1 00:00:06,050 --> 00:00:08,990 This episode of It's the End of the World 2 00:00:08,990 --> 00:00:10,410 as We Know it and I Feel Fine 3 00:00:10,410 --> 00:00:12,770 was made possible by contributions from 4 00:00:12,770 --> 00:00:13,900 slaves like you. 5 00:00:13,900 --> 00:00:15,090 Spank you very much! 6 00:00:15,683 --> 00:00:16,873 We have to maintain law and order 7 00:00:16,873 --> 00:00:18,553 or we might as well be back in the jungle 8 00:00:19,780 --> 00:00:22,300 Daws.... the ghetto is a jungle 9 00:00:22,300 --> 00:00:23,390 always has been 10 00:00:23,910 --> 00:00:25,980 understand? You cannot cage people 11 00:00:25,980 --> 00:00:27,300 like animals and not expect them 12 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:28,920 to fight back some day. 13 00:00:29,962 --> 00:00:32,212 It has always been an army occupation 14 00:00:32,235 --> 00:00:35,206 here... with police, badges and uniforms. 15 00:00:35,950 --> 00:00:38,900 You and me... a cop and a social worker? 16 00:00:38,900 --> 00:00:41,200 We are keepers of this goddamned zoo. 17 00:00:41,641 --> 00:00:43,181 Streets have to be safe. 18 00:00:43,345 --> 00:00:44,795 Safe for who? 19 00:00:44,861 --> 00:00:46,771 You're here to protect property, 20 00:00:46,789 --> 00:00:47,809 not lives. 21 00:00:48,497 --> 00:00:49,667 Well that's what it's all about 22 00:00:49,667 --> 00:00:50,707 isn't it? 23 00:00:50,707 --> 00:00:52,407 You worked hard to get what you got, 24 00:00:52,407 --> 00:00:53,207 didn't ya? 25 00:00:53,207 --> 00:00:54,497 And you wanna keep it 26 00:00:54,497 --> 00:00:55,297 just like I do. 27 00:00:55,297 --> 00:00:56,167 Bullshit! 28 00:00:56,167 --> 00:00:59,117 Listen. You think because you got a badge 29 00:00:59,117 --> 00:01:00,617 and I got a couple of degrees 30 00:01:00,617 --> 00:01:02,257 that makes a difference? 31 00:01:02,257 --> 00:01:04,077 Do you know what white folks 32 00:01:04,077 --> 00:01:06,967 call people like you and me in private? 33 00:01:08,767 --> 00:01:11,437 Niggers, Daws. 34 00:01:12,397 --> 00:01:14,157 Niggers. 35 00:01:20,417 --> 00:01:22,527 Gooooooooooood morning slaves, 36 00:01:22,527 --> 00:01:24,287 and welcome to another sedition of 37 00:01:24,287 --> 00:01:26,097 It's the End of the World as We Know it 38 00:01:26,097 --> 00:01:27,507 and I Feel Fine, 39 00:01:27,507 --> 00:01:28,937 the show that believes in showing 40 00:01:28,937 --> 00:01:30,447 proper respect for the dead. 41 00:01:30,447 --> 00:01:31,847 Into CNN to bring you 42 00:01:31,847 --> 00:01:33,157 some very sad breaking news 43 00:01:33,157 --> 00:01:34,397 on the death of US Supreme Court 44 00:01:34,397 --> 00:01:35,507 Justice Antonin Scalia 45 00:01:35,507 --> 00:01:37,497 He died in his sleep, of natural causes 46 00:01:37,497 --> 00:01:38,207 overnight. 47 00:01:46,087 --> 00:01:47,337 I am your host the Stimulator, 48 00:01:47,337 --> 00:01:50,577 and I gotta say me and my subMedia slaves 49 00:01:50,577 --> 00:01:53,007 have had a fucking hoot sifting through 50 00:01:53,007 --> 00:01:55,587 the mountains of hate mail we received 51 00:01:55,587 --> 00:01:57,617 from ancaps and Bernie Sanders 52 00:01:57,617 --> 00:01:59,217 supporters, pissed off by our 53 00:01:59,217 --> 00:02:00,327 last two shows... 54 00:02:00,327 --> 00:02:02,367 Well, you got egg on my face! 55 00:02:02,367 --> 00:02:03,367 Buuuuuuuuuuut 56 00:02:03,367 --> 00:02:04,807 while it's tempting to take yet 57 00:02:04,807 --> 00:02:06,647 another swipe at a low-hanging fruit, 58 00:02:06,647 --> 00:02:08,487 this week there’s more pressing 59 00:02:08,487 --> 00:02:09,877 matters at hand. 60 00:02:09,877 --> 00:02:12,937 Namely... actual motherfuckin resistance! 61 00:02:24,231 --> 00:02:25,331 So, with that in mind, 62 00:02:25,331 --> 00:02:26,561 we turn first to Hong Kong, 63 00:02:26,561 --> 00:02:28,251 where on February 9th, 64 00:02:28,251 --> 00:02:29,681 residents of the scrappy, 65 00:02:29,681 --> 00:02:31,361 working-class neighbourhood of Mong Kok, 66 00:02:33,051 --> 00:02:35,641 decided to ring in the Lunar New Year 67 00:02:35,641 --> 00:02:37,831 by getting into a giant fucking 68 00:02:37,831 --> 00:02:39,771 street brawl with the mothafuckin pigs. 69 00:02:54,031 --> 00:02:55,871 Shit kicked off when the po-po moved in 70 00:02:55,871 --> 00:02:58,091 to try and clear out illegal vendors, 71 00:02:58,091 --> 00:02:58,991 hawking food 72 00:02:58,991 --> 00:03:00,711 and assorted New Years trinkets. 