Protests
I've been following the protests at Gallaudet for the past couple weeks and was pointed to this site for updates & commentary. It's primarily ASL vlogs, which are of great interest if not completely accessible to me. It's sad how bad my sign has gotten, especially in light of my sucky hearing. Some day I won't have the choice.
But about the protests...I can't help viewing them through my community organizer eyes. Some of the tactics are reasonable, but some of it is completely counter productive (a wall with signs that say things like "JKF I want to f*** your mother"). Though I completely support the position of the students, there are such better methods of getting what you want. Build relationships with allies, define your issue, do loads of research and refine your demands, then hold power accountable publicly.
I've been struggling with this as I make plans to go down to the SOA protest in Ft. Benning next month. Yes, I think the SOA (WHINSEC) needs to close, but my concerns with the institution are not necessarily the same as those of the mass protesters (or at least not the ones generally shouted about). Human Rights abuses by SOA graduates are completely unacceptable and people responsible need to be held accountable. But I don't think that's the core of the problem, rather a symptom. US imperialism, empire, whatever you want to call it, is at the root of the issue: that we (by that I mean the US gov't) feel called to force our ideals on other countries, that we feel we have the right to dictate how and when militaries function, and that we see no wrong in exploiting anyone and everyone for our gain. That is the issue.
But about the protests...I can't help viewing them through my community organizer eyes. Some of the tactics are reasonable, but some of it is completely counter productive (a wall with signs that say things like "JKF I want to f*** your mother"). Though I completely support the position of the students, there are such better methods of getting what you want. Build relationships with allies, define your issue, do loads of research and refine your demands, then hold power accountable publicly.
I've been struggling with this as I make plans to go down to the SOA protest in Ft. Benning next month. Yes, I think the SOA (WHINSEC) needs to close, but my concerns with the institution are not necessarily the same as those of the mass protesters (or at least not the ones generally shouted about). Human Rights abuses by SOA graduates are completely unacceptable and people responsible need to be held accountable. But I don't think that's the core of the problem, rather a symptom. US imperialism, empire, whatever you want to call it, is at the root of the issue: that we (by that I mean the US gov't) feel called to force our ideals on other countries, that we feel we have the right to dictate how and when militaries function, and that we see no wrong in exploiting anyone and everyone for our gain. That is the issue.