1 00:00:06,816 --> 00:00:09,044 This episode of It's the end of the world 2 00:00:09,044 --> 00:00:10,519 as we know it and I feel fine 3 00:00:10,519 --> 00:00:12,608 was made possible by contributions 4 00:00:12,608 --> 00:00:14,095 from slaves like you. 5 00:00:14,095 --> 00:00:15,209 Spank you very much! 6 00:00:15,209 --> 00:00:17,264 Bill Clinton had become president 7 00:00:17,264 --> 00:00:19,563 with the vision of using political power 8 00:00:19,563 --> 00:00:21,153 to transform America. 9 00:00:22,073 --> 00:00:23,684 But he had been persuaded 10 00:00:23,684 --> 00:00:24,938 to give away that power 11 00:00:24,938 --> 00:00:26,742 to the financial markets 12 00:00:26,982 --> 00:00:28,677 with the promise that this time 13 00:00:28,677 --> 00:00:30,616 they would create a new kind of stability. 14 00:00:31,906 --> 00:00:33,566 A new kind of democracy 15 00:00:33,566 --> 00:00:35,968 free of the corruption of elite politics. 16 00:00:37,178 --> 00:00:38,793 But it was now becoming clear 17 00:00:38,793 --> 00:00:41,506 that in reality, America's political power 18 00:00:41,506 --> 00:00:44,513 had just been transferred to another elite 19 00:00:44,513 --> 00:00:47,437 -- the financiers on Wall Street. 20 00:00:47,437 --> 00:00:49,702 And when faced by a crisis, 21 00:00:49,702 --> 00:00:51,664 they had simply used that power 22 00:00:51,664 --> 00:00:53,267 to rescue themselves. 23 00:00:54,437 --> 00:00:55,449 In the process, 24 00:00:55,449 --> 00:00:57,237 far from creating stability, 25 00:00:57,237 --> 00:00:59,629 their actions were leading to a chaotic 26 00:00:59,629 --> 00:01:01,878 and far more unstable world. 27 00:01:08,185 --> 00:01:10,727 Gooooooooooooooood morning slaves 28 00:01:10,727 --> 00:01:12,214 and welcome to another sedition of 29 00:01:12,214 --> 00:01:14,107 It’s the End of the World as we Know it 30 00:01:14,107 --> 00:01:15,964 and I Feel Fine... the show where 31 00:01:15,964 --> 00:01:18,089 you don’t have to be a monk to discover 32 00:01:18,089 --> 00:01:20,248 the sound of one hand clapping 33 00:01:24,118 --> 00:01:25,960 Motherfucker! 34 00:01:27,140 --> 00:01:28,770 That hit me in the ear! 35 00:01:28,770 --> 00:01:30,197 I am your host the Stimulator, 36 00:01:30,197 --> 00:01:32,056 and if you’re a Gen-Xer like me 37 00:01:32,056 --> 00:01:34,052 y’all probably remember the early 90s 38 00:01:34,052 --> 00:01:35,736 as a magical fucking time. 39 00:01:36,576 --> 00:01:38,789 NAS had just dropped Ill-matic... 40 00:01:38,789 --> 00:01:40,543 all over the world peeps were 41 00:01:40,543 --> 00:01:42,179 getting fucked up and going to raves... 42 00:01:42,179 --> 00:01:44,153 and we all got our first taste of 43 00:01:44,153 --> 00:01:45,831 surfing the world wide web. 44 00:01:45,831 --> 00:01:47,288 The first thing that you need to know 45 00:01:47,288 --> 00:01:48,878 is that the Internet is amazing 46 00:01:48,878 --> 00:01:50,388 and it's changing every day. 47 00:01:50,388 --> 00:01:51,626 Once you've learned how to get 48 00:01:51,626 --> 00:01:53,023 online yourselves, you'll start seeing 49 00:01:53,023 --> 00:01:54,347 web pages everywhere. 50 00:01:54,347 --> 00:01:56,135 TV shows have them, schools, 51 00:01:56,135 --> 00:01:57,747 Disney World... even the White House. 52 00:01:57,747 --> 00:01:59,172 What's a web page... 53 00:01:59,172 --> 00:02:00,839 something ducks walk on? 54 00:02:00,839 --> 00:02:02,369 And then, to top it off 55 00:02:02,369 --> 00:02:04,873 in 1993, the United Snake’s smooth 56 00:02:04,873 --> 00:02:07,174 sax-playing President, Billy Clint 57 00:02:07,174 --> 00:02:09,672 told us all about a great new trade deal 58 00:02:09,672 --> 00:02:10,577 called NAFTA 59 00:02:10,577 --> 00:02:12,522 that was going to make the world a better 60 00:02:12,522 --> 00:02:14,605 more prosperous fucking place. 