Cops, Coffee and the Mass Line.
- Details
- Category: News & Analysis
- Created on Wednesday, 27 October 2010 06:03
- Written by YouTube
The Red and Black Cafe in Portland, Oregon refused service to a cop. The following video consists of voicemail messages they recieved in response. Discuss.
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Comments (14)
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Guest (Ajagbe)
Permalink"would you kick him out if he was black?!" hmmm... "as a vegan buddhist... i find your intolerance... i'll get my coffee at mcdonald's." fucking mcdonald's?! reverence for authority and violence is deeply rooted in all of us. when the "place" in society of a representative of the GREAT WHITE FATHER is threatened in any way, people react with fear. "what will we do without GREAT WHITE FATHER to guide us and care for us?" that will be very difficult to overcome.
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Guest (worker antagonism)
PermalinkRevolutionary positions are by nature those of a minority, considering that capitalism requires the participation of the exploited.
The mass line is a very effective way to conceptualize the process whereby a modernizing bourgeoisie party accumulates support in order to seize state power, its not so effective for conceptualizing the constitution of communism as a rupture with the reproduction process of capital.0 Like -
Guest (jfsp)
PermalinkThe incident was really nothing at all until picked up and blown out of proportion by the National Media. The Officer got his coffee to go, was served, paid and was leaving when engaged in conversation by a customer. An employee politely asked the Officer to leave and he did. He said he did not take it personal, he said it was against his uniform and did not consider it a big deal. End of story until the customer in question blogged it and the National Media got hold of it and blew it up. I suggest anyone interested go to the Cafe's website where the incident and general questions are answered.
www.redandblackcafe.com0 Like -
Guest (celticfire)
PermalinkZerohour: They did put <a href="/http://redandblackcafe.com/2010/06/30/the-red-and-black-86ed-a-cop-but-why/" rel="nofollow">this up.</a>
Radical-Eyes: Yes, actually there was a lot positive feedback, the stuff getting the most attention of obviously the most reactionary verbal attacks, most of which came from people outside the inner urban areas who had never heard of this place before this got national attention.0 Like -
Radical people are often put on the defensive when the attacks are loud and their support is not. Under attack, we often feel like we are alone -- when in fact we are <a href="/http://kasamaproject.org/2009/07/25/on-communist-work-the-felling-of-stage-diving-in-the-dark/" rel="nofollow">stagediving in the dark</a>, held up by unseen hands, whose support can be marshaled and led.
I can't imagine that there isn't a lot of support and understanding for such a simple and righteous act as the rejection of a cop. Large sections of society hate the cops, viscerally, deeply and with good reason (that are daily reinforced by the actions of cops doing their duty).
The fact that belligerent rightwingers (many of them probably cops) howl is is almost certainly mirrored by opposite ripples. Because of their subversive content, the anti-cop sentiments are often less belligerent if just as heartfelt.
Radical forces can think about how to make visible and manifest that support. Having a kind of scientific "faith" in the people, including in the justified assumption of that basic alienation of many, is itself part of the mass line.0 Like -
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I forgot to point out the <a href="/http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-the-Red-and-Black-Cafe-Portland-OR/132068450142313" rel="nofollow">reactionary</a> cop-lovers FB page.
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