A Moment to Seize in the Midst of Post-Inaugural Delusion
January 28, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
We strongly encourage readers to listen to the entire interview of Bob Avakian by Michael Slate, as it is posted at revcom.us. And get out palm cards for the interview, which will be available soon at revcom.us/avakian/audio/bob-avakian-interviewed-by-michael-slate-en.html.
This week, we want to note a moment to seize in the midst of the wave of post-inaugural illusions and self-delusion surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama. Suggestion: Gather people at work, school, in your community, or wherever you are, and listen to part 1 of Slate’s interview with Bob Avakian.
Among other things in the first part of the interview, BA sharply exposes what voting for the Democrats, and the Obama presidency, really means. In a dynamic engagement with Slate, BA analyzes the deadly dynamic between the Republicans and the Democrats, and particularly how that went down the second time around with Obama, when much of the “hope” and “change” illusion had worn thin. He dissects how to understand and respond to the openly racist and fascistic agenda of the Republicans, but without being played into complicity with terrible crimes against people here and around the world under Obama. He injects a sorely needed dose of reality into the discourse of what Obama is Commander in Chief of—as drones rain down on people around the world, Obama asserts full backing for Israel’s threats of war on Iran, Black people are fed into the pipeline to prison, women are evicted from inner city projects, and record numbers of immigrants are deported.
BA speaks to the ways the Republicans are going after the right of Black people to vote, something people sacrificed and died to win. While making clear that right must be defended, BA cuts to the bone on what voting and the whole vaunted U.S. democracy means for people—in this country and around the world. And BA specifically paints an undeniable and damning picture of what it has actually meant for the masses of Black people to have Obama in the White House—and how the Obama presidency has been used to tell people for whom there are no jobs, no housing, no opportunities, “it’s your own fault” that you are not “making it” in America.
And there’s much much more in part 1 of the interview. Avakian’s analysis of the election is framed in a larger, compelling challenge to get out of whatever kind of comfort zone people are in, confront the horrors of this system, and rise up beyond the terribly lowered sights so prevalent these days, where real, revolutionary change has been ruled off the agenda. With biting humor, honesty and truth, BA shines a light on how the opportunity for real change can become real when people break out of the deadly framework of this system. So gather people up, turn up the volume, listen to, discuss, and spread part 1, and the whole interview. Send experiences, insights, questions and suggestions to revolutionreports@yahoo.com.
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