61 00:02:14,605 --> 00:02:16,278 We have made a decision now, 62 00:02:16,278 --> 00:02:18,031 that will permit us to create 63 00:02:18,031 --> 00:02:20,539 an economic order in the world 64 00:02:20,539 --> 00:02:21,967 that will promote more growth, 65 00:02:21,967 --> 00:02:23,244 more equality, 66 00:02:23,244 --> 00:02:25,496 better preservation of the environment, 67 00:02:25,496 --> 00:02:28,389 and a greater possibility of world peace. 68 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:30,396 Buuuuuuuuut like all politicians, 69 00:02:30,396 --> 00:02:31,951 Slick Willy was full of shit. 70 00:02:31,951 --> 00:02:33,774 Blue collar workers in the United Snakes 71 00:02:33,774 --> 00:02:36,514 and Klanada got totally fucked by NAFTA, 72 00:02:36,514 --> 00:02:38,395 with millions losing their jobs 73 00:02:38,395 --> 00:02:39,428 to corporate outsourcing, 74 00:02:39,428 --> 00:02:41,042 while millions of independent 75 00:02:41,042 --> 00:02:43,387 Mexican farmers lost their livelihood, 76 00:02:43,387 --> 00:02:45,593 leading to a crisis of mass migration 77 00:02:45,593 --> 00:02:47,590 that has continued, unabated, 78 00:02:47,590 --> 00:02:48,705 to this fucking day. 79 00:02:48,705 --> 00:02:51,015 Fast-forward more than twenty years 80 00:02:51,015 --> 00:02:52,668 and politicians are still 81 00:02:52,668 --> 00:02:54,417 up to the same fucking tricks. 82 00:02:54,417 --> 00:02:57,064 They confuse the BAD trade deals 83 00:02:57,064 --> 00:02:59,270 in the past, with this one, 84 00:02:59,270 --> 00:03:01,255 which is the first time when 85 00:03:01,255 --> 00:03:02,370 we've been able to get one 86 00:03:02,370 --> 00:03:03,426 that's even steven. 87 00:03:03,426 --> 00:03:05,051 Understandably, folks in labour 88 00:03:05,051 --> 00:03:06,897 and some progressives 89 00:03:06,897 --> 00:03:08,592 are suspicious generally, 90 00:03:08,592 --> 00:03:10,195 because of the experiences they saw 91 00:03:10,195 --> 00:03:11,771 in the past. 92 00:03:11,801 --> 00:03:13,980 But, my point is, don't fight 93 00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:15,874 the last war, wait and see 94 00:03:15,874 --> 00:03:18,391 what we actually have in THIS deal. 95 00:03:18,391 --> 00:03:21,747 The latest incarnation of NAFTA - the TPP, 96 00:03:23,057 --> 00:03:25,822 or Totalitarian Proletarian Pulverizer, 97 00:03:25,822 --> 00:03:27,552 has been expanded to include 98 00:03:27,552 --> 00:03:28,887 an additional nine countries, 99 00:03:28,887 --> 00:03:30,257 and has been dubbed by its critics 100 00:03:30,257 --> 00:03:32,613 as NAFTA on steroids. 101 00:03:32,613 --> 00:03:34,506 After years of top-secret negotiations 102 00:03:34,506 --> 00:03:36,259 these Taco Pinching Pandejos 103 00:03:36,259 --> 00:03:37,617 finally released the text of the agreement 104 00:03:37,617 --> 00:03:39,638 back in November, and since then, 105 00:03:39,638 --> 00:03:41,124 high-priced corporate trade lawyers 106 00:03:41,124 --> 00:03:43,341 from the United Snakes have added their 107 00:03:43,341 --> 00:03:45,676 own special brand of legalese shit-varnish 108 00:03:45,676 --> 00:03:48,797 granting corporations even more protection 109 00:03:48,797 --> 00:03:50,822 for intellectual property rights. 