But I too want to live in the future.

I have often asked myself this question over and over, yet I lack a good enough answer. What do I want? Better said, what would I like my community to look like? The obvious answer always seems to be a question or a statement on how I do not want society to look and operate. Also, with this very important question comes one more, how the hell do we get there? Capitalism seems to be able to adapt itself to any thing we throw at it and that is both good and bad, the never ending duality. Our lives are almost at the mercy of an economy run mad, almost. Our reforms and campaigns under the last few hundred years has always, sadly, allowed a smooth return to business as usual, with percentages here or there. Have we not gained anything genuine under our struggles, riots, activism, organizing, and strikes? Sure we have! Do I think we want more? Yes! In fact, I know we want more because the system is still breathing.

Capitalism is as fascinating as it is horrible. I am always amazed at how it can recuperate after all blows we have given it. No matter how much we level the economic playing field, get more money or benefits, profit and reinvestment still goes on. It continues because we allow it to continue, our labor and creativity is the life blood and brain of capitalism. So no matter how good our hours, conditions, or pay we still produce a great amount of surplus-value for capital. The cycle continues. This tells us that no matter what we want to do or how he would like to live our lives there will always be a price as long as capitalism remains. The price, our work that benefits someone else and spending the little amount of money we have in comparison to the wealth collected off our labor.



Anyway, I am drifting for my original thought, what do I want and how do I want to get there (how can we get there)? I would like to see communities standing up and organizing movements, campaigns, etc… that concentrates on the economic aspect of our lives and begins to redistribute the wealth horded by capitalism. I am not very interested in trying to coordinate some social experiment or alternative within the economy because that just takes to much time and becomes to ritualistic. Rather, I would like to see a community tackle the economic needs of human beings according to needs and equity, not equality or rations. Face it we all want different things on a material basis. I am not very interested in Cuban ration cards, though food being a right is an interesting thought (I still want more than rice and beans). In Lenin’s, What is to be Done, he argues against the trade union mentality of only dealing with economic questions (pay and the miniscule “% wage increase”) and the trade unions not being political enough. But I am beginning to see the economic aspect of our lives as the very core of our own captivity.



Mr. Marx what would you say? “…It ought to have been said that with the abolition of class distinctions all social and political inequality arising from them would disappear of itself” (Critique of the Gotha Program, Part II. Marx, K). Yes, well how important is the economic aspect of our lives in comparison to the political? What was true for the Paris Commune is true for society today, “its true secret was this. It was essentially a working-class government, the produce of the struggle of the producing against the expropriating class, the political form at last discovered under which to work out the economic emancipation of labor. Except on this last condition, the Communal Constitution would have been an impossibility and a delusion. The political rule of the producer cannot coexist with the perpetuation of his social slavery. The Commune was therefore to serve as a lever for uprooting the economical foundations upon which rests the existence of classes, and therefore class-rule. With labor emancipated, every man becomes a working man, and productive labor ceases to be a class attribute” (The Civil War in France, Part III. Marx, K).

So then, “What is to be Done”? As I said before, I would like to see a great deal of agitation on the issue of our material existence and how we spend our time. Why stop at a campaign for an increase in the cities minimum wage? Is it not also possible to demand more than our 1968 standard of living? How about taking up the Wobblies old struggle for the 4hr. work day (20 hour work week), is it not time that we got more “free-time”? The liberal/conservative twin joined at the hip seems very worried about putting people to work, well put your money where your mouth is! You want higher employment or even 100% employment, decapitate the 8 hour/1 person monster of drudgery, and let’s replace it with 4 hour /2 people monster drudgery. But don’t you dare try to counter with lower wages.

A citizens, though not the absolute correct term, wage or global citizens guaranteed income could produce a security net and workers who are more eager to be productive and creative not only for the community but for themselves. More free time and money can only spark people’s interest in new and better things! The Situationist inside me tells me this is not radical enough, this is not good enough. But hell we have to start somewhere. Do we really want the responsibility, no burden, of taking care of it all? This is the withering away, the transition from the old to the new. No seizure of state power. Rather, the impending destruction of an out-of-date economic system. Our freedom will rise from the corpse of the working day; let’s do the everyday to make the revolutionary possible!

Radicalizing the Everyday

In response to a comment posted on the minimum wage article/debate regarding GRAF’s stance on wage-labor, it seems prudent to write an official statement. Our stance and debate with Doug Clark of the News & Record concerning a minimum wage hike to $9.36, the economics in a “globalized” economy and ways of organizing workers stands on its own. It is not always necessary to constantly remind ourselves or our readers that we are anarchist-communists who are for a social revolution to rid human interaction of capitalism, wage-labor, private property, etc.... We are quite tired of constantly reading texts that are packed with radical rhetoric (abolish, smash, revolution, etc…) which just gives us another great pamphlet how the “extreme-left” dresses the part of awesome radicals. I want more, we want more, a social movement against capitalism, real action! A system that is highly organized and kept in place largely by a state monopoly on violence and liberal/conservative (twins joined at the hip) moral hegemony which quickly marginalizes any opponents with the feeling that, “there is no need to argue…” is our everyday life.

