European Workers Distance from US Through Action

[Lars77]

Run time: 04:45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckwzV8ddwdA   Posted on YouTube: October 04, 2010 By YouTube Member: TheRealNews Views on YouTube: 301   Posted on DU: October 04, 2010 By DU Member: Lars77 Views on DU: 535

 

[inna]

1. thank you so much for posting.

what the heck is going on in Europe, anyway??


seriously - would love to hear your perspective.

[Lars77]

2. European workers are used to fighting for their demands.

Seems to me like talk of class is taboo in America, even among workers. Most people would define themselves as middle class even if they are working class or rich, even people on the left. This is being continously exploited by the wealthy in my opinion.

European workers dont think like that. They don't believe that if rich people become more rich, it will benefit society as a whole. European unions are very class oriented regardless of how strongly influenced they have been by marxism/communism. Today very few people share that type of ideology, but they still think class. Being working class is a source of pride, so what you see in these marches are people who are standing up and saying, "we do the fucking work around here. You created the problem, you fix it for yourselves." You can't tell these people that the way out of this shit is a tax cut for the rich. They don't believe in trickle-down economics.

Times are changing though, more and more people see unions as something obsolete. This has to do with the rise of the tech jobs, the shrinking of manufacturing industry, a general rise in living standard, and also how plural our societies are today. We have so many options and choices that people don't feel loyalty to anything anymore (except Apple, apparently). This started to change in the 80s. As this video shows however, unions are far from dead. And with a crisis like the one we have now, i think more and more workers are rediscovering their importance.

You see, politicians arent afraid of black bloc anarchists. They're afraid of these people. Unions with thousands upon thousands of members. These are voters with a class identity. You can't tell them the rich need a tax break. And hopefully they will put a stop to the right turn Europe has taken with Berlusconi, Merkel, Sarkozy etc.

[liberation]

3. This is nothing new in Europe.

Unlike Americans, Europeans are well aware that competent social services, decent benefits, retiring, and a humanized standard of living are not things that one gets by asking "pretty please" to those who is in their least interest to provide them (the elites in charge).

The plantation mentality is pervasive in the US by now. People here think the best way to mitigate the power of the whip is to smile harder after each slash, whereas in other parts of the world people are of the opinion that the best way to neutralize the whip is to take it away from the one slashing you with it.