We are caught up in a system of competitiveness that pits one against
the other, brother against brother, family against family, people
against people, braceros against domestics, ethnic groups against ethnic
groups, color against color, class against class, instead of minority or
lower class against the ruling class. Competitiveness creates division,
distrust, suspicions, and isolation. We have too much to lose to allow
ourselves to fall into the same trap over and over again. What is in it
for me, for you, for us?
All of our lives, we identify with war heroes, supermen, adventurers,
gold seekers, empire builders, and imaginary leaders. We dream of praise
and honors and love from other people. We go through life hoping to
leave some sign of accomplishment to our children, to posterity, and we
end up old, tired, wrinkled, with no vision or no memories, and we leave
an inheritance of weakness, boot-licking, indignity, and confusion.
We can make history. It will consist of those who tried, who resisted,
who led, who dared to struggle, dared to live free. It will also expose
those who are afraid, ashamed, arrogant, selfish, greedy, sellouts,
malinches, social prostitutes, Tio Tacos, exploiters, and cowards.
If there is to be a movement, then there must be leaders. Those leaders
must be judged by their ability to give, not take. Leadership must
convert confidence, not egotism – one who sacrifices, not one who is an
opportunist. Leadership is the act of using power to free people, not to
control them.
All in all, we have to cleanse ourselves of “inferiority” complex, our
peon complex and our immigrant complex. We are not inferior, we are no
man’s peons, and we are not and never have been immigrants. As complete
humans, we cannot only build an organization, start a movement, but
create a nation. To take these steps we have to think positively. We
have to put aside negative thoughts about each other, and especially
about our capacity to succeed.
The masses will make a difference. We are educating young people. Our
young people here and across this country are saying, I am leading a
“Resistance” against institutional racism, racism or oppression. But
when no one stands up with that young person, he commits suicide? You
see the reason we have problems is because too many people do not want
to get involved. When the guy in the cantina, prison cell or yard, the
pool hall or the barber shop tells you, “Man, those movement people are
out of their minds. I take care of me.” Ask him what he’s doing for la
causa. Ask him what he’s doing for the movement. He’s not going to be
able to say anything. He is part of the problem because he’s not doing
anything.
So we look at the problem: the problem is the mass majority of society.
It’s true. It’s true that only 6% of the population of this country
controls more than 60% of the wealth of the world. It’s true that 2% of
this country makes all the decisions. And everybody thinks they are
living in a democratic society.
So the problem is on our backs, and the way to get rid of it is to deal
with it. Now, we can deal with it by saying we are going to go into an
armed Revolution with 4% of the people against maybe 50% of the people?
Long Live The Days of AZTLAN!
MIM(Prisons) responds: We are up against what seems like an
insurmountable number of people either actively or passively on the side
of imperialism in this country. It’s a good point that if we took up
armed revolution right now we’d be a tiny minority, up against a lot of
resistance. This is because the vast majority of U.$. citizens are
benefiting materially from imperialism. It’s pretty obvious to most
people just how well off they are compared to the rest of the world.
That’s why so many people want closed borders; don’t let poor people in,
they might take back some of that wealth we’ve got protected in the
United $tates.
But this writer is talking about organizing the oppressed nations
specifically and that’s a bit of a different story. While still
benefiting from the wealth Amerika has stolen from Third World
countries, oppressed nations continue to face restricted opportunities,
discrimination, imprisonment, and police brutality (to name just a few
elements of national oppression within U.$. borders), all because of
their nationality. This makes people from oppressed nations still
potentially interested in revolution for their own persynal interests.
So yes, we need to heed this comrade’s call to challenge people about
what they’re doing for la causa. We need to win over everyone we can.
But we might not be in a position to take on imperialism until it is
weakened from the outside, by revolutions in countries where the
majority of the population has an interest in taking down imperialism.
Right now we do what we can from within the belly of the beast to
support the battles of the oppressed and exploited masses globally and
the struggles of the oppressed nations within U.$. borders.