39 Eldridge St
New York
NY
“Understand: The task of an activist is not to negotiate systems of power with as much personal integrity as possible – it is to dismantle those systems of power” Lierre Keith
They say these are interesting times to live in. We are daily confronted with a new onslaught of destruction wrought by the industrial power system. 80% of the world’s population lives on less than $10/day, 1 in 3 children in the US go to bed hungry, 1 in 3 women worldwide face physical and/or sexual assault, and seemingly everyday the police state commits murder against the minority population. Inequality around the world is at an all time high as opulence excels, water scarcity is becoming a an oppressive reality for large portions of the world as we water golf courses in Arizona, and as peak oil develops, we find new and horrific ways to power our industrial economy. Worst of all, we idly stand by as industrial civilization decimates entire ecosystems, produces irreversible climate change, and pushes 200 species to extinction a day.
Yes, 200 species a day become extinct.
Is industrial civilization a war against the natural world? And if so, what is our threshold for fighting back?
We on the left cling to ineffective strategies, symbolism, and working to be the change we want to see. In doing so, we are left powerless to stop the destruction. What then needs to change? What other strategies do we need to be discussing? If we truly accept the reality of the world as it exists, and if we accept the reality that the tactics used by our “movement” have not worked, how does that change our methods of resistance? A look at successful resistance movements can offer us a path. Join us as we discuss the historical context for underground resistance, confront popular myths concerning violence, and work to build a true culture of resistance here in the Empire State. In love, rage, and resistance.