73 00:03:00,711 --> 00:03:03,071 In the heavy clashes that followed, 74 00:03:03,071 --> 00:03:04,781 militants hurled bricks, garbage 75 00:03:04,781 --> 00:03:06,461 and other random debris, 76 00:03:06,461 --> 00:03:08,001 and beat cops the fuck down, 77 00:03:08,001 --> 00:03:08,910 with sticks, poles 78 00:03:08,910 --> 00:03:10,760 and motherfuckin street signs, 79 00:03:10,860 --> 00:03:12,610 injuring nearly 90 of them! 80 00:03:12,610 --> 00:03:13,420 Mong Kok 81 00:03:14,173 --> 00:03:15,513 was the site of some of the 82 00:03:15,513 --> 00:03:17,353 fiercest resistance during last year's 83 00:03:17,353 --> 00:03:18,693 Umbrella Revolution, 84 00:03:18,693 --> 00:03:20,263 when for two months, 85 00:03:20,263 --> 00:03:21,803 pro-democracy activists set up 86 00:03:21,803 --> 00:03:23,823 occupations and barricaded major streets 87 00:03:23,823 --> 00:03:24,823 across the city. 88 00:03:24,823 --> 00:03:25,953 The crushing of this movement 89 00:03:25,953 --> 00:03:28,103 only increased the palpable animosity 90 00:03:28,103 --> 00:03:29,883 many Hong Kong residents feel 91 00:03:29,883 --> 00:03:32,133 towards the totalitarian regime in Beijing 92 00:03:32,133 --> 00:03:34,023 and in the year that has followed, 93 00:03:34,023 --> 00:03:35,573 tensions have continued to build. 94 00:03:35,573 --> 00:03:37,293 Despite being technically ruled 95 00:03:37,293 --> 00:03:38,993 by jack-booted Commies, 96 00:03:38,993 --> 00:03:40,573 Hong Kong is a major artery 97 00:03:40,573 --> 00:03:42,043 of global capitalism, 98 00:03:42,043 --> 00:03:43,813 with some of the highest levels 99 00:03:43,813 --> 00:03:46,073 of inequality found anywhere in the world 100 00:03:46,073 --> 00:03:47,893 The city boasts over 101 00:03:47,893 --> 00:03:50,123 200,000 fucking millionaires, 102 00:03:50,123 --> 00:03:51,893 while 20 percent of its population 103 00:03:51,893 --> 00:03:52,973 lives in poverty, 104 00:03:52,973 --> 00:03:55,303 and over 50,000 of its residents 105 00:03:55,303 --> 00:03:57,413 live in literal fucking cages. 106 00:03:57,896 --> 00:04:00,856 As this powder keg of social contradiction 107 00:04:00,856 --> 00:04:03,346 develops, hopefully Hong Kong's proles 108 00:04:03,346 --> 00:04:05,226 will be able to avoid the lure 109 00:04:05,226 --> 00:04:06,736 of right-wing nationalism, 110 00:04:06,736 --> 00:04:08,416 and begin to join forces 111 00:04:08,416 --> 00:04:10,426 with the insurgent workers and peasants 112 00:04:10,426 --> 00:04:12,636 kicking shit off in mainland China. 113 00:04:12,636 --> 00:04:14,396 I think there's been a massacre 114 00:04:14,396 --> 00:04:15,346 of workers rights 115 00:04:15,346 --> 00:04:16,356 for pensions. 116 00:04:16,356 --> 00:04:18,086 People will die, and they will never 117 00:04:18,086 --> 00:04:19,476 get a pension. 118 00:04:19,476 --> 00:04:21,255 That's why there is mass resistance 119 00:04:21,255 --> 00:04:22,566 against this policy. 120 00:04:22,566 --> 00:04:24,506 Meanwhile, on February 4th, 121 00:04:24,506 --> 00:04:25,633 workers in Greece 122 00:04:25,633 --> 00:04:27,038 staged their third general strike 123 00:04:27,038 --> 00:04:28,098 in four months, 124 00:04:28,098 --> 00:04:30,088 with 40,000 peeps taking to the streets 125 00:04:30,088 --> 00:04:32,108 to protest looming pension reforms, 126 00:04:32,108 --> 00:04:33,228 which have been demanded 127 00:04:33,228 --> 00:04:35,048 by the motherfuckin vampires 128 00:04:35,048 --> 00:04:36,738 of the so-called Troika, 129 00:04:36,738 --> 00:04:38,381 as a precondition to the latest 130 00:04:38,381 --> 00:04:40,030 injection of cash into Greece's 131 00:04:40,030 --> 00:04:41,446 cash-starved economy. 132 00:04:41,446 --> 00:04:43,489 Once the demonstrations reached Parliament 133 00:04:43,489 --> 00:04:44,906 Anarchists threw down hard, 134 00:04:44,906 --> 00:04:46,787 lobbing rocks and molotov cocktails 135 00:04:46,787 --> 00:04:48,040 at Athens riot pigs, 136 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:49,712 who responded with tear gas 137 00:04:49,712 --> 00:04:50,896 and flash grenades 138 00:04:50,896 --> 00:04:52,243 in what has by now become 139 00:04:52,243 --> 00:04:53,764 an almost ritualistic display 140 00:04:53,764 --> 00:04:55,424 of mutual fucking hatred. 141 00:05:01,879 --> 00:05:02,761 Never gets old. 142 00:05:02,761 --> 00:05:03,202 Anyway... 143 00:05:03,202 --> 00:05:05,292 by now the Greek left's love affair 144 00:05:05,292 --> 00:05:06,058 with Syriza, 145 00:05:06,058 --> 00:05:08,102 and its weaselly fuck of a leader, 146 00:05:08,102 --> 00:05:10,731 Alexis Tsipris, is long fucking over. 147 00:05:10,731 --> 00:05:12,629 Despite this, Tsipiris is still trying to 148 00:05:12,629 --> 00:05:14,579 play shit off like he's cool in the gang, 149 00:05:14,579 --> 00:05:16,887 expressing his support for the strikes 150 00:05:16,887 --> 00:05:18,411 being carried out against the very 151 00:05:18,411 --> 00:05:20,222 policies that his government 152 00:05:20,222 --> 00:05:21,917 has been ramming down peeps' throats. 