110 00:03:50,822 --> 00:03:52,613 I hereby inform you under powers 111 00:03:52,613 --> 00:03:54,493 entrusted to me under section 47 112 00:03:54,493 --> 00:03:57,018 paragraph 7 of council order #438476, 113 00:03:57,018 --> 00:03:58,389 that Mr. Buttle Archibald, residing at 114 00:03:58,389 --> 00:04:00,815 412 North Tower, Shangrila Towers 115 00:04:00,815 --> 00:04:02,544 has been invited to assist the Ministry 116 00:04:02,544 --> 00:04:04,192 of Information with certain inquiries, 117 00:04:04,192 --> 00:04:05,692 and that he is liable to certain 118 00:04:05,692 --> 00:04:07,329 financial obligations as specified in 119 00:04:07,329 --> 00:04:11,774 council order RB/CZ/907/X. 120 00:04:11,774 --> 00:04:13,052 Sign here please. 121 00:04:13,052 --> 00:04:15,038 This subtle re-write will have grave 122 00:04:15,038 --> 00:04:16,802 implications on the costs of medicine 123 00:04:16,802 --> 00:04:18,718 in poorer countries in South America 124 00:04:18,718 --> 00:04:20,390 and Southeast Asia, and will 125 00:04:20,390 --> 00:04:23,153 force governments in all twelve countries 126 00:04:23,191 --> 00:04:25,427 to criminalize even small 127 00:04:25,427 --> 00:04:26,922 instances of copyright infringement. 128 00:04:26,922 --> 00:04:27,706 Uhh.... Stim. 129 00:04:27,706 --> 00:04:29,535 Yeah, I know... Agitator. 130 00:04:29,535 --> 00:04:30,905 We’re going to motherfuckin jail! 131 00:04:30,905 --> 00:04:33,296 Downloading films is stealing! 132 00:04:33,296 --> 00:04:34,794 If you do it.... 133 00:04:34,794 --> 00:04:37,641 you WILL face the consequences. 134 00:04:41,661 --> 00:04:43,699 The Throbbing Purple-headed Peoplefucker 135 00:04:43,699 --> 00:04:45,394 was signed on February 4th, 136 00:04:45,394 --> 00:04:46,840 in Auckland, New Zealand, 137 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:48,958 as thousands of peeps hit the streets 138 00:04:48,958 --> 00:04:50,179 to denounce their government 139 00:04:50,179 --> 00:04:51,755 as the puppets of the international 140 00:04:51,755 --> 00:04:53,424 corporate elite that they are. 141 00:04:53,424 --> 00:04:55,100 Massive protests have also rocked the 142 00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:56,957 streets of Chile and Lima, Peru 143 00:04:56,957 --> 00:04:59,221 where 5,000 militants threw down 144 00:04:59,221 --> 00:05:00,858 on Thursday February 25th, 145 00:05:00,858 --> 00:05:02,681 lobbing molotovs at the pigs, 146 00:05:02,681 --> 00:05:04,992 who responded with live fucking rounds. 147 00:05:04,992 --> 00:05:07,698 We reject the TPP because it's 148 00:05:07,698 --> 00:05:10,014 another step, another attempt by 149 00:05:10,014 --> 00:05:11,957 the government that bends its knees 150 00:05:11,957 --> 00:05:14,356 before capitalists and global corporations 151 00:05:22,986 --> 00:05:25,734 Buuuuuut by far the most militant protests 152 00:05:25,734 --> 00:05:27,324 have taken place in Japan. 153 00:05:27,324 --> 00:05:28,543 Check this shit out! 154 00:05:38,609 --> 00:05:39,967 Fucking intense! 155 00:05:42,377 --> 00:05:43,892 The Transnational Power Project 156 00:05:43,892 --> 00:05:45,993 now only needs to be ratified by the 157 00:05:45,993 --> 00:05:47,932 governments of each participating country 158 00:05:47,932 --> 00:05:49,951 before it officially becomes law. 159 00:05:49,951 --> 00:05:51,380 Here in Klanada... 160 00:05:51,380 --> 00:05:53,156 while Justin Trudeau has yet to officially 161 00:05:53,156 --> 00:05:54,364 make up his mind, 162 00:05:54,364 --> 00:05:55,767 it’s pretty fucking obvious that he's 163 00:05:55,767 --> 00:05:57,684 going to use his Parliamentary majority 164 00:05:57,684 --> 00:05:58,758 to pass it. 165 00:05:58,758 --> 00:06:00,494 Because, let’s be fucking real... 166 00:06:00,494 --> 00:06:02,398 as Trudeau’s International Trade Minister 167 00:06:02,398 --> 00:06:04,522 Chrystia Freeland explains, when 168 00:06:04,522 --> 00:06:06,339 it comes to fucking people over... 169 00:06:06,339 --> 00:06:08,284 That is my job... and the job 170 00:06:08,284 --> 00:06:10,834 great Canadian companies. 