With that said, I now realize that we should have been more forthcoming or radical in our suggestion on what we as workers should be thinking about and how we should organize in for the minimum wage campaign. Organizing within the community and allowing ourselves to realize we have power in numbers should be the main method of organizing this campaign. Sure the minimum wage hike is reformist but our everyday lives are riddled with compromises. We must make sure the way we organize ourselves and communities is not reformist but takes on a social character. It is not about taking power or giving away power to city councilmen because that is not the issue. Nor is it a matter of getting a 3 dollar raise on our labor. Rather, the most important component during this campaign and the future is how we organize.

The problem with our movement or the “anarchist movement” is that we are against so much and almost pride ourselves on always pointing out the negative rather than doing something worth while with our time, ourselves included. We are not about hijacking movements or events. We should base ourselves in our communities as part of that community and no longer live up to the stereotype of wanting to be so different, allowing ourselves and our politics to become incoherent and abstract. When a campaign, event, or idea that will end up benefiting our communities pops up lets contribute with our politics, organizing methods, social outlook, and creativity. We know how to organize ourselves in for “anti-globalization” protests in relation to the state and other groups, now its time to do the same in our communities. We know we have something to offer so lets do it! It is about building networks and communities that will have the ability to leap into a new era free of capitalism.

GRAF draws inspiration from the old bearded men, the old school IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), left-wing communists, Black Panther Party for Self-Defense,1960’s-70’s strands of communism/Marxism which lead to contemporary autonomist-Marxism, the Zapatistas, ourselves, the dramatization of the Spanish Civil War in “Land and Freedom”, etc…but through all this history, theory, and practice we realize that we cannot resurrect ghosts. Inspiration is just that, inspiration and now we must move forward if we wish to remain relevant. As the theorists and activists of the 70’s in Italy leafleted their way to insurrection, GRAF would like to see communities come together for just that.

Abolishing wage-labor, of course! Seeing the dismantling of the state and ridding ourselves of capitalism, of course! And we see an important step in doing just that by changing our everyday lives on the way to a classless society. Being realistic no longer means compromise. Rather, realizing that we can struggle in the everyday for the future is realistic and militant. A campaign for a minimum wage hike is not won by voting or petitioning but by making it no longer profitable to NOT hike up minimum wage. Organizing and networking our communities to come together is our only strength.

Min.Wage $9.39 or $5.15?

Is Greensboro coming together to make minimum wage $9.36!?


From the Greensboro Minimun Wage Campaign,"We are working to increase the Greensboro minimum wage to $9.36/hour. This amount equals the purchasing power of the minimum wage in 1968. In the richest country in the world people who work should not live in poverty. Santa Fe, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Albuquerque have already raised their citywide minimum wage. Register. Sign the petition. Vote. Volunteer."

PART I. The News & Record tries to get political?!

Doug your argument against a wage increase is about as relevent as the good old southern democrats argument against "free-labor", silly. first and last, your argument stinks of free-market fetishism and you assume that change can only happen when it is granted and sacrificed from above.

Hell, working for 6 dollars per hour as restuarant dish washers, car washes, chain stores, or package centers all around greensboro hardly making ends meet without skimming off the top or having to stir things up abit in the triad to gain a decent wage??? we will take our chances with the ladder. Doug your opinion is offensive and written from a place of privilege that continues to justify "free-market" vulgarity. the cost, of our dignity and everyday life is at stake and your business minded opinion is not appreciated.

Maybe the problem with the south is lack of labor laws, labor unions, the low wage, the right to work laws, and all other laws and repression of southern workers that continues to put profit over workers rights and high wages. Maybe the continuing problem with North Carolina and Greensboro/triad area is regional goverments favoring businesses while pretending to be all charitable like saying, "look we have brought you jobs after the textiles took off." ah, what a favor...low wage jobs and part-time jobs in place of industrial jobs...having two generations racing for the same job...

No, your arguements and the entire stack of these "well reasoned" arguments against a wage increase are anti-worker and yet another attempt to justify low wages and bad working conditions.

Doug stated,

"Higher restaurant prices might not drive many families out of town for a cheaper meal, but some might eat at home more often. With less business, restaurants likely would lay off staff."

You are automatically assuming that workers will have to pay up for that difference...why not make someone else take that hit....say shareholders and store owners....

After all this is class warfare and your arguments have been used since the 1800's to continue paying workers less than they deserve. Just like back in the day, your form of media has been used to spread misinformation and reactionary ideas throught nations and cities to scare people of change for the better. It is the business world, owners, and goverments fault that we have low wages, dont put that blame on us! Why dont you do something usefull with your time and blog and side with humanity.