153 00:05:22,041 --> 00:05:23,612 Buuuuuuuut the Greek people 154 00:05:23,612 --> 00:05:24,750 aren't fucking stupid, and they 155 00:05:24,750 --> 00:05:27,072 are well aware that they're being fleeced. 156 00:05:27,072 --> 00:05:29,347 Syriza's latest capitulation 157 00:05:29,347 --> 00:05:31,158 to the country's insatiable creditors 158 00:05:31,158 --> 00:05:33,225 comes in the form of a steep hike 159 00:05:33,225 --> 00:05:35,593 to taxes and social security contributions 160 00:05:35,593 --> 00:05:37,172 which will have many Greeks 161 00:05:37,172 --> 00:05:38,844 poneying up to three-quarters 162 00:05:38,844 --> 00:05:39,610 of their wages 163 00:05:39,610 --> 00:05:41,026 towards paying off the country's debt. 164 00:05:41,026 --> 00:05:42,048 Farmers in Greece 165 00:05:42,048 --> 00:05:43,785 have been protesting these reforms now 166 00:05:43,785 --> 00:05:44,659 for weeks, 167 00:05:44,659 --> 00:05:45,867 blockading major highways, 168 00:05:45,867 --> 00:05:47,422 and sealing off the country's borders 169 00:05:47,422 --> 00:05:48,992 with Turkey and Macedonia. 170 00:05:48,992 --> 00:05:50,023 On February 12th, a convoy of 171 00:05:50,023 --> 00:05:52,414 pissed off farmers descended 172 00:05:52,414 --> 00:05:53,575 onto the streets of Athens, 173 00:05:53,575 --> 00:05:55,177 and attempted to storm the 174 00:05:55,177 --> 00:05:56,362 Ministry of Agriculture, 175 00:05:56,362 --> 00:05:58,405 leading to yet more clashes with the cops. 176 00:05:58,405 --> 00:05:59,775 Check this shit out! 177 00:06:12,963 --> 00:06:15,053 As the situation continues to get 178 00:06:15,053 --> 00:06:16,957 even more fucking dire in Greece, 179 00:06:16,957 --> 00:06:18,814 and with no solution to the country's 180 00:06:18,814 --> 00:06:20,416 economic clusterfuck in sight, 181 00:06:20,416 --> 00:06:22,576 it’s a safe fucking bet that 182 00:06:22,576 --> 00:06:24,340 the footage of flaming riot cops 183 00:06:24,340 --> 00:06:25,734 that the country has become 184 00:06:25,734 --> 00:06:26,941 world famous for 185 00:06:26,941 --> 00:06:28,915 won’t be stopping anytime soon. 186 00:07:24,974 --> 00:07:26,808 Here in the United Snakes and Klanada, 187 00:07:26,808 --> 00:07:28,168 February is celebrated as 188 00:07:28,168 --> 00:07:29,173 Black History Month, 189 00:07:29,173 --> 00:07:30,938 where for one month of the year, 190 00:07:30,938 --> 00:07:32,962 tens of thousands of white elementary 191 00:07:32,962 --> 00:07:34,102 and high school teachers 192 00:07:34,102 --> 00:07:36,196 present awkward, obligatory, 193 00:07:36,196 --> 00:07:38,100 and kinda fuckin racist lessons 194 00:07:38,100 --> 00:07:38,843 for their students, 195 00:07:38,843 --> 00:07:40,674 on historical Black figures, 196 00:07:40,674 --> 00:07:41,752 such as Frederick Douglas 197 00:07:41,752 --> 00:07:42,844 and Martin Luther King… 198 00:07:42,844 --> 00:07:44,864 Who invented the air conditioner? 199 00:07:44,864 --> 00:07:46,396 A Black man. 200 00:07:46,396 --> 00:07:48,602 and then explain how George Washington 201 00:07:48,602 --> 00:07:50,367 Carver invented peanut butter. 202 00:07:50,367 --> 00:07:51,638 Well Doctor Carver's 203 00:07:51,638 --> 00:07:52,753 two dinner guests... 204 00:07:52,753 --> 00:07:54,587 Edward "Skippy" Williamson 205 00:07:55,854 --> 00:07:57,773 and Frederick "Jiff" Armstrong 206 00:07:57,773 --> 00:07:59,422 -- two white men. 207 00:07:59,422 --> 00:08:01,024 Stole George Washington Carver's 208 00:08:01,024 --> 00:08:02,092 recipe for peanut butter, 209 00:08:02,092 --> 00:08:03,114 copyrighted it, and reaped 210 00:08:03,114 --> 00:08:04,564 untold fortunes from it. 211 00:08:04,653 --> 00:08:06,944 Given the tense state of racial dynamics 212 00:08:06,944 --> 00:08:09,103 in the post-Ferguson United Snakes, 213 00:08:09,103 --> 00:08:11,007 this year's Black History Month 214 00:08:11,007 --> 00:08:12,447 has been more political than most. 215 00:08:12,447 --> 00:08:14,165 All around the country, 216 00:08:14,165 --> 00:08:15,488 Black peeps are rising up, 217 00:08:15,488 --> 00:08:17,508 reconnecting with past histories 218 00:08:17,508 --> 00:08:19,366 of struggle, and publicly challenging 219 00:08:19,366 --> 00:08:20,829 the racist status fucking quo. 220 00:08:20,829 --> 00:08:23,127 Even the holy grail of American spectacles 221 00:08:23,127 --> 00:08:24,939 -- the motherfuckin Super Bowl, 222 00:08:24,939 --> 00:08:26,605 featured a half-time lesson 223 00:08:26,605 --> 00:08:27,649 on Black history, 224 00:08:27,649 --> 00:08:29,530 compliments of none other than 225 00:08:29,530 --> 00:08:31,272 Mrs. Black Bill Gates in the making 226 00:08:31,272 --> 00:08:32,595 herself, Beyonce, 227 00:08:32,595 --> 00:08:34,336 who performed alongside dozens of 228 00:08:34,336 --> 00:08:35,428 back-up dancers 229 00:08:35,428 --> 00:08:37,261 dressed in Black Panthers regalia. 