Revolutions per Minute

May
2011 29

Revolutions per Minute

The legendary Gil Scott- Heron- who died yesterday- taught us that The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. I don’t know what he would have thought about this week’s ongoing mass demonstrations that were organized by Facebook and Twitter. Scott- Heron was no luddite (as his recent intriguing collaboration with UK grime star Jammie xx shows) so he might have approved. On the other hand, I am not sure that what ‘s happening across Southern Europe these days constitutes a revolution. I think like it though.

The Spanish started it all by gathering in their squares and demonstrating peacefully against their Government’s austerity measures. Greece caught on and- ever since last Wednesday- Syntagma Square in front of the Parliament and many squares in cities all over the country have been full of people demonstrating against the corruption of our politicians, the harsh economic measures of the International Monetary Fund and the stupidity that led to the collapse of our economy.

Usually in these occasions my default mode (cynicism) wins out, but I was there on Wednesday and Friday and frankly it was a lot of fun. The huge square was packed with thousands of people and their massive presence alone was impressive. The circulation in the center was cut- off, making it a Hakim Bey- style Temporary Autonomous Zone, where people could mingle, set up tents, yell obscenities at the Parliament and debate. The scene looked more like a festival than a protest.

Two things worth noting:

1) This is not a movement that can be co- opted by any specific political party or ideology, union representative or organization. Virtually all ages and types were there.

2) Unbelievably, despite the widespread anger against authority, the crowd did not resort to our national sport (a.k.a. Throwing Shit At The Cops). In fact there has been no violence whatsoever so far, from the police or the protesters.

The amazing thing is that- despite the fact that Athens is a city with huge problems that has lately been drowning in desperation, fury and blood- everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Everyone. Some questions need to be asked here: Does anyone know what will happen next? No. Were there too many middle- class, liberal dilettantes who never march for anything in Syntagma Square? Sure (I was one of them). Was it worth it? Fuck yeah.

So far, the traditional media reception has been slow and awkward, as if the television stations and newspapers were jealous of the internet for getting ahead of them. This is understandable. A protest with no casualties sounds boring to the Greek media scavengers. The European news outlets have also been mostly silent, which is just as well. I have been following the coverage of the Greek crisis in the European press and, frankly, some of the views expressed in the more conservative circles has been very condescending. True, we have plenty of political non- entities to deal with in Greece, but I wouldn’t feel particularly smug if my Prime Minister was David Cameron or Sylvio Berlusconi.

As for me, I hung around, saw friends I hadn’t seen in ages (even years in a couple of instances), met some new ones, drank some beer and discussed politics with strangers. It was alright.

Should people feel pleased with themselves for finally getting off their couch? No. This is a gesture, not a solution. This is not Tahrir Square and we are not ruled by a dictatorship anymore. Just idiots and thieves. Gestures do carry weight though. We ‘ll know soon enough whether the whole thing will fade away, or whether the trend will catch on to the rest of Europe. If you live in a European city in one of the many countries that have been ravaged by political stupidity and financial ruin, perhaps you should consider taking to the street along with your neighbors. At the risk of sounding like a fucking hippy, you might be surprised.