(From New Series Number 253, July 2009)
*Workers rage again burst out in Bangladesh. In a factory in a central area of Bangladesh, dispute regarding outstanding wages increase and reinstitution took a violent turn on July 27. Some bosses were beaten up. Police burst tear gas shells to dispense the crowd of workers. Workers blocked the National Highway. Auxililary force of the police fired bullets. One worker died. Workers from many factories came out on the roads. Out of fear, some managements shut down the factories earlier than usual. The factory in the location where the dispute arose was put on fire. In protest against the workers' death, demonstrations were held on June 28th at different places in Bangladesh. And then on June 29, workers rage became explosive. In an industrial center of the capital Dhaka, there were sharp clashes between workers and the police. When the number of workers filled with rage reached 50,000, the additional police force of 400 officers called to protect the factory stepped aside. Most of the workers in the Dhaka area were on the roads but in some factories, factories became the target of workers' attacks and 50 factories were set on fire. Governments and vicious special forces were called in to control the discontent of the workers. (More informaion can be found here- http://libcom.org/news/fury-garment-worker-shot-dead-bangladesh-workers-strike-riot-28062009)
*In the month of June in India, the government of India launched an attack on peasants and artisans. For 8 months in Lalgarh area of West Bengal, poor people of 30 villages had refused to acknowledge the very existence of state or government. Agitated by this power, a gang-up of state armed police, central calamity forces (central reserved police force and border security force) and special forces and with the help of air force gunship, attack on peasants and artisans in Lalgarh was launched.
*In conditions going from bad to worse, upheavals, increasing upheavals are natural. In society, this has been taking place in the last 5-7,000 years. This process that began in minor areas of the earth has in these past 5,000 years increased worldwide.
We are tangled in a situation of violence and counterviolence, just violence and unjust violence, increasing violence in the garb of peace and non-violence...Because of this, one person is doomed to be split up into 50 personalities. Today each one of us is caught up in mutilating one's body and conscience. Each one is engaged in bloodying those around oneself. Mountains of pain are transforming each person into bombs. In these 200 years, the speed of narrowing the trap is closing in at faster rates and it's capacity to strike has become increasingly fatal.
We all are being pushed towards total destruction. We are pushing our own selves in this direction. So, let's increase exchanges, increase the churning to find the means to overcome this viscious whirlpool.
*A person has to deal with one's own self all the time. Persons, many kinds of relations with other persons is a common thing. In this scenario, in conditions from bad to worse, blaming one's own self, blaming other persons is natural. But this is blaming the victims.
Labouring masses have been prey to exploitation-oppression But 2,500 years ago, Prince Siddharth had become a beggar-monk and Emperor Chandragupt used to change rooms every night for fear he would be killed in his sleep. Today managers being forced out of jobs, chairmen and CEO's going to prison are becoming common.
People occupying a post keep changing. But the positions itself continue. The problem lies in the post/position. Getting involved in making this or that person the boss or changing bosses is to be entrapped. Put bosses as such, the very position of a boss as the head of the hierarchy, as the target. Besides emancipation of labouring masses, this will also open the doors for peaceful sleep for emperors...Princes will not become beggars. Life will not remain a curse. There will be no desire to seek emancipation from life.
In our opinion, focusing on social relations, social process and theory-practice based on victim-co-victim will create fissures in the present entanglement.
*In the army of kings and emperors, it was a big deal for there to be an 1,000 permanent soldiers. Emperors with palaces and forts used to normally take 1/6th of the production of serfs, peasants, artisans. By swallowing 50% of the production done by wage-workers in coal-based factories, wage workers provided the capacity to modern governments to have standing armies of 50,000 standing strong. In 1890, the government's formation of a 100,000 standing strong army had caused an uproar in the world. Nowadays in the year of petrol-diesel-electricity-electronics, 98% of what the workers produce is being siphoned off. Earth, even outer space has been militarized...
95-98% of what is being done today is unnecessary harmful and dangerous. Exploitation of earth, other species and our own selves has brought us to this place. The web of hierarchy has reached the factory through the control of animals for milking, the exploitation of slaves, the tearing apart of the earth for agriculture...This is the result of the "good life" based on the exploitation of all and of everything. This is the result of civilization, progress, and development..!
Fast to faster speed, more and more shine, production in increasingly large amounts...these are the scales of "good life" in the present. "Good life" in which people are increasingly being transformed into a surplus population into scraps and heaps of garbage...To deal in the circle of "good life" is to stretch the body and smother the conscience. For one to have the "good life," then one does not have time for one's own self...
Therefore, upheaval is welcomed. Upheavals provide the opportunity to think about other modes of living. Upheavals increase the possibility of new modes of living.
Won't it be nice to end harmful and dangerous work? How would one feel if the time to slog was reduced? What fantastic things are possible if there was free time for those who are tied to a fast pace of life. If work were reduced to 1/48th or 1/49th quarter than air, water, soil and health would immediately improve. To encourage upheavals, one can begin with one's self. Instead of stretching the body, let's listen to our bodies and create opportunities for rest. Instead of killing the conscience, we can listen to our conscience. Being at ease with oneself provides a strong basis for relations with others. Each relation needs time. Having time, acquiring time creates and increases the possibilities of relations of love, affection, attachment, respect and such relations can take upheavals onto a new terrain. Social death and social murder of artisans, peasants, shopkeepers will continue increasing upheavals. Ever increasing exploitation and increasing insecurity and uncertainty of workers will keep increasing upheavals throughout the world. Upheavals are necessary and welcome for the creation of a new society.
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