230 00:08:37,261 --> 00:08:38,352 It was really outrageous... 231 00:08:38,352 --> 00:08:40,188 that she used it as a platform 232 00:08:40,188 --> 00:08:42,022 to attack police officers. 233 00:08:42,022 --> 00:08:44,599 Oh fuck! Fuck me in the dick! 234 00:08:45,923 --> 00:08:46,782 Buuuuuuuuuut 235 00:08:46,782 --> 00:08:48,384 while the right-wing corporate media 236 00:08:48,384 --> 00:08:50,381 endlessly debates 237 00:08:50,381 --> 00:08:51,704 whether Beyonce’s performance was racist 238 00:08:51,704 --> 00:08:53,161 and the nuanced difference 239 00:08:53,161 --> 00:08:54,693 between the Panthers and the KKK…. 240 00:08:54,693 --> 00:08:57,387 another story is going largely 241 00:08:57,387 --> 00:08:58,617 under-reported… 242 00:08:58,617 --> 00:09:00,034 Climatologists are saying 243 00:09:00,034 --> 00:09:01,822 that this past year's El Niño 244 00:09:01,822 --> 00:09:03,633 was the strongest on record, 245 00:09:03,633 --> 00:09:05,676 and it's having devastating effects 246 00:09:05,676 --> 00:09:07,626 on weather patterns across the globe. 247 00:09:07,626 --> 00:09:09,414 Whereas in southern California, 248 00:09:09,414 --> 00:09:10,993 it has led to heavy rains 249 00:09:10,993 --> 00:09:12,409 that have replaced the region's 250 00:09:12,409 --> 00:09:13,803 long-standing drought 251 00:09:13,803 --> 00:09:15,289 with widespread flooding, 252 00:09:15,289 --> 00:09:16,937 in Haiti, on the other hand, 253 00:09:16,937 --> 00:09:18,864 it has exacerbated an existing drought, 254 00:09:18,864 --> 00:09:21,163 leading to widespread crop failures 255 00:09:21,163 --> 00:09:22,161 and food shortages, 256 00:09:22,161 --> 00:09:24,019 which have put millions of people 257 00:09:24,019 --> 00:09:25,319 at risk of starvation. 258 00:09:25,319 --> 00:09:27,084 Every day is getting worse. 259 00:09:27,084 --> 00:09:28,616 It is difficult to grow crops, 260 00:09:28,616 --> 00:09:30,009 because of lack of water. 261 00:09:30,009 --> 00:09:31,310 Many are malnourished 262 00:09:31,310 --> 00:09:32,517 and they don't have food. 263 00:09:32,517 --> 00:09:33,625 And the scale of the problem 264 00:09:33,625 --> 00:09:35,065 is even more fucking dire 265 00:09:35,065 --> 00:09:36,528 in South-eastern Africa… 266 00:09:36,528 --> 00:09:37,749 where El Niño, combined with the 267 00:09:37,749 --> 00:09:39,239 pre-existing effects 268 00:09:39,249 --> 00:09:40,754 of global climate change, 269 00:09:40,754 --> 00:09:43,561 have set the stage for a looming famine 270 00:09:43,561 --> 00:09:45,325 of biblical fucking proportions, 271 00:09:45,325 --> 00:09:47,763 with up to 14 million people 272 00:09:47,763 --> 00:09:50,271 already suffering from food and/or 273 00:09:50,271 --> 00:09:51,362 water shortages, 274 00:09:51,362 --> 00:09:53,197 and some experts predicting 275 00:09:53,197 --> 00:09:55,473 that up to 49 million people 276 00:09:55,473 --> 00:09:57,983 are ultimately at risk of starvation. 277 00:09:58,863 --> 00:10:01,507 Just let those numbers sink in for a second. 278 00:10:01,507 --> 00:10:04,363 Everyone is in hardship. 279 00:10:04,363 --> 00:10:06,801 We all have so little to eat 280 00:10:06,801 --> 00:10:09,007 because there was no harvest this season. 281 00:10:09,007 --> 00:10:10,347 Scorching hot temperatures, 282 00:10:10,347 --> 00:10:12,507 combined with an almost complete lack 283 00:10:12,507 --> 00:10:13,320 of rainfall, 284 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,293 has turned large areas of the region 285 00:10:15,293 --> 00:10:16,721 into a parched wasteland, 286 00:10:16,721 --> 00:10:19,182 decimating agriculture in South Africa, 287 00:10:19,182 --> 00:10:20,993 Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, 288 00:10:20,993 --> 00:10:22,850 Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, 289 00:10:22,850 --> 00:10:24,197 and Ethiopia, 290 00:10:24,197 --> 00:10:27,007 where upwards of 8.5 million people 291 00:10:27,007 --> 00:10:28,296 are facing food shortages, 292 00:10:28,296 --> 00:10:29,816 and 1 million children 293 00:10:29,816 --> 00:10:31,557 are struggling with acute malnutrition. 294 00:10:31,557 --> 00:10:33,392 This tragic situation 295 00:10:33,392 --> 00:10:34,994 is a bleak fucking reminder 296 00:10:34,994 --> 00:10:36,689 of the ways in which white supremacy 297 00:10:36,689 --> 00:10:39,237 is interwoven into the very fabric 298 00:10:39,237 --> 00:10:40,654 of globalized capitalism. 