The message of the Zapatistas is that there is more to politics than just electioneering, and that the people should not be satisfied with leaders who care about them only when they are looking for votes. People can take power and change the conditions of their own lives, collectively, the Zapatistas argue, without relying on politicians to do it for them.
Echoes of dignity?
2 comments:
I was just over on a thread at the mutualist.blogspot on this subject.My point there was a hope that the Zapatistas lack of support for Obrador, Morales, all government in general, was not a case of infantile "left wing" communism as Lenin put it. The Left can work on multiple fronts in my opinion,and at this juncture solidarity is more important than purity.There warnings about governments is not something everybody does not already know by now.
I had the same initial response, that Marcos, et al aren't really saying anything new. But then it struck me that there's more to it, especially in the context of the EZLN's dissolution of the FZLN. Look at Marcos' statement about governments in response to the invitation from Morales: his point is that the EZLN isn't interested in dealing with governments--good or bad, he says--but with people. It doesn't strike me as an infantile antagonism to any particular party in Mexico; and I think you can even read a positive message there: there are "good" governments. The EZLN's new tack, it strikes me, should satisfy everyone.
The problem will be Marcos' lack of restraint in talking about Obrador, et al . . .
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