[legalboxerbriefs]

What do people think about black blocs? Personally, I find them to be useless and infantile. However, I'll admit to the possibility of being wrong. What do they accomplish?

[Dr House]

It seems like a reasonable security tactic to me. And all protests are useless and infantile.

[Nets]

Wearing ski-masks and arming yourselves en masse, yea that really doesn't look like a thuggish presence to the public.

[QatzelOk]

look like a thuggish presence to the public

What fashion do you suggest for people who are unhappy with where their shepherds are herding them?

Black seems perfect to me. And the masks are a sign that your government is no longer democratic.

What would you suggest for protest-wear, Nets? Perhaps slip on some Gap pastels and drink slushees at a mall as a form of (almost) silent dissidence?

[Goldberk]

What do people think about black blocs? Personally, I find them to be useless and infantile. However, I'll admit to the possibility of being wrong. What do they accomplish?

I agree. There actions present anarchism as an ideology of violence and destruction, which it is not.

What fashion do you suggest for people who are unhappy with where their shepherds are herding them?

I suggest that instead of kicking in a starbucks window, the people involved busy themselves with building alternative power structures.

[legalboxerbriefs]

I suggest that instead of kicking in a starbucks window, the people involved busy themselves with building alternative power structures.

Indeed. In my experience, the participants in black blocs have been angry 14-20-year-olds who are more opposed to the ruled laid down by their parents than the existence of the state. Whenever I've tried to actually engage any of them in an actual discussion, they just wind up screaming about how we have to "smash the state" and "fascism".

[QatzelOk]

I suggest that instead of kicking in a starbucks window, the people involved busy themselves with building alternative power structures.

You mean they should ask their father for their trust fund money, and then cab their way to a demo at an MIT cafeteria?

Or maybe they should just download some dissident software?

What can poor people do to change the power structure in their favor? Slave away more for their bosses?

[Red Rebel]

What do they accomplish?

They're fun.

[Goldberk]

You mean they should ask their father for their trust fund money, and then cab their way to a demo at an MIT cafeteria?

In my experience a lot of "black bloc" come from higher income brackets.

What can poor people do to change the power structure in their favor? Slave away more for their bosses?

A mental shift is the important first step. seeing yourself as powerful instead of powerless.

They're fun.

They're imbeciles.

[Holt]

all protests are useless and infantile.

False.

[Northern-Anarchist-X]

Non-violent confrontation is more effective than violent confrontation. It becomes violent when the cops get carried away with power ...

Black blocs aren't great when they espouse immature and obscene violence.

[QatzelOk]

Non-violent confrontation is more effective than violent confrontation.

This helps explain why pacifists won World War Two.

[Red Rebel]

They're imbeciles.

Never said they weren't.

Also non-violent direct action works great when there is also violent direct action. The ruling class sees the writing on the wall and choses the lesser evil. i.e. in the USA civil rights compared to black people overthrowing the state.

[Northern-Anarchist-X]

This helps explain why pacifists won World War Two.

The likelihood of cops pulling out the swastika armbands and killing everyone at a protest seems remote in western societies.

[Red Rebel]

Cops were really friendly at the recent G20 protests in Pittsburgh. Actually had a great lengthy discussion with one about international politics, exploitation, and the global economy. Guys name was Bob and he has a son who is going to the same school as me.

Cops don't need to machine gun down protestors unless they have to. In the United States (and other stable governments) they are able to supress protests via less direct/violent means.

[Melodramatic]

What do people think about black blocs?

Good energies, channeled badly. General resentment to everything is fine as long as it is backed up by thinking and searching for solutions/ alternatives. I find violence is inevitable when it comes to such matters, but can be better planned. That's the problem with anarchists, too disorganized. Maybe the fact that they're disorganized means they don't really understand anarchism (actually just attention craving punks). Still we can use them to make noise when we need it, while we do the thinking.

edit: note this is all hypothetical .