299 00:10:40,654 --> 00:10:43,394 While rich fucking countries in the west 300 00:10:43,394 --> 00:10:45,116 throw out an unconscionable amount 301 00:10:45,116 --> 00:10:47,056 of perfectly good food 302 00:10:47,056 --> 00:10:47,930 every fucking day, 303 00:10:47,930 --> 00:10:49,323 large areas of the world are 304 00:10:49,323 --> 00:10:50,252 starving to death 305 00:10:50,252 --> 00:10:51,645 in front of our very eyes. 306 00:10:52,755 --> 00:10:55,407 Capitalism is a man-made fucking disaster, 307 00:10:55,407 --> 00:10:57,439 which makes it that much harder 308 00:10:57,439 --> 00:10:59,087 for poorer countries to cope 309 00:10:59,087 --> 00:11:00,643 with changes in weather patterns, 310 00:11:00,643 --> 00:11:02,036 which are only going to get worse 311 00:11:02,036 --> 00:11:03,661 as climate change continues 312 00:11:03,661 --> 00:11:04,799 to do its thing. 313 00:11:04,799 --> 00:11:06,025 While the scale and scope 314 00:11:06,025 --> 00:11:07,302 of these problems can be hard 315 00:11:07,302 --> 00:11:08,672 to wrap one's head around, 316 00:11:08,672 --> 00:11:10,506 they are ultimately connected 317 00:11:10,506 --> 00:11:12,154 to resistance to white supremacy 318 00:11:12,154 --> 00:11:13,664 and capitalism here at home, 319 00:11:13,664 --> 00:11:15,823 as they represent the global consequences 320 00:11:15,823 --> 00:11:17,495 of these hierarchal systems, 321 00:11:17,495 --> 00:11:19,910 projected abroad via imperialism 322 00:11:19,910 --> 00:11:21,906 and neo-colonial trade policies. 323 00:11:21,906 --> 00:11:22,528 So... 324 00:11:22,528 --> 00:11:23,892 to learn more about some of the 325 00:11:23,892 --> 00:11:25,146 local struggles against white supremacy 326 00:11:25,146 --> 00:11:26,864 here in Klanada, 327 00:11:26,864 --> 00:11:28,380 and how they’re connected to 328 00:11:28,380 --> 00:11:29,576 the bigger picture, 329 00:11:29,576 --> 00:11:31,224 I recently caught up with Ajamu Nangwaya, 330 00:11:31,224 --> 00:11:33,709 an anarchist, educator and writer 331 00:11:33,709 --> 00:11:34,684 from Toronto, 332 00:11:34,684 --> 00:11:36,565 and an organizer with the Network 333 00:11:36,565 --> 00:11:38,143 for the Elimination of Police Violence. 334 00:11:38,143 --> 00:11:40,744 Hey Ajamu, how the fuck are ya? 335 00:11:40,744 --> 00:11:42,021 I'm pretty good. 336 00:11:42,021 --> 00:11:43,461 Just battling a cold.... 337 00:11:43,461 --> 00:11:45,341 but I'm getting better. 338 00:11:45,341 --> 00:11:46,845 So... it’s February, 339 00:11:46,845 --> 00:11:48,703 which means it’s Black History Month. 340 00:11:48,703 --> 00:11:50,374 In the past, you've been critical 341 00:11:50,374 --> 00:11:52,081 of this term, and the way it's 342 00:11:52,081 --> 00:11:54,008 framed by the media, government officials 343 00:11:54,008 --> 00:11:56,167 and social justice advocates alike. 344 00:11:56,167 --> 00:11:57,421 Why is that? 345 00:11:57,421 --> 00:11:59,999 It's a cultural celebration... and it 346 00:11:59,999 --> 00:12:02,158 is not focused on the need for 347 00:12:02,158 --> 00:12:03,412 social emancipation. 348 00:12:03,412 --> 00:12:06,941 Therefore, it is a time for us to 349 00:12:06,941 --> 00:12:09,356 engage in a name change - but 350 00:12:09,370 --> 00:12:11,477 beyond the name change is the need 351 00:12:11,477 --> 00:12:14,194 to focus on political ideology, 352 00:12:14,194 --> 00:12:16,841 political organizing... for us to expose 353 00:12:16,841 --> 00:12:20,022 the fact that there's still a need for us 354 00:12:20,022 --> 00:12:22,088 to fight against capitalism, racism, 355 00:12:22,088 --> 00:12:24,782 homophobia... in the present time 356 00:12:24,782 --> 00:12:28,079 and.. we haven't achieved emancipation, 357 00:12:28,079 --> 00:12:30,935 which history kind of focuses on the past, 358 00:12:30,935 --> 00:12:33,006 and not the present and the future. 359 00:12:33,006 --> 00:12:34,921 You were an early member of 360 00:12:34,921 --> 00:12:36,381 the Black Action Defense Committee, 361 00:12:36,381 --> 00:12:37,008 or BADC, 362 00:12:37,008 --> 00:12:38,935 a Toronto-based organization 363 00:12:38,935 --> 00:12:41,280 active in struggles against racist 364 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:43,788 police terror in the 1980s and 1990s. 365 00:12:43,788 --> 00:12:46,086 For viewers who might not be familiar 366 00:12:46,086 --> 00:12:47,735 with this group or its history, 367 00:12:47,735 --> 00:12:49,546 can you give us a quick run-down? 368 00:12:49,546 --> 00:12:51,264 Yes.. the Black Action Defense Committee 369 00:12:51,264 --> 00:12:53,493 was created in August 1988. 370 00:12:53,493 --> 00:12:55,676 It was a response to the killing 371 00:12:55,676 --> 00:12:57,603 of an elderly African man 372 00:12:57,603 --> 00:12:59,298 with mental health issues. 