“Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently . . . The masses are in reality their own leaders, dialectically creating their own development process.”—Rosa Luxemburg
“I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they’ll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action.”—Malcolm X [el-Hajj Malik el Shabazz]
The left/right political model or paradigm in the 21st century United States is a deadly trap. It is a spurious paradigm maintained for the specific purpose of keeping everyday people from being united and collectively creative in order to bring about genuine systemic change.
The fact is that both the Democrat and Republican parties are, in real terms, one party. They area a symbiotic party whose leadership uses fake skirmishes, hypocrisy and obfuscated rhetoric to ensnare and control everyday Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people nationally and internationally. Sadly, much of the so-called Left in this nation has also bought into this insane scenario.
The Democrat and Republican parties (i.e., the Republicrats) are neither left nor right. Neither of them could exist without the other, and therein lies the unseen, continuous, and insidious trap. Everyday people are incessantly taught that the existence of the Democrats and Republicans is an exercise in ‘democracy.’ It is not. It is an exercise in bald-faced hypocrisy. Moreover, voting for either the Democrats or Republicans, and expecting fundamental systemic change thereto, is a futile foray of insanity.
Other than in a still very relevant and important historical context, the very terms of “left” and “right” in this nation have been so systemically disfigured, obscured, pimped and prostituted as to be virtually irrelevant to the psyches of everyday people. This is not entirely bad, in that the increasingly horrible economic, social, and political conditions of ordinary everyday people in the United States has the potential to bring about a reawakening of political consciousness regardless of what ideological milieu persons might perceive themselves to be a part of. The intellectual masturbators and pontificators (across all political spectrums) will be forced to put up or shut up. To reiterate the words of Malcolm X, “ . . . when the people create a program, you get action.” Clearly, the Democrats and Republicans are not representative of the people or their/our needs.
To be sure, persons do come from, or are attuned to, varying political ideologies. However, ideology without principles and creativity, especially today, is meaningless. It’s like having a rowboat without oars.
What is sorely needed today in the United States is the creation of an everyday people’s paradigm, not a phony left/right or right/left model. Only principles and creativity, coupled with a conscious and growing understanding of history, will bring into being a people’s model in this country; which in turn will bring about real systemic change. This calls for an active willingness to go beyond our respective ideological boxes. Indeed, this is, in large measure, precisely what creativity is all about.
What the late Rosa Luxemburg referred to as the people “creating their own development process” has, in fact, already begun in the 21st century United States as people reawaken. The wily politicos of the corporate Democrat and Republican parties are only too aware of this people’s “development process” and they and their corporate-stream media, along with their judicial injustice system will employ every dastardly means to co-opt, discredit, neutralize, and destroy this process. But as long as we adhere to principles and creativity, they will fail. The sacrifices on the part of everyday people will be many, but the process will not be stopped however much the corporate-stream media may say otherwise. Everyday ordinary Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people will be triumphant in this ongoing long and protracted struggle—of that there is no doubt!
The only paradigm of relevance to everyday people is that of we the people—just plain ordinary everyday people! Turn off your television sets and turn on your minds! Become critical thinkers and act accordingly. Get busy and stay busy on behalf everyday people!
People around the world are watching, and our precious Mother Earth herself is beckoning.
Onward, then, my sisters and brothers! Onward!
Intrepid Report Associate Editor Larry Pinkney is a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and the only American to have successfully self-authored his civil / political rights case to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In connection with his political organizing activities, Pinkney was interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS News Hour, formerly known as The MacNeil / Lehrer News Hour. Pinkney is a former university instructor of political science and international relations, and his writings have been published in various places, including The Boston Globe, the San Francisco BayView newspaper, the Black Commentator, Global Research (Canada), LINKE ZEITUNG (Germany), and Mayihlome News (Azania/South Africa). For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard Zinn]. (Click here to read excerpts from the book.)
Would that you could only seperate yourself from that reflexive black, white, brown, red, yellow nonsense, you might be more convincing when you call for solidarity.
This is straight forward and pretty hard to argue against – i can’t help but to acknowledge that any reference to red, black, brown, white and yellow people refers and serves only to identify all people in the context of a political struggle and only in this context. It does not separate our common humanity but rather unites our common struggle for humanity. Anything other understanding than this requires greater examination of history, otherwise maintenance of divide and conqour prevails.
Excellent. Slowly this message is getting a wider hearing. I usually refer to what you describe so well as the Two Party Front for the Oligarchy. Thanks for this, and your ongoing efforts.