The cleanest thing around the the rotten state and society we Co-operative Hall in Liverpgol's live in.
Derby Lane over the weekend of Much debae centred on a hard. September 2lst-22nd was a group hitting pamphlet on the Aims and of about 150 anarchists attending Principles of Anarchism, produced Annual Conference be the more fanatical members of Anarchist Fed ration of Britain. the Black Flag group. This, in The Conference as the fifth such its turn, recruits from the hard to take place since the Federation anarchists who refuse to concede was reconstituted in 1963. any points to the traditional left.
They say that "the liberal seeks That year saw the death throes greater freedom within the struc ot CND and many people - old ture of the society in which he and young - drifted into local lives; he rejects the method of anarchist groups, thinking that any class struggle which relate to the nart of the enca led neace move economic divisions of society". As ment was beter than nothing. Brit9 liberal comrade from Birmingham ish anarchism mushroomed over. was to remark (to some derision) nigh. But quantity is no substitute "There are two kinds of comrades for quality. And this manference and some are more anarchiet than may well be the last the Federation others". holde. This play on words in anathema Ironically what will determine the to the hard left. John Rety, editor survival of the AFB will be the very of Freedom', told me: "We must thing which gave it life - the de- now face up to unpleasant facts. termination of those same people Much is expected of us. We are who came out of CND to change supposed to be the most revolutions difficult to talk about the purpose of a University. Even the Robbins Committee ter the three years debate, evaded the problem; all but two pages of their port discusses quantitative rather than qualitative data
UR CONCEPT OF A UNIVERSITY By some Radical Minds in Bimingham E BLACK DWARF 13.6 hose of the University staff problems, they are chided for ever display any interest in heir impatient and immature it their job entails appear to dealism. The professors meand one of two extreme views: while are too absorbed in the re are those who believe that power politics within the UniJniversity is a place where versity to care about the results earch is carried out and stu- of power politics in the outside its are trained as and when world. On the issue of the Overiety demands, and that seas Student Fees increase the ademic freedom' is really no University authorities seemed re than the freedom to waste less concerned at the injustice valuable resources of society. of the situation than at the fact the other hand there are that they had not been conse who hold the concept of sulted. demic freedom sacred and LITTLE BOXES el any attempt to destroy the The empirical outlook of liversity as a community of Western ideology not only olars concerned in the dis- debases man's moral stature, erested pursuit of truth. Both turning him into a mindless tool se views contain elements of performing functions that have reality of the situation in no wider meaning, but cripples ich Universities find them his creative faculties as well. ves today, and elements Contemporary philosophy reich any University must flects this malaise in creativity. ain in the future A Univer- Our thinkers no longer wrestle Y must always be involved in to find solutions to problems improvement of techno- that have always plagued man, gical skills and in the training but merely analyse what the specialists in technological words we use to express these Ids. At the same time Univer- problems mean. The purpose of ies must remain detached the state becomes irrelevant, so m society, seeking to broaden long as we can define what the • various spheres of know- "state' means.
Ige, be they in the Humanities Such a view can only stem the Sciences. from a satisfaction with the But this is not to go back to world tenable only to those e days of the Ivory. Tower: who feed well from the West's lowledge cannot be value-free well-stocked table. The disid will always be related to possessed of poorer countries e society with which it is con- whose exploitation helps to feed, red—for example, the prin- among others, the Western ble of induction cannot be philosopher, may be forgiven if oved by empirical observation they believe the problems of the r by logical deduction and world are real and not merely a t it serves as the basis for all confusion of words. But philowords, those who can contribute rubbing shoulders with people directly to maintaining capita- of different disciplines, different lism. views, etc., is really a myth. Post-Robbins higher educa- If synthesis is an important tion, but whether its graduates tool of the scholar, then broader meet the needs of capitalist in- education is an important part dustry, among which the of the scholar's education, and development of the student's not merely a surface gloss to status quo. Knowledge is seen enable the bigotted specialist to as a given body of facts' or appear human. If on the other 'rules' taught to those who will hand, synthesis is not imporone day, if they are among the tant, then broader education exceptional few, discover new becomes irrelevant - a means facts' and rules within the whereby we can indulge in boundaries of their discipline. shallow gossip of current affairs Students are sometimes taught and the arts to maintain our to be critical, but it is a social status. blinkered criticism that sees The university we should aim only