiate and you can be outside waiting and waiting and waiting and they’re not comin’ out. Because the next thing you know they’re the, like, governor’s advisor to this or they’re hoping they’re gonna get invited to the White House or they’re on this advisory committee. They’re finding more affinity with those they’re sitting across the table from than the people who they left around the corner.”]
As if anger against oppression is not a clean-burning fuel.
I’ve always admired people who can successfully navigate what I refer to as “Kafka’s Castle,” a term of dread for the many government and co
Don’t let the Fed’s Advocates co-opt and sabotage our movements.
