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We are the 99 percent

The End of Protest: A New Playbook for Revolution from the co-creator of Occupy Wall Street

Posted 7 years ago on Aug. 27, 2016, 10:58 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags: Micah White, The End of Protest, Innovation

“Micah White argues convincingly that established modes of protest are outdated and sketches the outlines for how activists can and must innovate. His book is a love letter to activists of the future.” — Michael Hardt

Is protest broken? Micah White, co-creator of Occupy Wall Street, thinks so. Recent years have witnessed the largest protests in human history. Yet these mass mobilizations no longer change society. Now activism is at a crossroads: innovation or irrelevance.

In The End of Protest White declares the end of protest as we know it and heralds the future of activism. Drawing on his unique experience with Occupy Wall Street, a contagious protest that spread to eighty-two countries, White articulates a unified theory of revolution and eight principles of tactical innovation that are destined to catalyze the next generation of social movements. Sweeping from contemporary uprisings to spiritual and pre-modern revolutions, The End of Protest is a far-reaching inquiry into the miraculous power of collective epiphanies.

Despite global challenges—catastrophic climate change, economic collapse and the decline of democracy—White finds reason for optimism: the end of protest inaugurates a new era of social change. He argues that Occupy Wall Street was a constructive failure that exposed the limits of protest at the same time as it revealed a practical way forward. On the horizon are increasingly sophisticated movements that will emerge in a bid to dominate elections, govern cities and reorient the way we live.

In this provocative playbook, White offers three bold revolutionary scenarios for harnessing the creativity of people from across the political spectrum.

White also shows:

  • How social movements are created and how they spread
  • How materialism limits contemporary activism
  • Why we must re-conceive protest in timescales of centuries, not days

Ultimately, the end of protest is the beginning of the spiritual revolution within ourselves, the political revolution in our communities and the social revolution on Earth.

Rigorous, original and compelling, The End of Protest is an exhilarating vision of an all-encompassing revolution of revolution.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK WORLDWIDE

About the Author

MICAH WHITE, PhD is the influential social activist who co-created the Occupy Wall Street movement while an editor of Adbusters magazine. White has a twenty-year record of innovative activism, including conceiving the debt-forgiveness tactic used by the Rolling Jubilee and popularizing the critique of clicktivism. His essays and interviews on the future of activism have been published internationally in periodicals including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian Weekly and Folha de São Paulo. He has been profiled by The New Yorker, and Esquire recently named him one of the most influential young thinkers alive today. White directs Boutique Activist Consultancy—an activist think tank specializing in impossible campaigns. Dr. Micah White lives with his wife and son in Nehalem, a rural town on the coast of Oregon.

27 Comments

27 Comments


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[-] 4 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

''The academy, the press, the entertainment industry, the arts and religious institutions have been purged of those who do not sing to the tune of neoliberalism and bow before the glories of corporate capitalism. The destruction of the liberal class ... has created a closed political system crippled by polarization, political gridlock, crushing austerity, unchecked pillage by financial elites and a carnival of meaningless political theater. It has shut out genuine voices of dissent. The failure by liberals to confront or even name what Sheldon Wolin called our system of “inverted totalitarianism” made them complicit in the destruction of our capitalist democracy.

''The gains made by minorities and the oppressed within the society, whether on college campuses or in the workplace, are being rolled back. The culture wars, used by the political and economic elites to divert attention from the ascendancy of corporate power, have escaped from the hands of their manipulators. A destitute working class knows the feel-your-pain language of the liberal class and the Democratic Party is a lie. And it knows the “compassionate conservatism” epitomized by the Bush dynasty and the Republican establishment is a lie.'' from ...

Finally .. re. ''Why we must re-conceive protest in timescales of centuries, not days'' ... who ever said it could be days? And what happened to years and decades? Most people (imo & incl. me) find it difficult and not a li'l bit dis-spiriting and intangible to think in terms of ''centuries''! Do you accept that any good has come out of OWS? eg.

multum in parvo ...

[-] 6 points by beautifulworld (23767) 8 years ago

And, what about Bernie Sanders? It is because of all of the protest that the man is garnering so much support. The Occupy protests awoke the dormant class consciousness of the American people. No protest. No Bernie.