straight ahead and does at is one where broader educanot look around. Our students tion is seen as a necessary part may be taught how to analyse of scholarship and should there. problems into their component fore be organically linked to the parts but seldom to relate these student's discipline, rather than problems to others. The dog- imposed from above. Students matic insistence by the scholarly must be able to choose where to on intensive study in narrow specialise and thus how to relate felds develops the skills of the their specialism to other discipanalyst at the expense of those lines. It is only then that we of the synthesist, the man who shall educate scholars devoted can relate one problem to to developing man's consciousanother and discover their ness of himself and the world. relationship. rather than merely rooting in Analysis depends upon hav- their own backyard. ing proble ns, theories and facts KNOWLEDGE FACTORY neatly defined. Synthesis pro- Those who claim the obduces HAWES problems, new jectivity of the University fail to theories, complete world views appreciate how much it acts — even, dare we say it, new within the framework laid down moral outlooks. by capitalist society. Galbraith AUTHORITY STRUCTURES has said that the foremost Excessive concentration on defenders of capitalist dogma analysis creates whole authority are not businessmen (who are structures laving down the sub- faced with the task of making ¡ects for analysis. The increas it work), but economics dons ing specialisation of university who preach and strengthen the a knowledge factory. It proimposed upon them. This ideal system is vital. The student is has to contend not only with the trained to jump over a series of inertia of existing educational hurdles - O-levels, A-levels, traditions, but also with the finals, ete., and to feel no pity opposition of those who are in- for those who fall by the wayterested in command of the in- side. After all, he has succeeded dustrial machinery, and who by 'individual effort.' The result realise that such an educational of this intensely competitive system if made general would system is to weaken his ties with threaten their ability to use others. Either they are failures others for their own ends. These and worthy of his contempt or words ring very true today. pity, or potential rivals. Hence Students are growing increas- the social game that students ingly impatient of being used play in sweating their guts out to suit the needs of narrowly to pass exams whilst constantly conceived vocations while their pretending to their friends that true vocation is undiscovered. they do not work. The student Even the academic has become who claimed he worked hard a narrow professional, his Ph.D. would risk the humiliation of thesis a qualification for appearing dim if he failed. lectureship rather than the whereas if he successfully product of a burning desire for maintains his pretence of casual knowledge. indolence he can always claim The truly vocational educa- he didn't care anyway. The tion involves the development Examination system also enof the student's sense of purpose, sures that success is pursued in so that he knows that his study socially defined terms: personal is worthwhile and of service to achievement is attained over humanity. This is a field in other and not in which the University fails mastering knowledge. miserably. The student drifts But man is not necessarily aimlessly from A levels to his competitive and competition degree, driven only by competi- breeds its own contradictions. tion from others and his ambi- The students who succeed have tion to attain a secure niche in learned to weigh their life in society's elite. Service to society terms of status rather than is as foreign to him as service to happiness, and student life has the truth, for he has been care- become notable for its anxiety fully prevented from obtaining rather than its joyfulness. The any knowledge of, or kinship to. working class student in partithe majority of people and in- cular may have to lose all his stitutions that make up that ties with his family and commusociety. rity in pursuit of the statusThus the University bocomes orientated aims of our educational system. (For a detailed status. The non-conformity of demics. The result of such an the University is generally con- inefficient bureacracy is that fined to a small minority of stu- major issues are continually dents who are not encouraged shuttled around committees unin their ways. The patterns of a til the problem becomes student's personality are formed urgent that a decision has to be long before he leaves school and made arbitrarily by someone the University merely reinforces the top. The ineffectiveness of them. The majority of middle- formal decision-making bodies class students are in harmony means that real power rests in with the society that has the hands of informal groups. bestowed so many advantages So the University operates withon them, while the working class out coherent direction, its student minority has to fight to administrators content to barmaintain a grip on the social gain away among the UGC, the ladder and has little energy or worthy dignatories and indusinterest left for developing origi- trialists from the City who sit nality. But the prime cause of on University Council, and its conformity is the insecurity in- professors, some long since herent in the educational system rusted away in office. Student -an insecurity not based on representation might not only having one's