171 00:06:10,834 --> 00:06:12,812 And in other news, on Saturday 172 00:06:12,812 --> 00:06:15,064 February 27th in Anaheim California, 173 00:06:15,064 --> 00:06:16,666 anti-racist militants confronted 174 00:06:16,666 --> 00:06:18,733 several members of the KKK 175 00:06:18,733 --> 00:06:20,881 on their way to a racist fucking rally, 176 00:06:20,881 --> 00:06:22,669 beating the living shit out of them. 177 00:06:22,669 --> 00:06:24,434 During the fracas, several comrades 178 00:06:24,434 --> 00:06:25,692 were stabbed -- one with the 179 00:06:25,692 --> 00:06:27,464 sharpened business end of a flagpole -- 180 00:06:27,464 --> 00:06:29,112 and seven were arrested. 181 00:06:29,112 --> 00:06:30,306 Copwatch Santa Ana, 182 00:06:30,306 --> 00:06:32,386 and the LA Anarchist Black Cross are 183 00:06:32,386 --> 00:06:33,851 currently accepting donations to help 184 00:06:33,851 --> 00:06:34,926 cover these comrades 185 00:06:34,926 --> 00:06:36,342 medical and legal bills. 186 00:06:36,342 --> 00:06:37,840 For more info on how you can help, 187 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:39,129 check out my fucking website: 188 00:07:44,497 --> 00:07:46,358 Last October, so-called South Africa 189 00:07:46,358 --> 00:07:48,563 was rocked by a powerful student movement, 190 00:07:48,563 --> 00:07:50,131 which paralyzed the country with 191 00:07:50,131 --> 00:07:51,653 three weeks of intense protests 192 00:07:51,653 --> 00:07:53,766 sparked by a proposed tuition increase. 193 00:07:53,766 --> 00:07:56,204 Under the banner of #FeesMustFall, 194 00:07:57,734 --> 00:07:59,771 thousands of pissed off students 195 00:07:59,771 --> 00:08:01,498 stormed a parliamentary precinct 196 00:08:01,498 --> 00:08:02,334 in Cape Town, 197 00:08:02,334 --> 00:08:03,865 and marched on the headquarters of 198 00:08:03,865 --> 00:08:06,560 the African National Congress, or ANC, 199 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,383 in Durban and Johannesburg. 200 00:08:08,383 --> 00:08:10,321 This wave of struggle culminated 201 00:08:10,321 --> 00:08:12,992 on October 23rd, when tens of thousands 202 00:08:12,992 --> 00:08:15,221 of protestors rallied outside the office 203 00:08:15,221 --> 00:08:16,348 of the country's corrupt, 204 00:08:16,348 --> 00:08:18,437 neoliberal strongman, Jacob Zuma, 205 00:08:18,437 --> 00:08:20,085 throwing down with the pigs 206 00:08:20,085 --> 00:08:21,769 and torching several porta-potties. 207 00:08:21,769 --> 00:08:23,243 Faced with the protestors' 208 00:08:23,243 --> 00:08:24,648 unwavering determination, 209 00:08:24,648 --> 00:08:26,912 and the sheer fucking size of the crowds, 210 00:08:26,912 --> 00:08:28,654 Zuma backed down. 211 00:08:28,772 --> 00:08:31,382 There will be a zero increase 212 00:08:31,382 --> 00:08:33,971 of university fees. 213 00:08:33,971 --> 00:08:35,746 Buuuuuuuuuuuut rather than settling 214 00:08:35,746 --> 00:08:37,489 for this minor concession, 215 00:08:37,489 --> 00:08:39,520 student organizers have kept their eye 216 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:41,217 on the motherfuckin prize.... 217 00:08:41,217 --> 00:08:43,501 namely, free universal education 218 00:08:43,501 --> 00:08:45,860 and an end to the deep structural racism 219 00:08:45,860 --> 00:08:48,089 that continues to divide the nation 220 00:08:48,089 --> 00:08:49,528 into haves and have-nots. 221 00:08:49,528 --> 00:08:52,489 Despite the fall of Apartheid in 1994, 222 00:08:52,489 --> 00:08:54,984 South Africa remains one of the most 223 00:08:54,984 --> 00:08:58,092 economically polarized countries on earth. 