An Example of What Not To Do

There is a scene in the movie Monkey Warfare where Nadia’s “revolutionary” group smashes an SUV in a futile attempt at protesting capitalism.

That scene is a perfect example of what many self-styled revolutionaries actually do. Enter “The Wreath Underground”, a group of university students at the University of British Columbia trying to stop development on the campus by, get this, smashing windows.

No doubt by invoking the Weather Underground in their name, they are trying to portray a grander vision than simply how the campus should develop.

Yet smashing windows isn’t revolutionary. It’s petty, and it’s regressive. The capitalist classes can point to this and say “look, we told you so,” and all we have is an even more staunchly capitalist society with a few broken windows which, incidentally, somebody will get rich off replacing.

But this is a metaphor for the radical left right now. We spend too much time talking about what we want to dismantle and not what we want to build. After all, revolution isn’t about destroying capitalism so much as it is about building in its place an egalitarian society that raises the workers standard of living.

We can certanly sympathize with the protesters. Anyone who has tried to stand in the way of moneyed interest should know that it is virtually impossible to stop – public consultations are a rubber stamp process that only serve to let us vent our rage, rather than truly influence change.

But if we ever hope to convince anyone of anything, then painting ourselves as vandals and criminals is the wrong path to take. We have to show a compelling and credible alternative to capitalism, to show that it can work, and to show true leadership and resolve in the face of adversity.

For when groups such as “The Wreath Underground” finish smashing windows, they just run back into their own glass houses.

Read the story: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=96fa0fcc-dff5-44cc-bb46-dfa67da2f6f6&k=11565