ideas challenged make the system more demo. (which is healthy), but rooted in cratic, but also more sane. Al a lack of any apparent purpose present the lack of any overall in the academic rat-race, except purpose in the University ren gaining higher status. The stu- ders it defenceless against the dent must therefore judge him- worst features of pressure self through other people's eves politics. in the absence of any personally THE SCHOLASTIC NAVEL meaningful goals. Students are It is no wonder then that the alienated from their work and University, ashamed of itself. thus lack any self-motivation blankets its strange behaviour to study. Their unity with their in an attempt to ward off the fellow-students is against the demands of the outside world. system (sharing worries about Instead of leading, it frantically exams) rather than for it (shar. defends its "independence' the ing their enthusiasm for the right to contemplate its own course). Any meaning in Uni- scholastic navel. The University versity life depends on accept- will never maintain its indepen ance by a group, hence the dence of spirit. Instead of conmutually exclusive cliques tinually compromising between centred around Halls, depart- the contradictory aims of servments, Union politics, drama. ing the needs of industry and sport, ete.- The hippie maintaining its own privileged student conforms to the position in societv. the Univer
of induction cannot be philosopher, may be forgiven It d by empirical observation they believe the problems of the structures laying down the 'suby logical deduction and world are real and not merely a jects" for analysis The increas serves as the basis for all confusion of words. But philo- ing specialisation of university fic laws. We must accept sophy is typical of most departments mercilessly cuts the ely because we find its disciplines in the University in fields of knowledge into useful, and no concept its complacent acceptance of the manageable domestic gardens. e can be value-free. common man. Its graduates Subject boundaries once rigidly wledge cannot then rest burned not with desire for the delineated develop their own on the application of truth so much as desire for bureaucratic momentum as 1 rules to objective data. social acceptance based on an scholars fight to maintain the ot only can the validity of aristocratic cultural superiority. prestige of their own departles and their relevance be Now that technical efficiency ments at the expense of their oned, but the gathering has replaced cultural superiority contribution to knowledge. This a itself is subject to value- as a means of gaining social fragmentation of knowledge lents, both in the choice status, so the university has ad- debases the university separatle weighting of data. Even justed accordingly. ing scholars not only from the cientist can choose which Some have mistaken the in- world, but from each other, and ms he wishes to solve; creasing numbers entering weakening the creative potential er he seeks to improve the higher education in this country of research. It heightens the st or to introduce more ex- as a sign of a growing egalita- authoritarian nature of the refinements in the rianism concerned with the need university as each student has ments of war. The develop each person's to master a given body of know'objectivity' of science is potential. This is the most naive ledge instead of being able to ore often a disguise for the belief. The Robbins Commission follow his own nose and impose ral objects it serves, How was too busy licking its lips at his own self-discipline. Too Birmingham University the increase in economic growth much analysis also bolsters conto be 'objective" when it that a higher proportion of formity. Students can avoid £29,000 worth of graduates would produce to questioning the whole machine ce contracts a year? The bother with anything so trivial if they are merely investigating values the University as considering what sort of edu- a small cog. It educates students to be concerned about cation students would be receiv- sceptical of theory, while lose of 'responsibility' (a ing. It is not idealism that has passively uncritical of the preed word meaning con- stimulated educational growth, sent world, for they have never g to Society's accepted but the industrial demands of looked beyond it. of behaviour), which it an increasingly technological Now we can see why the traes through its disciplinary society for more highly trained ditional role of the university in lure. As soon as students manpower. The slogan is not developing scholastic ability by strate their willingness to higher education for all' but educating the whole man' by the responsibility for *higher education for all who intensive narrow study while g to solve the world's can benefit from it? or in other exposing him to the magic of In retaliation the administration, ternational headed by its acting president Andrew Cordier, whose work for the US government included the evolutionary supervision of the coup that killed Patrice Lumumba, refused SDS permission to hold the opening session udents Conference of the International Revolutionary Students Conference in the McMillin Hall. Recapturing, for the benefit lumbia University of their foreign guests, the spirit of last spring, the students swept over the campus past outraged security ew York guards (one rushed past me as fast as his advanced years would allow, muttering "the bastards") and liberated an auditorium where the ptember 1968 first session was held.