224 00:08:58,092 --> 00:09:00,825 In fact, under the ANC, inequality has 225 00:09:00,825 --> 00:09:02,686 only gotten worse. 226 00:09:02,686 --> 00:09:04,703 Almost 80% of its population 227 00:09:04,703 --> 00:09:07,261 are indigenous Africans, yet 228 00:09:07,261 --> 00:09:09,080 thanks to the nation's colonial history 229 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,332 whites still own over 70% 230 00:09:11,332 --> 00:09:12,574 of the fucking land. 231 00:09:12,574 --> 00:09:14,176 And despite being the second largest 232 00:09:14,176 --> 00:09:15,395 economy in Africa, 233 00:09:15,395 --> 00:09:17,253 millions of its inhabitants live 234 00:09:17,253 --> 00:09:19,482 in sprawling rural slums, struggling to 235 00:09:19,482 --> 00:09:21,617 survive on less than a dollar per day. 236 00:09:21,617 --> 00:09:23,267 Life is very rough. 237 00:09:23,267 --> 00:09:24,869 There are more than 40 of us 238 00:09:24,869 --> 00:09:26,912 sharing one toilet and a tap. 239 00:09:26,912 --> 00:09:29,269 Zuma has been on the ropes since 2013, 240 00:09:29,269 --> 00:09:31,394 after it was discovered that he spent 241 00:09:31,394 --> 00:09:33,124 shit-tons of public skrilla 242 00:09:33,124 --> 00:09:35,608 on opulent renovations to his casa. 243 00:09:35,608 --> 00:09:37,617 In recent months, a growing movement 244 00:09:37,617 --> 00:09:39,834 has been calling for him to be impeached, 245 00:09:39,834 --> 00:09:41,111 and for an end to the ANC's 246 00:09:41,111 --> 00:09:42,586 twenty-two year rule. 247 00:09:43,656 --> 00:09:45,012 So... within this context 248 00:09:45,012 --> 00:09:46,915 of political crisis, the student movement 249 00:09:46,915 --> 00:09:48,205 exploded back on the scene 250 00:09:48,205 --> 00:09:50,341 in mid-February to remind peeps 251 00:09:50,341 --> 00:09:52,330 that shit is still fucking on. 252 00:09:52,330 --> 00:09:53,615 On February 15th, 253 00:09:53,615 --> 00:09:55,343 students at the University of Cape Town 254 00:09:55,343 --> 00:09:58,155 erected a corrugated tin shack on campus 255 00:09:58,155 --> 00:09:59,920 to highlight the lack of 256 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:01,975 affordable housing available for students. 257 00:10:01,975 --> 00:10:04,191 Pigs responded with flash bang grenades, 258 00:10:04,191 --> 00:10:05,981 which kicked things off. 259 00:10:05,981 --> 00:10:08,254 Militants soon torched two vehicles, 260 00:10:08,254 --> 00:10:09,962 including a university shuttle bus, 261 00:10:09,962 --> 00:10:12,099 then proceeded to engage the po-po 262 00:10:12,099 --> 00:10:13,374 in pitched street battles 263 00:10:13,374 --> 00:10:14,409 late into the night. 264 00:10:14,409 --> 00:10:15,721 On February 22nd, 265 00:10:15,721 --> 00:10:17,149 students and campus workers 266 00:10:17,149 --> 00:10:18,774 at the University of Free State 267 00:10:18,774 --> 00:10:20,771 disrupted a school rugby match, 268 00:10:20,771 --> 00:10:22,362 to demonstrate their opposition to 269 00:10:22,362 --> 00:10:25,113 staff outsourcing, and to show solidarity 270 00:10:25,113 --> 00:10:26,309 with striking workers. 271 00:10:26,309 --> 00:10:28,236 Soon after the disruption, a mob 272 00:10:28,236 --> 00:10:30,558 of white spectators swarmed the field 273 00:10:30,558 --> 00:10:32,462 and began attacking the protestors, 274 00:10:32,462 --> 00:10:34,982 in a gross display of racist violence. 