[-] 4 points by beautifulworld (23767) 8 years ago

Classic Springsteen - A Protest Song?

"We ain't gonna take what we're handed out."

"When we're out in the street"

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/dec/01/bruce-springsteen-e-street-band-out-in-the-street-live-1980

Scroll down for the video of Springsteen performing "Out in the Street" in 1980. Thanks, Guardian.

[-] 4 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

''You Can't Start A Fire - can't start a fire without A Spark (Of Protest!); This gun's for hire - even IF we're just"..

The above is a link to a modern, techno/dance cover version of a 'Bruce Big Hit', by 'Hot Chip', one of my favourite UK bands now, from a festival gig in Scotland earlier this year, with their amazing new drummer having just landed from another planet! [Official Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyN_d28-sfw ]

Thanx for your link. ''Out On The Street'' is exactly where it's at! With initials like his, I shall assume that Bruce is a Bernie fan - that & what I know of his politics. Never Give Up on feet in the street, to the beat!

at spes non fracta ...

[-] 3 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

''All over the planet .. the killers are at their trade. What did those killers feel as they pumped bullets into so many innocents in Paris? I try to fathom their minds and hearts. The French government, (with) blood dripping from its hands, savages Libya and Syria; the Americans, more countries than I can count. Their leaders give speeches in crisp shirts and suits .. speeches about more killing of those they''ll never see.

''They actually seem like zombies to me! - How can they do it? Bombs blow up in shopping malls and marketplaces all over the world. Planes with innocents are blown out of the sky. Hooded men execute people. What do the perpetrators feel? I am at a loss as the deadly beat goes on. And so,I seek hope everywhere.

''Do all these killers feel anything? Is it indifference or hate? Am I an innocent who is somehow missing something? I know I am sick at heart.

However .. ''Here in the United States we live in a systemic bubble of denial, pretending that we, through our government, aren’t killing innocent people throughout the world, that we are not a terrorist state, that we have not created terrorists by our systematic violence around the world. We wallow in our innocence and await change through elections. But our elections are about choosing the lesser of two killers.

''People talk about elections as if killers weren’t involved. Americans care about their candidates. But what about the victims of their candidates—can they picture them dead? They think the lesser of two evils isn't evil, as if Hillary Clinton is different from a Republican rival, Obama different from George W. Bush. All the while we spread deadly violence around the world and create its reciprocation in the process.

''The personal is the political. By showing .. that love is stronger than hate (we) - “will be stronger than all the armies of the world ...” -- Excerpted and abridged {with small edits} from:

[Edward Curtin is a sociologist and writer, who teaches at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.]

amor vincit omnia ...

[-] 4 points by beautifulworld (23767) 8 years ago

Bernie Sanders on ISIS obsession:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/sanders-i-will-not-buy-into-their-plan-to-ignore-americas-pr?utm_term=.cm77QPZGp#.jgOqn2dje

“As a nation and as a people, we have got to understand that our country faces a myriad of very serious problems… if you turn on the TV, what they now say is, ‘Well we’ve got one problem, it’s ISIS,” Sanders said, launching into a sarcastic impression of the “they” on television this week.

“‘We don’t have to worry about old people not having enough to eat. We don’t have to worry about having more people in jail than any other country. We don’t have to worry about the disappearing middle class. We don’t have to worry about economic and wealth inequality…we don’t have to worry about institutional racism, or a broken criminal justice. We don’t have to worry about that. All we should focus on now, 24/7, is ISIS,’” Sanders said.

Amen to Ed Curtin in his wonderful cris de couer above and to Bernie Sanders. Fortunately, there are still real human beings out there. Probably a lot more good people than we think. Hope springs eternal.

[-] 4 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

''Reinventing Banking: From Russia to Iceland to Ecuador'', by Ellen Brown:

excerpt this ... ''The catastrophic failures of the Western banking system mandate a new vision. These transformations, current and proposed, are constructive steps toward streamlining the banking system, eliminating the risks that have devastated individuals and governments, democratizing money, and thus promoting sustainable and prosperous economies.They also raise some provocative questions ...''

