Detroiters are committed to building a vibrant, inclusive, equitable, participatory politics that is not beholden to the practices of exclusion and POWER-ELITISM of any kind (including class, race, and intellectual elitism). We especially reject the kind of politics that seeks to present itself as "another politics" that is IN THEORY a better politics, but that IN PRACTICE is simply another politics of exclusion being created by and for the privileged....After my weekend experience (below) of trying to attend a meeting in Detroit about how "another politics is possible," and being told that if you had not been directly invited to the meeting, you could not participate in the discussion, I was reminded of all the ways the practice of narrowly exclusive in-group politics has frustrated the best intentions for creating a "new politics" in the past.
The basic principle of any truly democratic and inclusive politics is that its ideals need to be reflected in practice. If there is a major contradiction between ideals and practice, there is a major problem with the implementation of the vision of that politics.
We've seen this contradiction between ideal and practice result in disaster repeatedly in the political history in the past: in the founding of our own country on principles of equality that allowed slavery to be instituted in practice at the heart of our political constitution; and in the various examples of capitalist, socialist, or communist governments in the past, where stated principles of equality were overwhelmed by practices of exclusion, inequality, and violent repression.
Since there was nothing on the meeting announcement for "Another Politics is Possible" (see below) saying it was closed to all but the invited, I assumed it was an open meeting that would be dedicated to the discussion of HOW TO CREATE A MORE INCLUSIVE DEMOCRATIC POLITICS OF ORGANIZING THAT INVOLVES ALL PEOPLE EQUITABLY.
And since it was a meeting being held in Detroit, I also assumed that this meeting to discuss how another politics is possible would especially be open and inviting to Detroiters.
But unfortunately my assumptions proved to be naive. I arrived at the meeting place only to be told the meeting was not open, and was only for people--mostly from elsewhere in the country--who had already been discussing amongst themselves how another politics is possible for a year or so.
I was told these folks had decided to meet "intentionally" in Detroit to continue their private conversation. I appealed to several of the organizers, trying to suggest that perhaps, since they were meeting in Detroit, they might want to consider opening their meeting to the participation of a few people from Detroit who were committed not just to talking about another politics, but to working together with others in Detroit to make it happen.
But alas, the organizers were unmoved by such an argument, and "politely" told me I was not invited, and should therefore leave, which I did--with some relief and a bit of a laugh--as I realized that if this was the practical expression of "another politics" they were discussing, it was not worth investing any time in...
For me, this experience only further underlined how it's apparently become cool now for folks to fly in from elsewhere to meet in Detroit, and to talk about Detroit, & to be associated with Detroit, because its chic to be associated with the downtrodden and depressed, as we've seen with the new focus of Time magazine on the city--
But where are the Detroiters in these meetings and discussions, and why are they not being invited to participate in ways that can actually shape the discussion?
Ironically, this group had met on Friday night in Ann Arbor, and that part of their meeting was apparently open to the community in Ann Arbor, and to anyone who could afford to drive or fly in to Ann Arbor from elsewhere for a Friday night meeting. But for their weekend meetings on Saturday and Sunday in Detroit, members of Detroit communities were not invited to the discussion.
I'm always amazed at folks who like to think of themselves as planning for a new progressive or radical democratic politics, but who are so exclusive and confined in their discussions that you can't help but ask....
Isn't this the same old politics of exclusion and elitism?
And isn't it a bit indecent for a group that apparently sees itself as "progressive" and dedicated to creating a better politics for the future to hold an open public meeting in Ann Arbor on a Friday night, and then move to Detroit for meetings on Saturday and Sunday that are completely closed to anyone who might be interested in attending from Detroit?
Utterly amazing!
Emma Goldman's famous phrase was: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution":
As far as we're concerned, If Detroiters aren't invited to the discussion, we don't want anything to do with "another politics" that replicates patterns of class privilege and power from the past.
I've become very tired and disgusted with folks who like to pretend to be progressive and inclusive in theory, but who are in reality anything but that. We truly need to build another politics, and the building needs to begin with openness and inclusiveness and equity IN ACTION AND PRACTICE, not just in theory.
So our message to the organizers of this and any other discussions about creating "another politics" in Detroit or elsewhere is: Please be so good as to remember to invite Detroiters into the discussion, and to be as democratic and inclusive in practice as you think of yourselves as being in principle.
Detroiters are committed to building a vibrant, inclusive, equitable, participatory politics that is not beholden to the practices of exclusion and POWER-ELITISM of any kind (including class, race, and intellectual elitism). We especially reject the kind of politics that seeks to present itself as "another politics" that is IN THEORY a better politics, but that IN PRACTICE is simply another politics of exclusion being created by and for the privileged.
To THAT politics, wherever it comes from, and in whatever progressive or salvational guise it may present itself, we say, NO THANK YOU!
We Detroiters will invest our time in actually CREATING a new progressive and inclusively participatory politics of equity and social justice of, by, and for Detroiters. And then perhaps those who like to continually talk about "another politics" in their small exclusive groups, without doing anything to put it into practice, will realize they might not already know everything they need to know about how to make another politics possible....
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