The idea of the conference was to exchange ideas on strategy and practed promisingly enough. On the first day that students tice. From the first two things upposed to register for their courses the Columbia obvious: the Europeans were far aged a demonstration to persuade the administration more sophisticated both in their ster the 30-odd students suspended for their nomadae and interpretation of political theory than their American 1 activities last spring, and this protest was successful comrades while the latter proved h to close down the registration centre for the day. how large a gap there was between aro not businessmen (who are make up that faced with the task of making society it work), but economics dons Thus the University becomes who preach and strengthen the knowledge factory. It proideology of The duces its research to suit those ruthless demands of business who pay the bill without regard place a high premium on the to its ultimate purpose, just as knowledge industry that forces our factories make bombs the University out of its shell. only undirected knowledge can The ivory aspired be far more dangerous. Scholars not to the heights of intel- measure their status in words lectual greatness but to the rather than pounds, but otherheights of contempt for the wise resemble the businessmen critical awareness of himself they scorn, in not caring whether and his relation to society, does their work is of any use other not figure highly. Instead, than that of maintaining their capitalism demands of its stu- prestige. To keep their position dents a combination of specialist they teach students to follow ability, social conformity and a the same road, turning them into zest for ruthless competition. yet more products eager to be The difficulty of fulfilling in- used as industry's tools instead dustry's insistent demands with of standing independently the traditional academic nature men. of courses has led to the debate over vocational education. ALIENATED STUDENT What is often overlooked is that Narrow specialisation, comthere is nothing wrong with petition and conformity. The vocational education, but a lot first of these three qualities that wrong with vocational training. capitalism demands of its stuwhich is all some University dents has been dealt with. The courses offer. A truly vocational second is vital to a society based education equips the student to on the profit motive. Students serve mankind and not merely must not only be made willing to fit square pegs into holes, to act as products for industry whose size is determined by the but to use others also. Industry ruling elite. As Dewey said, 50 requires its captains as well as years ago, Above all it would its deckhands and they must train the power of re-adaptation have no scruples about viewing to changing conditions so that their fellow-men as objects to be future workers would not be- overcome rather than as come blindly subject to a fate rhetoric and practice. However cer- whom a true revolution is impostain words, whoever used them, sible: the working class. The Frenchtriggered off wild applause: "com- man commented to me afterwards bative", "solidarity with (Panthers/ that the main debate was obviously Mexicans/NLF)", "revolutionary going to be between those who consciousness" "Che Guevara", and believed in spontaneity and those "the working class". who believed in planning. He was The level of theory was almost absolutely right. frighteningly high. The German After a run-down on the situation SDS delegates showed how their in Mexico. which took place in a universities, described as "barracks slightly uneasy atmosphere as the for disciplined idiots", now strongly time granted de facto by the adorganised into SDS chapters, altered ministration for the use of the hall student consciousness from reformist had run out, Mark Rudd, who to revolutionary by making demands mostly stayed commendably in the which the administration was unable background throughout the conferto grant: political freedom COn ence, out of prudence or reticence, campus, participation in curricular called for "action tonight". Everyand administrative decisions by one smiled their fear at everyone else, as many cops were expected, A second Italian delegate, after but it was "decided" in that peculiar congratulating the English RSSF way the members of Columbia SDS delegate for the cogency of his interpret a consensus, that there political analysis, complained that would first be a march around the the French 22 March Movement campus to gather support-for we movement failed because the Left were some 800 strong-and then out did not sufficiently prepare the to picket Cordier's house. This revolutionary consciousness of those passed off without incident, but also elements of the population without without attracting the support of ties with his family and commupursuit of the status orientated aims of our educational system. (For a detailed study of educationally successful working-class children see Jackson and Marsden's brilliant study "Education and the Working Class.") In such a situation the early drop-out may have more chances of personal fulfilment than the working-class kid who makes good whose insecurity increases with his social status.
Jackson and Marsden cite the example of Derek Ackroyd, expelled from Grammar School for "independent - mindedness,' who returned to his community a Communist unofficial leader. His political activities led to a wall being built around a local dam to stop children from drowning. 'Mr. Ackroyd drew on strengths of community not available to other Grammar School pupils."
But examples like this are rare in a society which does not care about the millions of working class kids who don't make good, Failure to clear an educational hurdle is much more likely to produce self-doubt of the student's personal adequacy. Capitalist competition gives rise naturally to social conformity as elites are used as models brothers. Here the Examination by those who seek to gain other undergraduates on campus who merely watched from their dormitory windows, giving rise to some misgivings amongst the foreign contingents as to the true support for SDS in the university. The second session was held in McMillin Hall after the liberal Students for a Restricted University had offered to book the place in their name. After the performance of some "revolutionary" music, a sonata for flute and piano by Pierre Boulez to which little attention was unfortunately paid, the French delegate's predictions came true and serious faction fighting developed. It started with a passionate appeal by the Mexican spokeswoman for expression of solidarity with the Mexican students whose occupation of their university had just been brutally terminated by the Army. "We don't want to disrupt the conference," she said, "but our people are being killed." There was an immediate argument between those who wanted to rush to the Mexican Consulate or Travel Service (no one Halls, depart» Ictory aims of serv politics, drama. ing the needs of industry and hippie maintaining is own privileged student conforms the position in society, the Univeraccepted cool' non-conformity sity must seek to define and fulof his own sub-culture. The stu- fil the real needs of society. Until dent radical also conforms to the University shows some sign his radical sub-culture, using of wanting to educate original the same stock terms of abuse and independent human beings. and evoking the same stock conscious of their basic brotherresponse. Hence the disparity hood with other men, instead of between the quantity of rhetoric trying to turn out wellexpended over Vietnam and programmed technocratic elite, South Africa and its concrete will be justified in results in terms of challenges to rebelling against. the system. We do not suggest that the POWER University consciously indocThe way Birmingham Univer- trinates students with capitalissity is run reflects the character tie ideology. But as Marx would of the education it provides. point out, people are often the Supposedly it is democratic, and unknowing agents of history. yet students and non-profes- After all, the staff have come sorial staff (who together make through the same system themup 98 percent. of its member- selves successfully, and have a ship) hardly participate at all. vested interest in its COn. Even Senate, composed of all tinuance, the professors, and with overall Universities. through being academic power, act as a rubber continually on the frontiers of stamp for Senate Executive, and knowledge, have a crucial role if Professor Tobias is to be in articulating and shaping the believed, serves no useful func- deeply felt and often implicit tion at all. Power is fragmented beliefs of mankind. It would be into scores of committees (86 of a tragedy therefore if the Unithem, with a combined mem- versity were to abandon its bership of 1,700), which ensures critical role and blindly accept that only the central administra- the dominant attitudes tion has any broad perspective. times. There seems to be conMany professors sit on too siderable evidence to suggest many committees to be effective that it is in real danger of doing either as administrators or aca- so.
