Mass Movements

Here's a good article on mass movements from Black Commentator.

One of its many good points:

If a progressive mass movement is to be built in this era of sprawl and locked down media monopolies, organizers must develop and deploy alternative communications strategies to get and keep the movement’s message into a sufficient number of ears to sustain its influence and momentum.

And another one:

When the antiwar movement loses its reverence for judges and elected officials, and discovers some creative and popular ways to break the law, it will be a mass movement.

And a point I think many outside the U.S. don't fully appreciate, about the nature of the right in this country:

The religious right possesses a mass base, along with ambitious and profoundly scary leaders. With corporate support it has been successful in building its own communications networks and influencing or seizing outright control over many civilian and military institutions. The religious right does not follow politicians. Politicians pander to it. Whenever the religious right starts being civilly disobedient, we will see a mass movement with the potential to take us far down the road toward fascism.

It concludes that the African American community is the only constituency that will likely be able to spearhead the next progressive mass movement in the United States. I'm inclined to agree.

Read the whole thing!