Interview With Carol Wall

Here is an interview with Carol Wall published on Rabble. Wall is challenging Ken Georgetti for the presidency of the Canadian Labour Congress at its convention this week.

Naughty Pedestrian Pleasures

Yesterday morning, I was pushing L home from the grocery store in his stroller. We came to an intersection a few seconds after the lights had turned in our favour, so I hustled out into the crosswalk. There just happened to be some cars wishing to turn left across the stretch of road that L and I were crossing at that moment.

The first car in line stopped and its driver smiled and waved us forward, even though his wave was unnecessary because we clearly had the right of way. I smiled back.

The car immediately behind this one also stopped, as it had no choice. The face of the older man driving the car was contorted in rage -- I'm not using that expression to exaggerate, either -- and he was gesticulating wildly at both the car in front of him and at L and I. His windows were closed so I was spared the content of his rant, but I'd put a whole stack of poker chips up against a used sweat-sock that the obscenity content was high. I smiled back.

And not only did I smile back, but I think I may have actually laughed and otherwise, in little ways, been sure to exhibit my enjoyment of the situation. It is petty, I know, but there are precious few ways that a mere pedestrian can, with the full force of the law in support, use his or her body as even the most minor of impediments to the smooth functioning of the privatized steel and concrete circulatory system that dominates the modern, North American city, perpetuates the most idiotic kind of urban built form ever invented, indulges a terminally limited addiction to petroleum, and poisons us all.

Sure, maybe he was on his way to deliver the supersecret antidote that would save Captain Amazing from defeat at the hands of Destructor Man; perhaps he was about to give birth, and needed to get to the hospital; perhaps he was just having a lousy day and a five second delay was enough to trigger him. And it is looking like, in the months after our forthcoming move, I will become co-owner of one of those horrible, mobile, fume-spewing steel boxes myself.

I'm not saying my enjoyment is at all defensible. But enjoy it I did.

Review: Nationalism, Communism, and Canadian Labour

(Nationalism, Communism, and Canadian Labour: The CIO, the Communist Party, and the Canadian Congress of Labour, 1935-56. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1973.)

Yep, another book review.

This one is a history of industrial unions in Canada from 1935 until 1956. The start date was chosen because it marked the end of the infamous "Third Period" of Communist activity. During that era they were busy organizing independent, Communist-controlled unions under the banner of the Workers Unity League. There was also a small labour central of national but anti-Communist unions in Canada, called the All-Canadian Congress of Labour (ACCL), and the Canadian Trades and Labour Congress (TLC) was the central for international unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. The TLC remained fixated with craft unionism and was adamantly opposed to the organizing of industrial unions.

In 1935, the Communists went back into the mainstream labour movement. Not too long after that, the Congress of Industrial Organizations -- the U.S. labour central devoted to industrial unionism -- came north. Well, kind of. Actually, most of the money and most of the person-power that went into the organizing came from Canadians, many but certainly not all of them Communists. The CIO was reluctant to put resources into Canada but was pushed into at least lending their name by the vigour of local organizing and, particularly, the Oshawa auto strike of 1937. The CIO unions were initially affiliated with the AFL, but were expelled in 1937 (or thereabouts). The blood was not so bad between craft and industrial unions in Canada, but in 1939 the AFL finally forced the TLC to give the CIO-affiliated unions the boot. In 1939 and 1940, the CIO unions in Canada merged with the ACCL to form the Canadian Congress of Labour.

The years covered by the rest of the book were marked by struggles between Communists and anti-Communists in the labour movement, between the CCL in Canada and the CIO in the United States, and between the national and international unions within the CCL. In 1956, the CCL and the TLC merged to form the Canadian Labour Congress, which is still the name of Canada's central labour body.

This is an interesting and detailed and very useful book, and an important read for anyone wanting to understand the history of Canada's labour movement.

It is also pretty depressing. All of the internal conflicts of this period marked drains on energy that could have been used to organize the unorganized and struggle for better wages and working conditions, and for broader social change. But the one that struck me as the stupidest and most wasteful was the Communist/anti-Communist fight. Both sides were vicious and partisan. Both sides lied and abused democratic process in the worst ways. Neither side had a monopoly in terms of connection to the needs and desires of rank-and-file workers. Eventually the supporters of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation won by either seizing control of unions that previously had Communist leadership or just kicking entire unions out of the Congress.

I suppose I have to temper my gut reaction -- disgust -- with understanding of the historical context. That was an era of extreme polarization within the left, and in fact the battle within the labour movement was a large part of the struggle that ultimately resulted in the transfer of the centre of influence on the left in Canada from the CP to the CCF. It was not an environment that allowed much opportunity for positions distinct from both of those. There were certainly those in leadership positions who tried to carve out positions between the two camps, but sooner or later they became casualties. So, yes, I can appreciate that it was a dynamic bigger than any individual or group, but that doesn't change the fact that I hope that in the future our movements can avoid giving elites such cause for amusement and celebration.