was sure of their location), take of the system they were fighting, them over, and hold the conference implying the Americans certainly there, and those, notably the German did not, and an Italian was cheered and Italian contingent, who urged for saying it was not the barricades the necessity of planning for maxi- that mattered so much as the more mum effectiveness. It was decided to complex political activity that went hold off till the morning, or at with it. An American asked that the least till later, so that the exchange conference discuss the question how of ideas could continue. There was power was to be taken, but it was then a virulent dialogue between the not cheered half as much as a girl French Trotskyist JCR delegate who called the conference absurd. who announced the retaking of the The highlight of the whole thing dormitories of Nanterne and the was not the extraordinarily dry settlement therein of slum workers— lecture by Ernest Mandel, straight and a French anarchist, from which from the text-books. but an internothing emerged except massive ap- vention by Abbie Hoffman, a leading plause for the anarchist who derided member of those politicised surall historical experience. From this realists, the Yippies. Jumping onto point the conference unfortunately the speaker's desk and playing went downhill. brilliantly with a voyo, he was the The much-discussed Mexican first person to talk to the audience, demonstration attracted 30 people. and communicate the "fuck the The important debate as to how to world" philosophy so wildly apconnect almost totally theory inconclusive, and praxis was The plauded by American students Columbia as in Chicago. The sad in Germans said they had thoroughly thing was, however, that his was the prepared their students with theo- best received performance of the retical work so that they understood week. what they were doing and the nature
ne people who seem to be fairing well these days in Mexico City are the newspaper ndors. They are able to sell their newspapers in a quarter of the usual time and have e rest of the day or night to themselves. The government controlled press gives a fraction the news, but Mexicans are sophisticated and have learned to read between the lines EXICO-GOLD MEDAL FOR BRUTALITY in coroner.
fairing well Occasionally a small para- On the one hand because of knew how to destroy, but the flowered Pasco de la graph of meaty material the absurdity of supposing he knew nothing of how to Retorma, up Avenga Juarez creeps in. For example, the that anyone would distribute build" lo tRe LOCOlo, the constituMexican daily, El Dia (mod- marijuana and heroin among uonal square. Ineir ranks are erately leftist in its interna- students he hoped to get out Gordon said that the edu- oraeriy and extremely wen tional coverage. but, like its and fighting the streets. cation system must be Organised. in auction to the fellows, pro-government on And on the other hand, be- changed to teach rebels that stuents, and large delegations domestic affairs) reported of cause if anyone knows the facile solutions are roman- or tneir parents, proters and the September 23rd battle in nature and effect of drugs, tic illusions and that they sisters, sizaole conungenis or the Tlatelolco neighbourhood, is the Mexican police. But so must learn to think what to Talroad WorKers, on WorKerS, On numerous occasions the it goes. The search for foreign- put in place of what they ciectricians, taxi drivers, and police chiefs and journalists ers to burn continues. destroy. pusn cart peddlers, as well as had to intervene to prevent the granaderos (riot police), young classes at the national school architect gives Nothing Lincoln very remarkable small many from outlying states or groups peasants, from beating those whom who seemed to be in an un- usually exacerbated state, studiously of ment. Architecture A Chilean avoiding had citizen involve- been about speech. The only very remark- able thing is his sudden Gordon's ap- Mexico, matter of poucy, portraits or Mexican participate. heroes: Emiano As birth he had lived most of his pearance on the scene, flying Lapata, benito Juarez, Miguel they had detained. Retentions were made indiscrim- life in Mexico sufficient down from Baltimore to be hidalgo, etc., were carried in time to learn what the extent the guest of honour at the prererence to el Che, Mao, inatelv. of his civil rights would be if American Chamber of Con- marx. etc. The altacks on (El Dia, Sept. 22, 1968, p.l) he were to be taken by the gress dinner. This otherwise President Gustavo Diaz Oraaz while El Heraldo (a conser- police. On the night of Sep- unexplained journey, together were snarp and direct-somevative daily) reported the tember 19th, policemen en- with some equally inexplicable thing unprecedented in modshooting of a granadero by an tered his home, surprised him moves on the part of the ern Mexican history.. Many Mexican have the signs, appropriately sister, and cousin had been prisoner. We read in Excelciar not ominous im- enough, deal with ine Ulymoffended by brutality (El Heraldo, the granadero's Sept. foreigners, he has been that. together with other sen- plications. pics, highlighting the irony of claiming 19o8 as the "Year of 22. 1968, p. 7A). tenced to 5 years imprison- The Rise, Decline and Peace" in Mexico. and exDuring the last few days ment. 50,000 pesos fine, and Resurgence of the Student pressing a deeply felt disgust bloody clashes between stud- ents and granaderos occurred completing his sentence. From immediate deportation upon Movement at ands of millions of pesos the expendiure of thousThe Mexican student move- sports arenas, publicity, and laces in the city, so that wha Denal system (e.g see Oscar ment has received some atten- housing for foreign athletes Mexicans are not able to reac The Children of tion from the world news and their retinue by a governin their newspapers, many of Sanchez) and what we read of media, so that it is generally ment which is unable to find them have the exceptionally brutal treat- known that what, in mid July the resources to provide housment of political Brisoner: ing. medical services, primary "During the Olympic year Regis Debray is to be envied tween students of two prepara- education, etc., for a vast of 1968, Mexico throws for the physical security that tory schools, due principally centar of its population.