You're right to quote Sanders because ISIS/ISIL/IS/Da'esh are actually extremely peripheral to The Core 99% Problems, despite all the sturm und drang - because in truth BANKING is The Core issue The 99% face! Ergo the Ellen Brown article.Ed Curtin is a very good writer & voice for the intangible elements that we're very much in danger of losing but in a bit of a 'reality bites / 'debbie downer' moment, I will also link to this rather important article: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article43684.htm by Sally Kohn.

spero meliora ...

[-] 2 points by Viking (417) 7 years ago

Yes, "there are still real human beings out there." I feel honored to be amongst the bright, enlightened, caring people in Occupy Alt Banking. One of them, Cathy O'Neil is doing a speaking tour on the west coast promoting her new book, Weapons of Math Destruction. She is ecstatic (me too) to learn that her book is having a real impact in people understanding how algorithmns can and often do affect people very unjustly. As Counterpunch pointed out in the below link, "She's the real deal," and we are lucky to have her on our side.

Playing Algorithm 'n Blues

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/09/20/playing-algorithmn-blues/

Here's an audio interview that Ms O'Neil did with NPR

http://www.npr.org/2016/09/12/493654950/weapons-of-math-destruction-outlines-dangers-of-relying-on-data-analytics

National Book Awards Long List Finalist!

https://mathbabe.org/2016/09/16/national-book-awards-longlist-finalist/

[-] 2 points by beautifulworld (23767) 7 years ago

Banks, of course, are at the crux of all that is bad in the world. Bravo to the folks at Occupy Alt Banking.

Today we still have major scandal and corruption in banking. Surprise, surprise!

"Deutsche Bank: From bombs and bravado to risks of a bailout"

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37514327

Good grief, here we go again.

And, Wells Fargo, of course:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/business/dealbook/wells-fargo-ceo-john-stumpf-house-hearing.html?_r=0

It's hard for me to believe that any of these lawmakers really are seeking justice, just a bunch of bluster.

[-] 4 points by Viking (417) 7 years ago

It's amazing.. laughable even to me that people who are "seeking justice" are considered radicals.

[-] 3 points by beautifulworld (23767) 7 years ago

Now the truth is out about Hillary's speeches:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/9/hillary-clintons-leaked-wall-street-speeches-reinf/

And, yep, it's "radical" to expect better behavior from a politician. Not "patriotic" which of course, it is. Those who want to better their nation are the real patriots, imo.

[-] 3 points by gsw (3406) from Woodbridge Township, NJ 7 years ago
[-] 1 points by beautifulworld (23767) 7 years ago

Bernie Sanders never had a chance with the lying scumbag establishment DNC behind Hillary Clinton every step of the way.

Democracy is dead in this country until we demand it's return (did we ever fully have it? I'm not sure). It's up to us, the people, to demand it.

[-] 1 points by ImNotMe (1488) 7 years ago

''A National Sanctuary Campaign Is Rising to Defy Trump's Nightmare White Supremacist, Xenophobic Agenda'', by Sarah Lazare:

fiat justitia...

[-] 2 points by ImNotMe (1488) 7 years ago

This execution of Terence Crutcher shockingly reminds me of Tamir Rice's murder re.speed of shooting. ''Sad'' is one word for it! ''Fucking Outrageous'' would be two more!! Looks like "Betty Jo" shot the guy!!!

I wonder if this is cause enough to "Protest" - or should we just exhort Oligarchy and TPTB to be nice?

fiat justitia ruat caelum ...

[-] 1 points by beautifulworld (23767) 7 years ago

"Man Fatally Shot by California Cop Had Vape Smoking Device: Police"

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-fatally-shot-california-cop-had-vape-smoking-device-police-n656571

RIP Alfred Olango.

When will this madness end?

[-] 1 points by ImNotMe (1488) 7 years ago

"Be Realistic: Demand The Impossible." (Che Guevara), from ...

Although of course All Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter still needs saying. RIP Alfredo Olango.+

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/opinion/sunday/the-strip-brian-mcfadden-comics.html?_r=0 appended here because any news the US wide Prison Strike is clearly being suppressed in U$A!

fiat lux...

[-] 1 points by beautifulworld (23767) 7 years ago

"Be Realistic: Demand The Impossible." (Che Guevara)

Worth repeating.

