Saturday, April 16, 2016

On "Everyday Rebellion"



On the May 11, 2015 Old Mole Variety Hour, Hyung Nam and I discuss Everyday Rebellion, a "cross-media documentary about creative forms of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience worldwide."

Among the figures and movement profiled in the film, we see scenes from the occupation of Zucotti park in New York City, where after the police prohibited bullhorns or megaphones, protestors used the people's mike--that strategy where the speaker says something and then it's repeated by the crowd, so everyone can hear it.  We see the Spanish Indignados resisting the eviction of one man who has gotten behind on mortgage payments on his apartment.  We see some protests by the feminist group FEMEN, and follow one of its members into exile from her native Ukraine.  We  follow activists working secretly -- Iranian activists creating graffiti, or expressing their solidarity by flicking lights on and off;  there's a Syrian protestor who writes political messages on ping pong balls and releases them down a sidewalk staircase.  We see the testimony of Iranian former political prisoners and survivors of the 1980s there, speaking to a tribunal in the Hague.  We hear from political clowns like Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping and the Yes Men, Andy Bickelbaum and Mike Bonano.  We also hear from academic and practical experts on nonviolent tactics - like Srdja Popovic who worked with the movement that brought down Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia; Erica Chenoweth, who teaches at the University of Denver and at the Peace Research Institute of Oslo; and Lisa Fithian, who has taught workshops here in Portland as well as around the US.

The film is directed by the Iranian-Austrian Riahi brothers, who comment in the directors' statement that "As we ourselves  had to leave an oppressed country, Iran, we think that we  are the right team to bring this film to life, to support and  inspire the suppressed people in authoritarian systems."

We find the film lacking in a strong analysis of power and short on  strategy and long-term vision, or what Frances Fox Piven has called disruptive power, but useful on tactics and for inspiration.

The website, with useful resources, is http://www.everydayrebellion.net/

Additional useful resources for action:

Beautiful Trouble http://beautifultrouble.org/

Beautiful Solutions https://solutions.thischangeseverything.org/

The Yes Men (who recently appeared on Positively Revolting Talk Radio) offer https://actionswitchboard.net/

Waging Nonviolence  http://wagingnonviolence.org/

Lisa Fithian is involved with  http://organizingforpower.org/

This book: Imagine Living in a Socialist USA

Hyung Nam's tumblr is http://itspeoplepower.tumblr.com/archive