open her gates and her heart the publicity of his case afford- to intervention by the police. «Mexico will win the gold to the people of all nations". ed him. by mid-August had grown into medal for repression", «Wel.
Publications Department. general strike of schools come to Mexico, seat of the Committee of the However, not every foreign- supported by students. The Olvmpic butchery 1968", ronnizin neteenth Olympiad in Mexico City is feeling Repression - Growth pheno read the placards. Others de.
people who make the mistake Next to students and young this painful sense of political insecurity. Mexico has had menon h standard has operated in manner. Several the pict the olympic dove of peace With a knife in its breast: the of looking like students, tnose one visitor in recent weeks, hundred stage five ring Olympic symbol as foreigners. Article 145 of the Federal Penal Code is a law who feel most insecure are who always seems to be on top far from home he wanders. of the situation, however commemorate the anniversary of the Cuban peaceful demonstration Revolution: to his club held aloft like fam five smoking grenades: and a granadero racing along with which metes out punishment thoy are brutally beaten by ing olympic torch.
guilty of "social The Little Old Coup-Maker the police: and the next day. were no longer disposed to support the strike, The movement had reacned the stage wiere i might have been broKen, or at least controueu vy orumary portical metuas at which the mexican government is expert. it woula seum simpic enougn: Some people YOU buy, some people you treaten, and some peopie (as is tractional in the Mexican student-government relauon) you otter government posi'tons.
Ine Death of Autonomy The government has done none ot those things. The situation was highly susceptole to poliucal manipulauon and control, and yet political methods were not applied. Instead, on the night of Septemojer 18th, several thousand army troops sealed off the University City, as the area is called, invaded tne grounds or the National Autonomous University, and, in a room to room search of the gigantic educational complex, took close on 3,000 prisoners, among them several hundred professors and teaching staff. and a large group of parents who had been meeting to discuss support for the students. The "University. it will be remembered, is an autonomous institution which refers to the fact that together with many institutions of higher learning in the federal entities Mexico, it has won the right, to govern itself. completely free from intervention by civil or military authorities It is therefore unconstitutional for the police or the army to eliter Universitaria (University City) which is the felined boundary of the cammade so that order would be adjacent plaza have been the restore betore the beginning site of some of the most violct the Olympic Games on Oct- ent and frequent clashes beover 12. No concessions were tween students and police. The torthcoming. Ine government residents ot the area, from position remained one of in- their towering buildings have nexibility. By September 20, been attored an exceptionally some ot the most conservative clear view of what the police sectors tne population intervention has meant tor the seemed to have had enough of strikers. government intransigence. On it will be remembered that that day Ultimas Noticias Vocational / was the victim ot (p. 1) quoted the head of the two macnine gun attacks in National Chamber of ConAugust). gress, a recognised political organ of business interests, as Thus, On September 22. calling for moderation, flexi- when the students dug in tor bility and guarantees that no what they expected lo be a recriminations would be made gigantic army ettort to take against those in the National vocational Number 1, the University who had taken people of Tlateloico sat down part in the strike. Yet the al ineir picture windows in government had remained what naa become almost an rigid in its position and the evening ritual to see how the provocation of students by the studenis would detend thempolice has continued. selves. One resident of Ciudad ¡latelo co. observing the The "stupidity" of the gov- events from his window, deernment's insistant escalation scribed the Bautle in this way: of violence is difficult to expiain except in terms of a right *I got home yesterday wing effort to set the stage for 4.30 in the atternoon and trom 1 military coup. With the my window counted 10 buses Battle of Tlatelolco the Mexi. tuat the students had obviouscan people find themselves in ay captured and set up in tront a virtual state of seige. of tue school to torn a barricade. They had sealed off all streets leadang into the area The Battle of Ciudad by directing tattie themserves, Tlatelolco and sending ail cars of into other routes.