Anyway, another book down, another ten million to go. Or something.

[Edit: For a list of all book reviews on this site, click here.]

Religious Right Offensive

Here's a great post from Doug Ireland on the current upsurge in frighteningly effective religious right mobilizations to reshape the cultural and political landscape in their image through "a series of boycotts and pressure campaigns aimed at corporate America — and at its sponsorship of entertainment, programs and activities the Christers don’t like."

Scary stuff.

Reading History

One of the side effects of my intensive reading of history books in the last few months has been to make me more aware of the ways in which lack of knowledge of history allows ahistorical understandings of the present to persist unnoticed in many little corners of my brain -- and, I would not hesitate to assume, the brains of many people out there, including many fellow activists. This makes it all the easier to fall into essentialist ways of talking about people and institutions and identities and schools of thought without realizing that we are doing it.

For example, recently I have read a number of book from a number of different perspectives with a number of different approaches to writing history which have talked about various party-based or party-related socialist efforts in Canada in the first half of the 20th century. I would have been able to tell you before I read these, in an intellectual way, that the battle lines between different schools of socialist thought are not pure and eternal, but rather products of history, and that those which persist mostly serve different functions today than they might have decades ago. But reading these books has helped this surface fact seep more deeply into how I think about things; it has actually applied this idea and shifted in subtle ways the shapes of the concepts attached to various political labels in my head.

Another example: Because of the context in which I have encountered members of the Christian sect known as Quakers, their ancient "peace testimony" (a socially engaged, faith-based pacifism) is central to my image of the group. But according to a book I read recently (sorry, didn't review it for the site) the peace testimony was actually not particularly emphasized in Quaker thought between the 17th and early 20th centuries -- it was pretty key at some points during the early years of Quakerism, and then was revived, especially in England, before and during World War One. Even during this last period, its meaning was hotly contested between liberal-minded elders and socially and religiously radical youth. Its fluctuations over time are just as historical as everything else in this world, not some ahistorical essence that is immutably attached to the label "Quaker."

I'm not sure if I can draw any sweeping lessons from this that aren't obvious and trite, but I'm pretty sure there are lessons for social movements in Canada and the United States related to this observation. It's vague and not original and I'm not sure I really understand fully what I mean by it, but I think it's critical that we work to have a historical rather than an essential understanding of the problems we're facing, and I think too many of us are caught up in the latter without even realizing it. And a more historical understanding can also be an antidote for pessimism in difficult times -- the structures we oppose were made by human beings and they can be transformed by human beings.

Canadians for Equal Marriage

I've received a request for action originally from the Canadians for Equal Marriage on at least three different email lists today, so I'll repost it here. If you are a Canadian concerned about equal marriage, please take your time to let the MPs know that you want this legislation passed!

Here's some info from their site:

We are potentially within weeks of passing equal marriage legislation, so opponents have ratcheted up their campaign and are flooding MP's offices. We need you to send a message to all MPs. Just click here!

Opponents of the bill are actually claiming that the legislation is being fast-tracked. Two years after the first legal same-sex marriages and Parliament still hasn't dealt with the issue. And it's been a busy two years -- cross-Canada hearings of the Justice Committee, eight court decisions, one Supreme Court reference, one election campaign, three House of Commons votes, six months of debate on the Hill. It may be a lot of things, but fast isn't one of them!

Equality opponents have been clear on their strategy. They want to run out the clock on this Parliament. They know a solid majority of current MPs support the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They want to bring down the government before it has an opportunity to pass equal marriage legislation.

The government has clearly stated it will pass the equal marriage bill before summer, even if that means extending Parliament past its scheduled June 23 end date. But anti-equality Liberals are putting huge pressure on Paul Martin. We have to make sure he doesn’t back down!!

MPs are being flooded with messages from a vociferous minority that wants a decision delayed. We need you to send a message to all MPs. Even better, call your MP! Get contact info by finding the info page for your MP at Step 1.

As I think I've said before on this site, my take on the role of the state in regulating relationships is probably quite different from the "equal marriage" camp, particularly those coming from a liberal perspective, but I still think this legislation is an important step and needs to be supported.

Quote

Women's resistance is resistance in daily life, and it can make clear to men that their resistance also belongs in everyday living.

-- Luise Schottroff

Some Reading

• A scathing review by Marc Cooper of George Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant, a popular "what do we do next" book among U.S. liberals after the Republican consolidation of November 2004. Cooper is too much the cold war liberal for me to endorse what he has to say unreservedly, but I very much enjoyed most of the vitriol in this piece. I think his concluding advice for action is limited and shallow but his slap across the face of much of U.S. liberaldom is refreshing as far as it goes. (Found via Direland.)
  
  
• This is just disturbing -- I don't understand why this article bothers to try and paint the use of DVD players that can be set to censor what you watch in 14 fun and different ways as a burning legal issue, since I would not favour in the least the state interfering in the availability of this technology. But the very fact that there is a demand for this technology is messed up.
  