373 00:12:59,298 --> 00:13:01,457 Well, a number of activists came together 374 00:13:01,457 --> 00:13:03,199 and said "we need an organizational 375 00:13:03,199 --> 00:13:05,869 response to the act of police violence." 376 00:13:05,869 --> 00:13:09,398 And that led to BADC. And it is is 377 00:13:09,398 --> 00:13:12,254 in the late 80s and 1990s, 378 00:13:12,254 --> 00:13:16,433 the most prominent group in Ontario 379 00:13:16,433 --> 00:13:19,034 that was pushing for police accountability 380 00:13:19,034 --> 00:13:21,356 that was organizing against 381 00:13:21,356 --> 00:13:22,401 police violence. 382 00:13:22,401 --> 00:13:23,231 Up here in Klanada, 383 00:13:23,231 --> 00:13:24,856 most of the news and analysis that we hear 384 00:13:24,856 --> 00:13:27,712 about police brutality comes from the US. 385 00:13:27,810 --> 00:13:30,805 How is the operation of white supremacy, 386 00:13:30,805 --> 00:13:32,407 as it relates to state violence, 387 00:13:32,407 --> 00:13:34,009 different in both countries, 388 00:13:34,009 --> 00:13:35,635 and in what ways is it the same? 389 00:13:35,635 --> 00:13:37,214 I would say, fundamentally, 390 00:13:37,214 --> 00:13:39,837 there's no real difference between 391 00:13:39,837 --> 00:13:42,229 police violence in the United States 392 00:13:42,229 --> 00:13:43,100 and Canada. 393 00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:45,317 Because we experienced slavery 394 00:13:45,317 --> 00:13:47,616 in Canada. And the police, as always 395 00:13:47,616 --> 00:13:50,239 are the coercive element in society. 396 00:13:50,239 --> 00:13:52,329 That is, the police, the military 397 00:13:52,329 --> 00:13:55,394 has always worked against African people. 398 00:13:55,394 --> 00:13:57,693 In the US and also in Canada. 399 00:13:57,693 --> 00:13:59,759 So our relationship with 400 00:13:59,759 --> 00:14:03,010 law enforcement, as well as the judicial 401 00:14:03,010 --> 00:14:05,169 system and prison system, has always 402 00:14:05,169 --> 00:14:08,141 been a negative, oppositional one. 403 00:14:08,141 --> 00:14:09,116 On a similar note, 404 00:14:09,116 --> 00:14:11,578 many peeps in this country are generally 405 00:14:11,578 --> 00:14:12,924 familiar with the history of 406 00:14:12,924 --> 00:14:13,737 the Civil Rights 407 00:14:13,737 --> 00:14:15,618 and Black Liberation movements in the US, 408 00:14:15,618 --> 00:14:17,824 and more recent historical examples, 409 00:14:17,824 --> 00:14:20,076 such as the LA Riots of 1992... 410 00:14:20,076 --> 00:14:23,535 buuuuuuuut are often less familiar 411 00:14:23,535 --> 00:14:25,068 with the history of struggles against 412 00:14:25,068 --> 00:14:26,972 anti-Black racism here at home. 413 00:14:26,972 --> 00:14:28,783 How do you think this affects 414 00:14:28,783 --> 00:14:30,501 the perspective of revolutionaries 415 00:14:30,501 --> 00:14:31,291 here in Klanada, 416 00:14:31,291 --> 00:14:32,846 and are there specific movements 417 00:14:32,846 --> 00:14:34,497 and events that you think peeps 418 00:14:34,497 --> 00:14:35,641 here would benefit 419 00:14:35,641 --> 00:14:36,712 from learning more about? 420 00:14:36,712 --> 00:14:40,659 The media dominates our perception 421 00:14:40,659 --> 00:14:41,773 of reality. 422 00:14:41,773 --> 00:14:44,467 And African Americans are living in 423 00:14:44,467 --> 00:14:46,556 the centre of world imperialism - the 424 00:14:46,556 --> 00:14:47,439 United States. 425 00:14:47,439 --> 00:14:51,162 So, whatever they do gets projected 426 00:14:51,162 --> 00:14:53,127 across the world. In Africa, 427 00:14:53,127 --> 00:14:54,428 in Latin America... 428 00:14:54,428 --> 00:14:56,889 a lot of us end up using African Americans 429 00:14:56,889 --> 00:14:58,398 as our reference point. 430 00:14:58,398 --> 00:15:01,370 So, whatever African Americans do, 431 00:15:01,370 --> 00:15:02,531 we tend to pick it up 432 00:15:02,531 --> 00:15:03,947 in our own spaces. 433 00:15:03,947 --> 00:15:05,898 But we also, here in Canada, 434 00:15:05,898 --> 00:15:08,754 have a history of struggle and 435 00:15:08,754 --> 00:15:10,960 resistance, which is documented 436 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:12,794 but it's not as widely known 437 00:15:12,794 --> 00:15:14,350 as in the United States. 438 00:15:14,350 --> 00:15:16,068 For example, we know about 439 00:15:16,068 --> 00:15:18,738 the LA rebellion, or the Rodney King 440 00:15:18,738 --> 00:15:21,733 rebellion in April-May 1992. 