In TLATELOLCO "Around 5 o'clock they bethe last and most heroic gan to siphon gasoline out of. resistance against the Spanish w9s made con- ine captured buses and those cars sull parked in the area.
queror. In TLATELOLCO Next they moved systematiindigenous people re- cally from house to house ceived the most precious collecting botties and rags, gift of the evangelists scriptures. Tiatelolco, the most modern And NOW, in - the and, as we later heiped the found in out the 19o3 E buildings to construct and progressive city of the barricades, similar to the ones age has risen. A city which with which tney had tortined preserves in its newly un- the school.
covered anthropological 13.6 THE BLACK DWARF 8 quickly. Granaderos entered shoting tear gas bombs ahead of them. But relatively tew of the students were in the school itself. Those who were there were on the root, very well prepared, with wet handkerchiers over their noses and mouths. From that heigat they rained stones, molotov cocktails and the police's own tear gas bombs down upon the granaderos in the courtyard below.
"Probably the most impressive thing is that abour tais time a shout, or rather a taousand shouts from the windows ot all the surrounding baldings, began co be heard. This spouting was kept up for seven hours, without a step. Abajo Asesinos! and Muera Diaz Ordaz, Asesino!
"On top of the same buildings trom which taese cries rose, were hidden with suppies of rocks, iron tubing, bricks and boties enough tor a long seige. In this way the batue generalized. The army granaderos turned toeir auention trom the school which was virtaly impenetrable, and began to attack tha OL the ASSLE buildings. For two hours the batie between these people - civalian populadoll, ana the national army — was waged, The people pelted the granaderos with every imagable object they were abie to and in ine window, and not a few granaderos were scaded. All tus time the was kept up. "Abajo Asesinos:", "Muera Diaz "Ordaz!. At 9.00 the granaderos and soldiers began to retreat. should be that there were never more than involved in this rest were
foreigners. top of "social crime which can for any language announced civil rights. fair well, by comparison to unhappy picked up group of Rotarians. under this law. The case of Elks, Kiwanis, and Why the designer, Brazil '64 choose the street by of granaderos.
subjects, violence. report in "disturb- The D.F., of foreign mostly .. The "are the Revolution in France. hat end, with They a Mexican "They notion of lames Antonio than vague and empty Antoine, tte. with duly this group Mao Tseeople, with other d of drugs at don said, 27. ellow The accusmost of the slick commercial magazines have published yet rgy of bourgeois analysis about the "youth rebellion", g for the nth time that radical youth are nihilistic. n answer to the nihilism charge by Mark Rudd, chairman lumbia University chapter of Students for a Democratic in organiser of the Columbia rebellion, Rudd's vere made in a letter he wrote to Columbia president Kirk who, in a speech in Charlotesville, Va., complaining about youthful antiauthoritarianism. are Kirk's brief statements and Rudd's letter which was April 22, the day before Columbia students their current protest.
anniversary НЕДИНОСКО along with Cuban Revolution:
several activists. called liberation one time their building. 1959 for held since 1959 dissolution.
bazooka; granaderos Probably the slogan which enter; several are "We are grows, In daylıght, not Hunger and unmarked cars machine gun the facade Vocational the Movement School No. 5.
return beat up still find within.
acquainted similar movement. Sepone silent - from Chapultepec be registered political strators astonishingly located distant was tremenHowever, the demonstration on Avenida demonstrators amounted to Tuarez.
the moveany THUNGHTO increase.