[-] 1 points by ImNotMe (1488) 7 years ago
[-] 1 points by Revolutionary (311) 8 years ago

In world war 2 the language of some island was used to send messages but right now( since last 10 years at least) words and phrases from kashmiri language are used to transfer message in live news people watch and listen on american channels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that include names of kashmiri people who are meant to be used against different countries by USA,India,France and israel!

[-] 1 points by Revolutionary (311) 8 years ago

ISIS is the code name of the military operation given by usa to the oppression and atrocities india commits on the kashmiri woman! which is reflected by the military action in syria! That a very ugly situation of the world.

[-] 1 points by fionachuckles (-375) from Fairview, NJ 8 years ago

It would be interesting to know the percentage of people that support Bernie who also support OWS. I am assuming some support Bernie, but not OWS, and the other way around.

[-] 2 points by turbocharger (1756) 7 years ago

The protests of Occupy didnt achieve what people wanted because there simply wasn't enough popular outrage.

To discredit massive groups of angry people getting together and fucking shit up is a real naive way to look at how real change comes 99% of the time.

Protest is not dead. It's just this protest didnt want to take it to the next level like they do in any successful revolution.

[-] 2 points by Revolutionary (311) 8 years ago

The book in eform should be free to download otherwise it may be lacking the spirit and intention.

[-] 1 points by beautifulworld (23767) 7 years ago

"Occupy Wall Street reunites five years later: 'It never ended for most of us'"

"Activists of the movement, splintered and diminished since it prompted worldwide protests against inequality, reunited and reflected on Black Lives Matter, Bernie Sanders and the legacy of Occupy"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/18/occupy-wall-street-reunites-five-years-later-it-never-ended-for-most-of-us

[-] 1 points by xgenra (5) from Branford, CT 7 years ago

so is protest going to the internet now?

[-] 1 points by skiaspen50 (27) 7 years ago

Judge kicks Occupy Wall Street artist out of self-built home

Co-leader & creator of Occupy Aspen responds

Kicking an artist to the curb Friday, June 10, 2016

Printer-friendly version Email this Story http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/171388

Editor:

“When political and financial elites are shielded from any consequences for their actions, they are no longer subject to the law. Instead, they become the law’s masters, using the legal system for their own purposes: to safeguard and expand their perquisites; to ensure that their cheating and corruption are not punished but rather rewarded; and to keep any outsiders from challenging their superior status. The law, which was meant to keep the powerful in check, is now used instead to sustain and perpetuate their power.”- Glenn Greenwald.

Regarding the article on the city of Aspen kicking artists out of homes they self-built, three points:

  1. In August and October 2010, as a snowboard instructor, I filed state and federal labor whistle-blowing charges against Aspen Skiing Co.. Six months later I was fired by billionaire Lester Crown’s Aspen SkiCo. Note: The same day I passed out a flyer promoting a living wage for employees, Mr. Crown* banned me from public lands under Skico’s purview. This has yet to come to trial. Meanwhile, I’ve been harassed repeatedly through the legal system by the SkiCo, as well as the Aspen Institute.

  2. The City of Aspen’s housing authority (APCHA) claims that I did not provide evidence of compliance with their requirements regarding employment. I’ve supported myself with the only two jobs I was able to find after being fired by SkiCo via the newspaper; however APCHA summarily disqualified those jobs — as a property manager and a fundraiser for a charitable project in Africa — leaving only my work as an artist for consideration. APCHA did not know what they would accept to qualify my work as an artist. It was not until Oct. 14 that they researched art and made a final determination. Unfortunately for me, my goose was already cooked: the city had already sent me a certified letter two weeks prior informing me that I must sell my home.

  3. The court has criticized my “travel to Africa” while APCHA had me bidding against myself in a no-win situation; however it’s a sad statement when escorting my 80 year old mother in the place of my recently deceased dad to complete his charitable legacy in Africa and delivering used laptops donated by the community would be used to kick to the curb a man that built his own home.

It is outrageous that the court faulted me for honoring the legacy of most amazing man I’ve ever met, my father**, while simultaneously not faulting APCHA for lying in wait for years until the house was complete to snatch it.

The whole thing smells funny.

Lester Crown's penchant for bribery has been covered by both the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. *My father: http://www.aspentimes.com/…/16534705…/edward-lee-bud-mulcahy

Lee Mulcahy Aspen

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