by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
Owner:
Remember, as long as we live in this cutthroat society, troubled relationships are going When Times Get Tough to be inevitable. That's why we're working towards a revolution in the first place! The dynamics within our groups and ourselves mirror the patterns of strife in the larger world around us, and we can't expect them to be much healthier than it is. The struggle to heal one is the struggle to heal the other, and neither struggle will be concluded until both are. The good news buried in this conundrum is that whatever you discover that works within your small circle may well also work to change the world at large.
It might help, when things get really bad and you start to feel ashamed of your group, like you're all a bunch of phonies and have nothing to offer the world or even each other, to consider all the other beautiful, important things that anarchists like yourself have accomplished?those great punk rock records, the resistance in the Spanish Civil War, the millions of meals served by Food Not Bombs. You can be sure all those feats were collect'ms only barely snatched from the teeth of internal dissension, resentment, and pessimism. 203
Everything good we achieve, we achieve because we're willing to engage in projects that are imperfect?and to forgive ourselves and our relationships for that imperfection. The only thing that is perfect is nonexistence. Hold out a little to see what you might still be able to accomplish together, however flawed it might be, before you opt for that.
Fallout and Afiermath Even with the best internal dynamics anticapitalism can buy, your collective may eventually break up, or you may choose to leave it. That's inevitable, just like death {and the eventual abolition of taxes, god damn it). Things may even end in emotional drama and disappointment. Don't beat yourself up over this?learn what you can, and move on. Again, none of us is perfect, and recognizing that, being comfortable with it, is as radical and positive as our efforts to improve ourselves.
The fact that it comes to an end doesn't have to mean you were doing the wrong thing, either. Such an assumption is reminiscent of the objection people sometimes bring up against non-monogamous relationships: "Oh, 1 know some people who tried that, but they ended up breaking up." Being able to have a healthy relationship includes knowing how and when to conclude it: the conclusion is not necessarily an indication of inherent problems. Not being able to conclude, on the other hand, might be?think of the miserable monogamous marriage that drags on forever, the inmates too proud to admit it's not working.
So don't get demoralized when a collective comes to an end?take every lesson you learned, every skill you gained, every idea that has yet to see expression, and put them into action in your next collective projects. Make the lackeys of capitalism regret they ever let you get out alive, and the communities you care for grateful you managed to survive.
Co//ect*Ves 204
Corporate Downsizing
Corporations don't downsize themselves?they need our help! This is an example of how a selection of different tactics can be brought to bear at once on a given target on a busy shopping day.
At least a dozen helium balloons of your favorite
COLOR
Ribbon
Banner-sized sheets of paper
Spray paint or thick markers
Kite rods
Lots of fliers
Blank T-shirts
a gap employee name badge
(if you are a real badass) Your WINNING smile
Ingredients
This action is a triple-pronged assault on the local sweatshop-using, environment-destroying clothing company of your choice. The three separate components of the action work well together or individually depending on how many people are in your action group. Five to ten is an optimal number to execute all three components simultaneously.
This action only works indoors, optimally inside a mall in which the target store is on the highest floor. Prepare ahead of time a large paper banner reinforced with kite rods?for example, "gap uses child labor." Large rolls of paper are usually hidden in
Instructions
The Balloon Banner
high school offices to cover bulletin boards in different colors. If you do not have access to paper, look for a thin bed sheet in a thrift store or dumpster.
