Re: [xmca] Banners of Brazil [without oppositions]

["Peter Feigenbaum [Staff]" <pfeigenbaum@fordham.edu>]

Dear Brazilian colleagues,

I find myself in envy of your situation. The struggle to create a better
life for working-class and middle-class families in the US has been
frustrating and demoralizing these past few years. Directly and through
their political representatives, the capitalists have done severe damage to
unions and their efforts to organize workers, and the community activists
and union activists I'm involved with are worn out and exasperated from
many defeats. So the news of a mass outpouring of people onto the streets
of Brazil, and the possibility of truly progressive social change in your
country, comes as welcome and uplifting news to those of us suffering in
the "belly of the beast".

For purely selfish reasons, I'm sorry that the events of the past few weeks
did not occur last year--when I was visiting Brazil and lecturing at the
University of Sao Paulo. It's been a long time since I had the opportunity
in my own country to participate in mass demonstrations where the power and
strength of the people becomes a palpable and conscious experience. The
shared sense that the social order could be changed by our mass action is
an exhilarating feeling! I remember thinking that the feeling is fragile,
however, because it arose spontaneously and there was no understanding or
plan for establishing the conditions for its continuation. Thus, the
experience of <people power> was always episodic rather than sustained. In
countries where socialism has already been achieved, however, such as Cuba,
it's a different story, of course: the people are able to deliberately
experience their own power simply by summoning to action their mass
organizations such as the Federation of Cuban Women and the Committees for
the Defense of the Revolution, which can mobilize 95% of the population on
short notice.

The events transpiring in Brazil were not consciously planned, but instead
arose from an outpouring of emotion. (Lenin wrote that "anger is the root
of all wisdom"). It seems to me that to sustain what has begun--to preserve
and nurture people's sense of their own power--is going to require a
conscious approach from here onward. It will be necessary to identify the
material obstacles to realizing people's unity, and to develop concrete
plans for overcoming those obstacles, whether they be ideological,
theoretical, political, economic, technical, linguistic, etc.

I cherish the reports of events in Brazil that have been shared on this
listserve. I appreciate knowing what is happening through the lenses of
your personal and professional perspectives.  I also appreciate the
difficulty you must be having trying to reconcile the emotional and the
rational sides of these events, particularly since the events are still in
their infancy. As developments allow, please keep us appraised of your
progress. Your achievements are heartwarming to those of us in need of such
news.

In solidarity (and with best wishes),
Peter





On Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 10:07 AM, Achilles Delari Junior <
achilles_delari@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Internationally working. I believe and hope. :)
>
> > From: Phillip.White@ucdenver.edu
> > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 07:53:04 -0600
> > Subject: RE: [xmca] Banners of Brazil [without oppositions]
> >
> >
> > Achilles - both you're welcome, and truly there is nothing to apologize
> for.  clarity of communication through the internet is daunting.  and, yes,
> again, here's working for greater transformations in Brazil.
> >
> > phillip
> >
> >
> > ________________________________________
> > From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On
> Behalf Of Achilles Delari Junior [achilles_delari@hotmail.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2013 2:56 PM
> > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > Subject: RE: [xmca] Banners of Brazil [without oppositions]
> >
> > Philip, thank you very much. I sincerely believe that me and you are
> talking maybe not about the same things, but with a more important and deep
> agreement in the essential ethical values. Because this, please accept my
> apologizes because my aggressive way to talk,  and my real respect in
> relation to your patience and solidarity inside your critical thinking... I
> guess after some time all we will can understand better what is going on,
> in the eye of the hurricane is not so easy. But you give us some important
> insights - I will reflect about all your tips. Sincerely, my best wishes
> for you and all people that have the dignity for don't leave another
> strange person talking alone, only because different forms of disagreement
> epistemological, ethical or political. This is an actual aptitude of an
> international scholar. Thank you. I hope to see you soon. Achilles.
> >
> > __________________________________________
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>
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-- 
Peter Feigenbaum, Ph.D.
Interim Director of Institutional Research
Fordham University
Thebaud Hall-202
Bronx, NY 10458

Phone: (718) 817-2243
Fax: (718) 817-3203
email: pfeigenbaum@fordham.edu
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