I'd like to say I disagree completely with what Keith Hudson has to say. The
young activists I know here in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) are remarkably well
informed about free trade issues. They are involved in direct action and will be
protesting in Quebec City for reasons they understand and can argue full well.
They recognize the "hoakum" when they see it. A popular activist chant at many
demonstrations these days goes, "This is what democracy looks like." and, indeed
- as sad as such a state of affairs may be - in an age of political sycophants
more anxious to meet the wants of corporate movers and shakers than the needs of
their befuddled constituents, the young activists are right. Their protests are
what democracy looks like at a time when our politicians are disgracing
themselves by participating in a process that is eroding democracy in favor of a
kind of implicit (but not very) corporate rule. I'd rather ask, "What does Keith
Hudson, or the average citizen, or parlementarian know?" I have no worry at all
with regard to what the kids know.
Regards,
Fabian Jennings
Tom Walker wrote:
> I don't disagree with what Keith says about the youngsters having no
> intellectual arguments to bear. I would just have to extend that to include
> the bankers, finance ministers, media spin doctors and CEOs who promote all
> this neo-liberalism free trade hoakum. They too have no intellectual
> arguments to bear even though they may couch their special pleading in the
> superficial form of "intellectual arguments". Their main purpose is wanting
> to draw attention (or financial gain) to themselves or, in many cases to
> AVOID drawing attention to themselves while pursuing financial gain.
>
> Keith Hudson wrote,
>
> >> But this is taking me away from the main point of this discussion. I
> >> disagree with Ed. I still think that the rioting youngsters are just using
> >> Kyoto, WTO, TNCs, GM crops, etc, as pretexts. They just happen to be
> >useful
> >> alibis. Worthy though those causes may be (or may not be), it's clear that
> >> the youngsters have no intellectual arguments to bear. So they have a riot
> >> instead. Their main purpose is still that of wanting to draw attention to
> >> themselves, to be noticed, to be let into the adult world.
> >>
>
> Tom Walker