  
• An useful overview article on globalization called "Glasgow and Globalization" that I include because it talks a little bit about the city in which my mother grew up. (Via ZNet.)
  
  
• "Rates of violence against women still astounding"
  
  
• A fiery indictment of the white leadership of both sides of the warring factions of the U.S. labour movement by Black trade unionists, and a call for a national convention to renew Black politics in the United States.
  
  
• An essay by Albert Einstein called "Why Socialism?" published in 1949. "[W]e should be on our guard not to overestimate science and scientific methods when it is a question of human problems; and we should not assume that experts are the only ones who have a right to express themselves on questions affecting the organization of society."
  
  
• An article on the gendering of literature directed at pre-pubescent girls. (Via Rabble.CA.)
  
  

Corner Demographics

Tonight, as I stood quietly on our usual corner with my anti-war sign, I couldn't help reflecting on the matrix of power and privilege-relevant demographics (at least those that can be assessed in even an approximate way under the circumstances) and how that relates to the responses we receive to our presence.

The neighbourhood is coded as white-dominated and middle-class. (In Los Angeles, race and racism are expressed very blatantly in terms of geography -- it's a very segregated city.) In the context of the white-dominated neighbourhoods in LA it is among the less affluent, I think, but given the racialized nature of poverty in most of North America's urban areas, in the city as a whole it is still definitely well above average in terms of income. The neighbourhood that starts a few blocks to the south is significantly more working-class and Latino/a, and it is mainly Latino/a Americans who make use of the park that is on the corner we use.

(White) West LA is staunchly liberal and the neighbourhood is majority anti-war, so the responses from passing cars are net positive by a significant majority. I can't count the number of times each vigil when there is a honk and a wave or a peace sign from the driver of a Lexus or a BMW. Despite having stood on this street corner once a week (give or take) for more than nine months now, it still feels strange (a) to receive such a positive response overall, and (b) to have so many luxury cars responding positively.

Generally speaking, middle-class white men of middle-age and above and middle-class white women are more likely to either indicate support in some way, or (I assume) to enact their disapproval of us in ways consistent with the repression that goes along with socialization into middle-class whiteness (yes, mine included) and just look away while turning up Rush Limbaugh on the radio. The most frequent sources of audible/visible negative responses to our presence are young white men driving expensive vehicles -- a demographic prone to aggression, and constantly reinforced in their own right to privilege from birth and therefore more likely to feel they can say and do whatever they want -- and working-class white people of all ages, who according to polls are more likely to support the war.

The responses from people of colour, on the other hand, are almost entirely positive. Over these months, of those who visibly or audibly have responded to our presence, I don't remember a single African American driver who responded negatively, and few Latino or Asian Americans. Of course that may have something to do with the persistent menace of racism: Regardless of what they think of our signs and banners, a history of lack of safety from white people and white-dominated institutions means, I would imagine, that most people of colour would conclude it was not a good idea to respond to a group of white protestors in a white neighbourhood with the kind of verbal abuse that some college-aged affluent white Republican men feel they are entitled to and can get away with. But more significant than that, I think, is that according to many polls a significant majority of people of colour in the United States, again particularly African Americans, are opposed to the invasion and recolonization of Iraq. These communities, again for reasons of long historical experience, are more inclined to express a healthy skepticism of the professed benevolence of the U.S. state.

So there's nothing surprising about any of this response when you take a look at where the protest is and what the polls tell us about public opinion. But it still feels weird to get a thumbs up from someone driving a Jaguar worth more than everything I have ever owned. That would never have happened in my experience doing peace vigils in Hamilton (Ontario, Canada) where, because of the demographics of the city and the somewhat different relationship between class and politics, I think the majority of both positive and negative responses (though still usually net the latter) came from working-class white people.

Defending Choice in Canada

This is from the Toronto Social Forum email list, and follows up on from this earlier post about a suggested action to support the University of Western Ontario in its decision to give an honourary degree to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, an important crusader for reproductive choice in Canada:

I am in London and feel like I have moved back in time 25 years. The anti-choice is really organized and visible here protesting the decision of the University of Western Ontario to give Dr. Henry Morgentaler an honorary degree. So far Western is holding firm but the anti-choice is growing in strength.

The pro-choice majority is starting to have a more visible presence in the City and we can help. The Unitarian Church has started a Morgentaler Scholarship Fund. You can contribute online here.

Just scroll down and you'll see a box where you can specify where you want your contribution to go. Just specify, "Morgentaler Scholarship Fund." You can also mail a cheque to the Development Office, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, Suite 2, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B8

That way with small donations we can make up for any money that the University of Western Ontario has lost.

The Women's Issues Network at Western usc.womens.issues(at)uwo.ca is organizing a "Celebration of Choice" on the morning of June 16 when Morgentaler gets his degree. If you can join them or let your contacts and friends in the London area know about it. Please do.

Please provide support as you are able!