I’ve never really understood the point of Twitter before but now, sitting in Cornwall and thinking about the demonstration in Plaça Catalunya, it is really interesting reading the snippets that come from Acampadabcn.
It’s like having a live link which then stimulates my imagination to create a story.
Some examples today
Suministros de comida para el día de hoy, no necesitamos agua, galletas, pan de molde, leche, arroz, pasta y cebollas. Gracias!
Today we don’t need water, biscuits,sandwich bread, milk, rice, pasta and onions. Thanks!
Necesitamos CREMA SOLAR. Por favor llevadlas a la Comisión de salud, gracias!
We need sun cream. Please take it to the commission of health, thanks!
So I have pictures of mountains of biscuits and bread. People coming to donate things all the time. The internet makes it possible to communicate so much more clearly and instantly. I remember going to Greenham Common and not knowing what to take. Still possible of course to arrive with yet more onions because I didn’t read the Twitter before leaving home.
I imagine areas for food collection, for cooking, for washing up. First aid centres set up with hand made colourful shelters from the hot sun. People raiding their bathroom cupboards for bottles of sun cream of varying strengths.
That part of me which always hoped for world change, that part which can get lost over the years under layers of world weariness, that part is stirring to life. Whatever happens next, that is a good feeling. So much happening in the world at the moment so why not hope?
And if you want to see what Plaça Catalunya was like yesterday – here is a link.
We walked through it today, incredibly well organised, different zones for different elements of the protest, and there are cheers and applause every time someone brings food, or whatever, and they have cardboard signs out saying what they need…it was really very cool.
Didn’t know there was a twitter feed.
Hi Kate,
many of us became world weary, or too absorbed with our jobs, and have neglected the fight for world change. Our apathy may have enabled the class Noam Chomsky calls “the opulent minority” to control our economies over the past years. Chomsky says that these people planned right from the setting up of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights how they could subvert democracy and prevent the distribution of wealth. One technique was to encourage the feeling in the US that it is pointless to vote, as it won’t change anything. Very low voter turnouts there, until the Obama campaign, so things look to be changing everywhere, hopefully with corrupt financiers in prison and the UK government which acts on behalf of the wealthy classes tossed out at the next election.
Were you at Greenham?
Pearl x
Oreneta – so envious of you going to see the protests – I’d love to be a small part of it. Pearl – yes I agree – it’s scary to think that it has been a policy to make people passive and pliable. there are many opiums of the people – football,shopping, Television…… all good when used well but also ways to live without being aware of what is going on. K x
Albert’s been there every day after work. It’s still going on. We were directed to read ‘Cry out!’ by Stephane Hessel. There was an English version. People say it was instrumental in helping create was is happening today.
Hi Kate,
in the 18th century gin was plentiful and cheap – see Hogarth’s drawing “Gin Lane” showing how the poor were pacified into drunken oblivion. Gin stilled the pangs of hunger and dulled the will to protest. In our time, drugs like Meth serve similar purposes, especially among the American poor in big cities. Do the authorities really want to clean this up?
As for most of us, we run on the spot trying to balance family life and work, with no time to “get involved” in politics – and many are scared to do so – what might the boss think?
I think we handed over our hard-won democratic freedoms and power to corrupt elites everywhere, who crashed our economic systems, and aren’t being brought to account. Let’s hope the Spanish and all elections produce better results, with committed and accountable politicians. Are protests continuing in Spain?
Pearl x