by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
Owner:
Do NOT take this back to the venue!" he added, still shouting into the megaphone. Still, the damage was done, and there was nothing to do but make our way out of the intersection with the others?though one last group did pull a dumpster into the middle of intersection and set it on fire as a parting gift. That was lovely to see!
All in all, the night was a success?though, sadly, too late to do any good for the man the police had murdered?and also an important lesson: we must be ever-vigilant, so self-appointed leaders cannot set the limits of our activities for us. Perhaps the bands themselves needed to leave at that point, but for that guy to assume that this meant the event was ofRcially over, or that in their absence the rest of us lacked the sense to keep ourselves out of jail, was really presumptuous. It may seem ironic that we, having deployed a secret plan of our own that was not exacdy "voted for" by all present at the concert, would be frustrated with him for taking it upon himself to seize the reins; but the critical difference is that we never gave any orders?we simply opened a window of possibility, leading with our own bodies and carrying out activities that left room for others to participate in whatever ways they felt comfortable. For a total, self-managed revolution to be possible, every individual must be versed enough in self-determination, and every group experienced enough in quick collective decision-making, that no one can usurp control. In the meantime, those of us who want to see things happen need to be ready to counter self appointed leaders and "peace police" by presenting other options and keeping them visible and viable at all times. Had we immediately counteracted his instructions by loudly emphasizing that we could all remain in the intersection if we so chose, it would have been more likely that whatever happened next would have been the result of reasoned individual decisions rather than mob psychology.
Speaking of the tensions and occasional contradictions between individual decisions
Hijacking Events ^^^ group decisions?there was a little controversy over the dumpster, which, it turned
294 out, had been the dumpster used by a fair-trade coffee house that hosted liberal and
sometimes radical meetings and performances. To my knowledge, no one ever found out if the coffee house was actually inconvenienced by the fire; the dumpster itself was seen in use on anolher street shortly thereafter, so I seriously doubt there were any consequences for the cafe. Such minor mishaps are inevitable, but it was humorous what an obvious excuse we'd provided liberals to concentrate their criticisms on our tactics rather than the offenses of the powers that be. Maybe next time someone should apply for a grant with which we can rent a dumpster of our own to set afire?
To liven up a speaker's lecture or a musician's between-song banter, you can distribute secret instructions ahead of time that make use of predictable words and gestures as cues for strange audience behavior: e.g., "whenever he says 'welcome,' moan; whenever he asks a question, laugh uproariously; whenever he swears, applaud wildly." Arrange the cues so they will feed off each other, bringing the situation to an absurdist climax.
Hijacking Events 295
Hitchhiking
Asking an experienced hitchhiker how to thumb is Hke asking a iio-year-old woman how to hve long. She'll say something like, "I've drunk a fifth of gin every day since I was ten years old!" Some other iio-year-old wdll swear it's the companionship of cats. And that's as close as you'll get to the secret of living long and riding with strangers; there's a lot of magic and luck involved, and hence, a lot of superstition. What works for me may leave you, thumb high, frozen to death on the ramp. All the same, here are some tips; the magic, luck, and superstition parts are up to you.
Ingredients Road
Thumb
One of the six million cars that are being driven with empty seats in them at this very
MOMENT
A MAP
Thick black marker and cardboard
FOR making signs
Tools for self-defense ? knife, pepper spray, burning cigarette,
ETC.
Instructions
Find a Cood Spot
2g6
It's important to be visible, both to avoid getting hit and for exposure. You want to give every person driving by as much time as possible to decide whether or not they want to pick you up; a few hundred yards of clear visibiHty only provides a few seconds in the eyes of a moving driver. You also want to be in a place where a driver can easily and safely pull over.