441 00:15:21,733 --> 00:15:23,753 But we're not aware of the Yonge Street 442 00:15:23,753 --> 00:15:26,284 Rebellion that took place around 443 00:15:26,284 --> 00:15:27,584 the same time. 444 00:15:27,584 --> 00:15:28,344 A march took place 445 00:15:28,344 --> 00:15:30,063 and it was a solidarity march 446 00:15:30,063 --> 00:15:32,570 with what's going on in LA at the time... 447 00:15:32,570 --> 00:15:34,962 but it was also a march to protest 448 00:15:34,962 --> 00:15:36,401 the police killing of a young 449 00:15:36,401 --> 00:15:38,096 African man, you know, during the 450 00:15:38,096 --> 00:15:39,002 same time. 451 00:15:39,002 --> 00:15:40,813 But we had a rebellion here. 452 00:15:40,813 --> 00:15:42,392 It's not as widely known 453 00:15:42,392 --> 00:15:44,017 outside of Canada 454 00:15:44,017 --> 00:15:45,410 -- even inside of Canada. 455 00:15:45,410 --> 00:15:46,496 Over the past couple of years, 456 00:15:46,496 --> 00:15:47,958 Black Lives Matter has burst 457 00:15:47,958 --> 00:15:49,003 onto the political scene, 458 00:15:49,003 --> 00:15:50,768 and as a popular rallying cry 459 00:15:50,768 --> 00:15:52,811 for racial equality in the United Snakes. 460 00:15:52,811 --> 00:15:54,878 There's also an active chapter 461 00:15:54,878 --> 00:15:57,083 in Toronto, which has employed tactics 462 00:15:57,083 --> 00:15:59,196 similar to their US counterparts, 463 00:15:59,196 --> 00:16:00,706 such as highway blockades, 464 00:16:00,706 --> 00:16:02,633 to protest police killings. 465 00:16:02,633 --> 00:16:04,281 What is your take on Black Lives Matter, 466 00:16:04,281 --> 00:16:05,837 and what role do you see them 467 00:16:05,837 --> 00:16:07,346 playing as struggles against 468 00:16:07,346 --> 00:16:08,693 white supremacy intensify? 469 00:16:08,693 --> 00:16:11,122 Initially when the movement came out 470 00:16:11,122 --> 00:16:13,932 on the scene, I was more openly critical 471 00:16:13,932 --> 00:16:14,791 of it. 472 00:16:14,791 --> 00:16:16,927 But at the same time, in terms of its 473 00:16:16,927 --> 00:16:20,479 ideological direction, it's emphasis 474 00:16:20,479 --> 00:16:22,337 on more mobilizing people in the 475 00:16:22,337 --> 00:16:24,264 street, and not necessarily 476 00:16:24,264 --> 00:16:26,609 organizing people who live in 477 00:16:26,609 --> 00:16:28,942 communities - whether it's working-class, 478 00:16:28,942 --> 00:16:31,787 highly segregated communities in the US, 479 00:16:31,787 --> 00:16:33,923 where we work with people to build their 480 00:16:33,923 --> 00:16:36,292 independent organization to struggle... 481 00:16:36,292 --> 00:16:39,937 But I've kind of, tempered my critique 482 00:16:39,937 --> 00:16:42,770 of the group, because a lot of folks 483 00:16:42,770 --> 00:16:44,604 who are drawn into it are young people. 484 00:16:44,604 --> 00:16:46,903 They're becoming involved 485 00:16:46,903 --> 00:16:48,481 in an organizational context 486 00:16:48,481 --> 00:16:49,851 for the first time... and 487 00:16:49,851 --> 00:16:52,289 we have to remember that young people 488 00:16:52,289 --> 00:16:53,474 are going to make mistakes. 489 00:16:53,474 --> 00:16:54,907 No doubt you’ve seen the clips 490 00:16:54,907 --> 00:16:56,858 of Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance 491 00:16:56,858 --> 00:16:57,659 by now. 492 00:16:57,659 --> 00:16:58,506 Generally speaking, 493 00:16:58,506 --> 00:16:59,458 what are your thoughts 494 00:16:59,458 --> 00:17:01,269 on the role that Black celebrities 495 00:17:01,269 --> 00:17:02,779 can play in helping to frame 496 00:17:02,779 --> 00:17:04,172 popular dialogues on race? 497 00:17:04,172 --> 00:17:05,913 To me, it's not so much 498 00:17:05,913 --> 00:17:08,026 "Black celebrities", but to me, it's 499 00:17:08,026 --> 00:17:10,511 the role that African artists 500 00:17:10,511 --> 00:17:11,857 and artists in general 501 00:17:11,857 --> 00:17:13,901 must play in the struggle for 502 00:17:13,901 --> 00:17:16,012 liberation. Especially if you're 503 00:17:16,012 --> 00:17:18,079 from an oppressed community. 504 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:22,398 You have an obligation to use 505 00:17:22,398 --> 00:17:24,651 your work to advance the stuggle. 506 00:17:24,651 --> 00:17:27,135 To raise questions in the minds of the people. 507 00:17:27,135 --> 00:17:30,479 But, the thing that's very clear to me 508 00:17:30,479 --> 00:17:33,776 is that artists, in a lot of ways, 509 00:17:33,776 --> 00:17:37,050 cup what's going on around them. 510 00:17:37,050 --> 00:17:39,743 So you notice in the 60's, even people 511 00:17:39,743 --> 00:17:42,646 were doing like pop music, 512 00:17:42,646 --> 00:17:44,828 they were reflecting themes 513 00:17:44,828 --> 00:17:47,150 of the movement around them. 514 00:17:47,150 --> 00:17:50,285 So, what we see recently, 515 00:17:50,285 --> 00:17:52,398 with Lamar performing about the 516 00:17:52,398 --> 00:17:53,814 Prison Industrial Complex, 517 00:17:53,814 --> 00:17:57,552 referencing Africa as a place of origin... 