275 00:10:34,982 --> 00:10:36,003 Two days later 276 00:10:36,003 --> 00:10:38,244 at North West University in Mafiking, 277 00:10:38,244 --> 00:10:40,984 the school administrator appointed a new 278 00:10:40,984 --> 00:10:42,505 Student Representative Council, 279 00:10:42,505 --> 00:10:44,316 after dissolving the previous one 280 00:10:44,316 --> 00:10:45,918 for being too fucking radical. 281 00:10:46,778 --> 00:10:48,359 In the protests that followed, 282 00:10:48,359 --> 00:10:50,400 a private security guard opened fire 283 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:51,686 with live ammunition, 284 00:10:51,686 --> 00:10:53,337 with some reports suggesting that 285 00:10:53,337 --> 00:10:55,241 a student was killed. 286 00:10:55,241 --> 00:10:57,215 In response, militants torched 287 00:10:57,215 --> 00:10:58,329 several campus buildings, 288 00:10:58,329 --> 00:11:00,094 leading to a total suspension of classes. 289 00:11:00,094 --> 00:11:01,578 At the time of this writing, 290 00:11:01,578 --> 00:11:02,904 protests are continuing in 291 00:11:02,904 --> 00:11:04,668 numerous universities across the country, 292 00:11:04,668 --> 00:11:06,898 and show no signs of stopping 293 00:11:06,898 --> 00:11:07,850 anytime soon. 294 00:11:13,010 --> 00:11:14,537 To learn more about this situation 295 00:11:14,537 --> 00:11:16,625 I recently caught up with Alex Hotz, 296 00:11:16,625 --> 00:11:18,577 a member of #RhodesMustFall, 297 00:11:18,577 --> 00:11:20,098 a grassroots student group 298 00:11:20,098 --> 00:11:22,014 that came together in March of 2015 299 00:11:22,014 --> 00:11:24,196 and which has been a major force in the 300 00:11:24,196 --> 00:11:25,878 student movement ever since. 301 00:11:25,878 --> 00:11:28,109 Hey Alex... how the fuck are you? 302 00:11:28,109 --> 00:11:31,429 Ummm... it's a very loaded question. 303 00:11:31,429 --> 00:11:32,455 I'm surviving. 304 00:11:32,455 --> 00:11:34,007 For viewers who might not know, 305 00:11:34,007 --> 00:11:35,400 who was Cecil Rhodes? 306 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,409 And why do people want his statue removed 307 00:11:37,409 --> 00:11:39,380 from the University of Cape Town campus? 308 00:11:39,380 --> 00:11:41,449 Cecil John Rhodes is a symbol of 309 00:11:41,449 --> 00:11:44,334 white supremacy. He was a colonizer... 310 00:11:44,334 --> 00:11:48,450 he was one of the first British governors 311 00:11:48,450 --> 00:11:51,712 in colonized South Africa, and he 312 00:11:51,712 --> 00:11:55,056 plundered the resources of this country, 313 00:11:55,056 --> 00:11:57,399 genocided millions of Black people 314 00:11:57,399 --> 00:12:00,362 and enslaved them, if not killed them. 315 00:12:00,362 --> 00:12:03,357 But also was the founder of racialized 316 00:12:03,357 --> 00:12:05,871 capitalism in this country, because he 317 00:12:05,871 --> 00:12:08,547 started the first huge mining companies 318 00:12:08,547 --> 00:12:12,018 which used and exploited the cheap labour 319 00:12:12,018 --> 00:12:13,050 of Black people. 320 00:12:13,050 --> 00:12:14,816 In recent years, university and 321 00:12:14,816 --> 00:12:15,872 high school students from 322 00:12:15,872 --> 00:12:17,358 so-called Quebec to Chile have 323 00:12:17,358 --> 00:12:19,739 shown that when students get organized, 324 00:12:19,739 --> 00:12:21,499 they can be a serious fucking force 325 00:12:21,499 --> 00:12:22,688 to be reckoned with. 326 00:12:22,688 --> 00:12:24,534 Can you tell us a bit about how 327 00:12:24,534 --> 00:12:25,799 the current student movement 328 00:12:25,799 --> 00:12:27,273 has spread throughout South Africa 329 00:12:27,273 --> 00:12:28,513 and how it is organized? 