[Nettime-bold] Re: <nettime> S26 and after

[David Irving <dirving@box.net.au>]

Brian Holmes wrote:

> Well, finally I was among what the know-it-all Economist calls those
> "exuberant irrationalists on the streets," ...

This reaction to protest is nothing new. I realise I'm going to sound like a
boring old fart, but the current rash of denunciations in the straight press
are exactly the same as those we encountered 30-odd years ago when we were
protesting against the Vietnam war.

That said, I'm enormously encouraged by much of what the S11 and S26
protesters have done. It really is the same struggle as we were involved in,
but maybe clarified a bit. And I'm really disappointed in the reactions of
many people my age who did what you are doing then, but disapprove of it now,
because they have a mortgage and a job and a share portfolio and a ... to
protect. So do I, but I approve of much of the protestors' activity. (I must
admit, I find the fire bombs through the shop windows a bit hard to take.)

Take heart from the fact that any protest against the current regime starts
out being enormously unpopular, because it makes people uncomfortable, but
eventually will gain mainstream support for at least a limited agenda of
change.

David


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