"Ain't ten cents[$9.36] worth as much to us as it is to Pulitzer and Hearst[Food Lion, Harris Teeter, etc...] who are millionaires? Well, I guess it is. If they can't spare it, how can we?"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Newsboys_Strike)

PART II: What is capitalism and how does it work?

I call that bluff. Restaurants would not raise prices because that would cut into profit on top of the raised wages for workers (hypothetically). higher costs equals less business. Rather if a Restaurant wants to remain competative and in operation it will keep the old prices and take the $4.21 x A as an added cost in production. So ya, no worries Greensboro will not become a ghost town.

If a business is already taking a dip in the profit margin from the $4.21 x A("A" being the number of employees) wage increase and you claim that this is such a huge increase in price that a business would have to raise prices to make a profit, then I do not think that $4.21 wage increase is that businesses main concern. If a business has come to such a stand still economically that it can not afford to pay its workers I think the "free-market" shark will eat that establishment for lunch. Plain and simple they can afford it, it is just that "they" dont want to pay it, its called greed.

The age old arguments against wage increases and reduced work hours come from one perspective, the business perspective. First off, higher wages = more consumerism. The money isnt disappearing its being relocated into the pockets of workers who will then spend that money...a nice little economic reform that helps everyone because at the end of the day someone gets paid $9.36 a hour and the company this person works at is still producing products to be consumed, thus the system continues.

Higher wages will make thousands of people in greensboro very happy!

PART III: Enough is Eough...

Doug states, "Look at the auto industry if you want a model of unionism in the 21st century economy: Union automakers are laying off workers up north; non-union (Asian) automakers are hiring for new plants in the South. They're still paying good wages and benefits, just not noncompetitive wages and benefits.

I'm just not following your magical formula for how businesses can absorb higher wages (other than they should be less "greedy"). I'm sure business owners struggling to keep prices down and make payroll in a competitive market don't think of themselves as greedy."

Doug once again your argument is laced with standard run of the mill "neoliberal" ideas based on romatic notions of generous businessmen running around like chickens with there heads cut off to stay afloat in a the "free-market" gone mad!

I am going to save the both of us a whole lot of writing and just say that we are on two different sides of the arugement. You are for low consumer prices at the cost of a decent living for workers and you claim, through neo-liberal romanticism, that this somehow benefits the workers. No matter how i read or look at your article it states that workers should not attempt to gain higher wages because that will end in corporate bankrupcy.

In essence your arguments and article are anti-worker and pro-business. Not only that, your arguments say more about your perspective than your heartfelt sympathy.

My "magical formula for how businesses can absorb higher wages (other than they should be less "greedy")," is quite simple. If you look all over the globe and throughout history we can see how this "magical formula" was put into practice. Historical materialism shows the history of capitalism as in phases of conflict between workers wanting more and owners of capital wanting more...

Making things simple, currently we are in a period of economic and government reorganization or restructuring on a global scale and both sides are scambling to get a bigger "piece of the pie".

As for unionism, I have a better example of functioning unionism, look at South Korea's labor movement. As for historical unions with something positive to offer the future we have the IWW (industrial workers of the world, wobblies). Neo-liberal anti-unionism is a reactionary and very anti-worker perspective that attempts to get workers to see themselves as their job. We must never forget that people work out of the necessity of survival nothing more. we are not our jobs, we are not wal-mart, gas stations, or computer stores, etc...in a service economy addicted to low-wage labor across the borders and seas it is a race to the bottom and in order to survive campaigns such as these in coordination with campaigns and activism across the globe must happen to improve our lives. we are thinking globally and acting locally.

As for blaming auto-workers and auto-unions for factories closing down and moving out of state is just ridiculous. I understand the point about lower wages and people "willing" to work for less in mexico or asia but I dont buy it. Nor does this argument justify workers to do nothing. To do nothing is an impossibility anyways.

Business owners do not think of themselves as greedy just was kings did not think of themselves as despots. Either way we can never ignore what despotic rule or "competitive business owners" regardless of their justification force the rest of us to scrape by.

My arugment or "magical formula" still stands and i have history on my side. If you are still skeptical you can just ask these questions.

1.In all of human history, especially post-industrial revolution, workers have struggled to improve their lot(8 hour day from 12 hour day, payed holiday, benefits, less work same pay, more workers on the lot same pay, etc...) by various means of action(some peaceful, some not) and through all these changes and raising the cost of labor have businesses still not obtained their profits?

2.Also, during these events in history when workers won union contracts, better working conditions, or higher pay has there not always been present arguments of economic collapse or higher unemployment due to the coming changes to scare people of change?

TO BE CONTINUED???