2004-11-16 - 9:15 p.m.
an extension/addendum to Adrienne's comments on ineffective symbolic protest as 'group therapy'
while the personal may be political, i see much more of its perversion, that the political is personal. symbolic protest is not the only form of group therapy (which can be aligned with assuaging of liberal guilt), peace vigils, spoken word, murals, or other actions are all examples. these actions are (in the strict sense) ineffective/unstrategic because there is often no campaign, no decision-maker being targeted, no direct change being advocated, no base of people being built (for power). this is not to say no change is taking place at all. and this is certainly not to malign group therapy, because everyone needs personal therapy and the wholeness, belonging, and well-being or the ability to express oneself and 'act' on one's convictions that comes from personal therapy, whether participating in a symbolic action or whatever.
personal therapy ranges from symbolic group protests to lifestyle anarchism (not to mention lifestyle progressivism of all varieties). there is nothing inherently wrong with personal therapy, but there is something very hypocritical about certain forms, for instance, lifestyle anarchism or lifestyle liberalism or lifestyle socialism or whatever. it is certainly many (important) shades away from a jock wearing a RATM or che guevara t-shirt from urban outfitters: the culture has been emptied of its meaning, the symbols which arise from personal transformation do not reflect the commitment that should be attendant to that transformation.
the subtle (and implicit) distinction made when symbolic protest is called 'group therapy' is not that radical action should replace all such acts; the problem is that certain forms of ineffective action are motivated by an outlook that is, at its root, individualistic and, on its surface, delusional. This is what happens after co-optation (remember our incredulity when direct-action was co-opted by foofy Stanford liberals at the protest against a certain weapons manufacturer shortly after the one-day shut-down of SF?) Co-optation is ultimately about performance.
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i just got back from a national lawyer's guild immigration and detention working group meeting-
CRAZY SHIT THAT'S GOING DOWN RIGHT NOW WITH DETAINEES
Before the elections, 700 men from "terrorism countries" were arrested and detained without charge, 10,000 muslim families interrogated (there will be another sweep before inauguration, and another before the super bowl!)
Muslims overstaying their visas (sometimes for valid reasons) have their bonds set unreasonably high for basically no good reason
When there's no translator at immigration court, the detainee gets his/her hearing pushed back a month, meaning they go back to the detention center still not having ever stood in front of a judge
Government lawyers are trying to deceive the court, purposely misinterpreting evidence (e.g. making it seem suspicious that a man has three passports, when the two other passports were simply expired passports that he kept)
-no one is covering these cases, they are only covering federal cases! i don't have a real sense of all that's happening yet- this was my first meeting
I'm going to start going to immigration court on certain days to observe- this is an interesting project- I don't have a real sense of the strategy yet-
what is happening is so fucked up
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I'm very high on energy now- this is something I care about! It's good to do meaningful things
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thu 10/7
12:45pm 1270 Boston Asian Law Society meeting
5-8pm shelter legal services
wed 10/13
1pm barney frank 1270 talks about gay marriage
7-8pm meeting with Ward 2 Alderman Heuston at home of Alex Gurn 24 Beacon Place- Somerville divestment
thu 10/14
Shelter Legal Services 5-8pm
fri 10/15
7pm APALSA mentorship dinner
sat 10/16
divestment work meeting-missed
amanda's is in town
fri 10/22
dinner with michael and may- meet up at their place at 6:30
hang out with claire
sat 10/23
5:15pm meet up with Hank from socialist alternative in front of town news
hang out with lillian and anwar
tues 10/26
3:45-5:45 barrister hall international law society event- the dark sides of humanitarian work or something- about david kennedy's new book
thur 10/28
6:45 israel divestment- alderman meeting
sat 10/30
amy's fall party 4-10pm
sun 10/31
10am liu house azine meeting (didn't go)
7-8pm divestment meeting (didn't go)
wed 11/3
11am- lunch with julie
6:30pm divestment project potluck- didn't go
thu 11/4
read stuff on sealing cori
5-8pm SLS
fri 11/5
10:30am meet with urszula of NLG
call somerville divestment project phonebanking list
sat 11/6
3pm michael and may's house PRG
tue 11/9
6:30pm alderman meeting- cancelled
thu 11/11
4-6pm landlord/tenant disputes SLS training
fri 11/12
leave airport at 2pm
sat 11/13
kevin and megan's wedding!
sun 11/14
arrive airport at 12am
tues 11/16
4-5pm 734 online resources workshop
6:30 nlg office detention working group