518 00:17:57,552 --> 00:18:00,501 or Beyonce... Beyonce like exposing 519 00:18:00,501 --> 00:18:03,287 young people to the presence 520 00:18:03,287 --> 00:18:05,029 of the Black Panther Party, 521 00:18:05,029 --> 00:18:06,608 with this year being the 50th 522 00:18:06,608 --> 00:18:08,303 anniversary of it's founding.... 523 00:18:08,303 --> 00:18:09,580 These things are happening 524 00:18:09,580 --> 00:18:11,762 because there's like a rumbling 525 00:18:11,762 --> 00:18:13,666 on the ground, or there's a 526 00:18:13,666 --> 00:18:15,826 conscientized section of the African 527 00:18:15,826 --> 00:18:17,172 population in the US 528 00:18:17,172 --> 00:18:19,587 that are pushing... politically. 529 00:18:19,587 --> 00:18:20,957 And these people are 530 00:18:20,957 --> 00:18:22,338 picking these things up. 531 00:18:22,338 --> 00:18:23,766 Anything else you wanna add? 532 00:18:23,766 --> 00:18:26,553 As anarchists, we need to 533 00:18:26,553 --> 00:18:29,409 organize with, and among the people. 534 00:18:29,409 --> 00:18:32,218 Anarchism is the solution 535 00:18:32,218 --> 00:18:35,446 to oppression in society, 536 00:18:35,446 --> 00:18:38,464 but we need to be among the people. 537 00:18:38,464 --> 00:18:40,832 You know, we need to approach them 538 00:18:40,832 --> 00:18:43,154 in a pragmatic way, that we may not even 539 00:18:43,154 --> 00:18:46,196 tell them that anarchism is the solution, 540 00:18:46,196 --> 00:18:48,239 but if we're working with the people, 541 00:18:48,239 --> 00:18:49,958 and we're looking at "how do we 542 00:18:49,958 --> 00:18:52,279 organize?" and you start to propose 543 00:18:52,279 --> 00:18:55,577 a program of broad participation, 544 00:18:55,577 --> 00:18:58,479 so we can introduce anarchist 545 00:18:58,479 --> 00:18:59,895 principles to the people, 546 00:18:59,895 --> 00:19:01,822 and then later on... as they become more 547 00:19:01,822 --> 00:19:04,562 politically developed, or they come to our 548 00:19:04,562 --> 00:19:06,722 meetings, they'll realize that 549 00:19:06,722 --> 00:19:09,020 my God... we've been practicing 550 00:19:09,020 --> 00:19:11,783 anarchism for so long we didn't know 551 00:19:11,783 --> 00:19:13,920 that's what we were doing. 552 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:16,706 So I believe that we need to be strategic, 553 00:19:16,706 --> 00:19:20,049 tactical in introducing anarchism 554 00:19:20,049 --> 00:19:20,895 to the people. 555 00:19:20,895 --> 00:19:21,498 Thanks Ajamu. 556 00:19:21,498 --> 00:19:23,332 And that about does it for this sedition 557 00:19:23,332 --> 00:19:25,120 of It’s the End of the World as we Know it 558 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:26,142 and I Feel Fine. 559 00:19:26,142 --> 00:19:28,487 As it happens with most guests, 560 00:19:28,487 --> 00:19:30,182 it breaks my fucking heart 561 00:19:30,182 --> 00:19:31,575 to edit the interview down 562 00:19:31,575 --> 00:19:32,759 to fit the format. 563 00:19:32,759 --> 00:19:34,779 I really recommend that y'all listen 564 00:19:34,779 --> 00:19:36,544 to my entire conversation with Ajamu. 565 00:19:36,544 --> 00:19:38,819 His insight into movement and 566 00:19:38,819 --> 00:19:40,375 power building are super solid. 567 00:19:40,375 --> 00:19:43,068 To do so, just visit my fuckin website: 568 00:19:45,259 --> 00:19:46,934 With that said, building this show 569 00:19:46,947 --> 00:19:49,153 over the past 9 years is possible 570 00:19:49,153 --> 00:19:50,499 through a lot of hard fuckin work 571 00:19:50,499 --> 00:19:52,171 but also through small donations 572 00:19:52,171 --> 00:19:53,611 from wage slaves like you. 573 00:19:53,611 --> 00:19:56,350 So this week I want to give a shout out to 574 00:19:56,350 --> 00:19:58,185 Laura, Justin, Robin, Guillaume, 575 00:19:58,185 --> 00:20:00,205 Ranko, Hansen, Roman, Raul, 576 00:20:00,205 --> 00:20:02,132 Max, Stephen, Karlis, Blade, Steve, 577 00:20:02,132 --> 00:20:04,152 Jonathan, Jan, Jane, Samantha, Andrew, 578 00:20:04,152 --> 00:20:06,172 Per, Flyn, Michael, Bear, 579 00:20:06,172 --> 00:20:08,053 Leandre, Jesse, Agatha, Inca, 580 00:20:08,053 --> 00:20:10,026 Scott, and Daniel 581 00:20:10,026 --> 00:20:11,280 Empanadas 582 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,292 I also want to give a warm welcome 583 00:20:13,292 --> 00:20:15,637 to the newest members of the taconspiracy 584 00:20:15,637 --> 00:20:17,541 Sebastian and Anonymous 585 00:20:17,541 --> 00:20:19,398 Stay tuned to this space 586 00:20:19,398 --> 00:20:20,931 for more insurrectionary news 587 00:20:20,931 --> 00:20:22,579 from the global muthafuckin resistance. 588 00:20:22,579 --> 00:20:23,996 See you next time suckers.