Wing from divisions: solidarity On August On between 300,000 and and wanted take their that along Said Grayson Kirk: the generation gap. I see it as a real conflict between those "Our young people, in disturbing things now — you, Grayson Kirk -numbers, appear to reject all forms and those who feel oppressed by, of authority, from whatever source and disgusted with, the society you derived, and they have taken refuge rule - - we, the young people. in a turbulent and inchoate nihilism You might want to know what is whose sole objectives are destruction. I know of no time in our wrong with this society since, after history when the gap between the all, you live in a very tight selfgeneration has been wider or more created dream world. We can point potentially dangerous." to the war in Vietnam as an example of the unimaginable wars of aggression you are prepared to ficht to Said Mark Rudd: maintain your control over your society, empire (now you've been beaten by Dear Grayson — Your charge of the Vietnamese, so you call for a nihilism is indeed ominous; for if it tactical retreat). We can point to were true, our nihilism would bring your using us as cannon fodder to whole civilized world, from fight your war. We can point out your Columbia to Rockefeller Center, mansion window to the ghetto below crashing down upon all our heads. you've helped to create through Though it is not true, your charge your racist university expansion does represent something: you call it policies, through your unfair labour the army in eliter Ciudad Universitaria covered pus.
prehistorie colonial cultures, lied by the Secretaria de yours!
your grasp!
the internal which was by (presumably apartment near the sors). The Somehow the We considerable numbers of invading LOvernmenT and public provided for cignty, low income gram ing. things in In fact. the rhetoric State.
tember barrio was site positively Gordonesque.
Apostle stands rhetorical plaza and south escalate which of the Ministry of Foreign President cade, west by high oí the ISSSTE. During the weeks of the practices, through your city govern- sources of our economy could be ment and your police. We can point used to eliminate want, how people to this university, your university, in other countries could be free from which trains us to be lawyers and your domination, how a university engineers, and managers for your could produce knowledge for proIBM, your Socony Mobil, your IDA, gress, not waste consumption and your Con Edison (or else to be destruction (IDA), how men could scholars and teachers in more uni- be free to keep what they produce, versities like this one). We can point, to enjoy peaceful lives, to create. in sort, to our own meaningless These are positive values but since studies, our identity crises, and our they mean the destruction of your revulsion with being cogs in your order, you call them "nihilism." In corporate machines as a product of the movement we are beginning to and reaction to a basically sick call this vision "socialism." It is fine honourable name, one which implies absolute opposition to Your cry of "nihilism" represents your corporate capitalism and your your inability to understand our government; it will soon be caught positive values. If you were ever to up by other young people who want go into a freshman class you to exert control over their own lives would see that we are seeking a and their society. rational basis for society. We do have a vision of the way things You are quite right in feeling that could be: how the tremendous re- the situation is "potentially danretreat that the school.
All rest were plam peopie.
Women, and old ringed with and When tae army troops. Including omy ISSSLE were buiding But tae agat school was well unt wey troops.
Led the trom Vocabuilding which they Even alter would not own feet. try aure, tae punce torces buloing. the school Manuel and San Was suent, trom towers or tae miadle Helito see the the and with and, un- dayagat mousands came streaming into trom cars.
even money, With one of the thus through the troops because it was done very to fight."
gerous." For if we win, we will take understand any of this, since your control of your world, your corpora- fantasies have shut out the world as tion, your university and attempt to trollere from your thinking. mould a world in which we and [Columbia] Vice-President Truman other people can live as human says the society is basically sound; beings. Your power is directly you say the war in Vietnam was a threatened, since we will have to well-intentioned accident. We, the destroy that power before we take young people, whom you so rightly over. We begin by fighting you fear, say that the society is sick and about your support of the war in you and your capitalism are the Vietnam and American imperialism sickness. - IDA and the School of Inter. national Affairs. We will fight you You call for order and respect for about your control of black people authority; we call for justice, freein Morningside Heights, Harlem and dom, and socialism. the campus itself. And we will fight There is only one thing left to you about the type of mis-education say. It may sound nibilistic to you. YOU are trying to channel since it is the opening shot in a war through. We will have to destroy at of liberation. I'll use the words of times, even violently, in order to end LeRoi Jones, whom I'm sure you your power and your system - but don't like a whole lot: *Up against that is a far cry from nihilism. the wall, motherfucker, this is a stick-up."
Grayson, I doubt it you will Yours for freedom. Mark.
THE BLACK DWARF 13.6 The man who has kept Portugal in a coma for forty years is now in
----- pull-quotes -----
troubling i government army lieutenant whose mother, upon his arrival, and took him
in perhaps a hundred different what we know of the Mexican
serve from their own windows. started as a minor brawl be
p against the wall, ther fucker, this is a k-up"