330 00:12:28,513 --> 00:12:31,453 We've seen the South African government 331 00:12:31,453 --> 00:12:35,702 become a very repressive government that 332 00:12:35,702 --> 00:12:40,242 almost kind of mimics the Apartheid state. 333 00:12:40,242 --> 00:12:42,692 So there's a lot of repression... 334 00:12:42,692 --> 00:12:46,690 police brutality, a clampdown on activity. 335 00:12:46,690 --> 00:12:48,055 So it's been a bit difficult 336 00:12:48,055 --> 00:12:51,608 to be coordinated in the same way in which 337 00:12:51,608 --> 00:12:53,334 it seems the Chilean students, 338 00:12:53,334 --> 00:12:56,055 the students of India, Montreal etc. 339 00:12:56,055 --> 00:12:59,004 So what you find now, is a country that is 340 00:12:59,004 --> 00:13:01,442 deeply polarized and students who are 341 00:13:01,442 --> 00:13:03,624 entering institutions that have had 342 00:13:03,624 --> 00:13:06,620 no change.. they're almost the exact same 343 00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:08,539 institutions. They exist in the same way 344 00:13:08,539 --> 00:13:10,138 they did under Apartheid. 345 00:13:10,138 --> 00:13:12,657 And now Black students having to go into 346 00:13:12,657 --> 00:13:14,747 these institutions and experience 347 00:13:14,747 --> 00:13:18,320 incredible psychological and epistemic 348 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,912 violence, but also physical violence... 349 00:13:20,912 --> 00:13:24,197 as we've seen recently from white students 350 00:13:24,197 --> 00:13:27,378 management of the university, and police. 351 00:13:27,378 --> 00:13:30,002 So... it's been amazing to see how 352 00:13:30,002 --> 00:13:31,779 these protests have spread. 353 00:13:31,779 --> 00:13:34,832 They started... at first it moved to us, 354 00:13:34,832 --> 00:13:36,481 and we had a national shutdown, which we 355 00:13:36,481 --> 00:13:41,077 coordinated through WhatsApp and, y'know... 356 00:13:41,077 --> 00:13:44,526 facebook, etc, etc. And obviously that's 357 00:13:44,526 --> 00:13:46,639 getting a little bit more difficult to do 358 00:13:46,639 --> 00:13:49,379 because we know that the state, through 359 00:13:49,379 --> 00:13:51,469 the National Intelligence Agency, 360 00:13:51,469 --> 00:13:54,684 is trying to infiltrate our movements, 361 00:13:54,684 --> 00:13:56,728 and to spy on many of us. 362 00:13:56,728 --> 00:13:59,084 Last year saw an incredible level of 363 00:13:59,084 --> 00:14:00,467 student mobilization for the 364 00:14:00,467 --> 00:14:02,371 #FeesMustFall movement, 365 00:14:02,371 --> 00:14:04,542 which ultimately succeeded in rolling back 366 00:14:04,542 --> 00:14:06,368 planned tuition increases. 367 00:14:06,368 --> 00:14:08,153 How were peeps involved in this movement 368 00:14:08,153 --> 00:14:10,043 able to keep momentum going after 369 00:14:10,043 --> 00:14:11,485 achieving its initial aims? 370 00:14:11,485 --> 00:14:14,793 So I think for us, and for many of us, 371 00:14:14,793 --> 00:14:18,056 it was never just about the 0% increase. 372 00:14:18,056 --> 00:14:20,738 We were calling for free education, 373 00:14:20,738 --> 00:14:23,072 and still call for free education, and an 374 00:14:23,072 --> 00:14:24,963 ending of outsourcing at all of these 375 00:14:24,963 --> 00:14:26,260 institutions. 376 00:14:26,260 --> 00:14:29,329 And so while, that has been a victory 377 00:14:29,329 --> 00:14:32,069 and it's been used to de-mobilize, 378 00:14:32,069 --> 00:14:35,057 you know, masses of students who supported 379 00:14:35,057 --> 00:14:38,826 and were active in #FeesMustFall, it was 380 00:14:38,826 --> 00:14:44,167 interesting to see the masses of students 381 00:14:44,167 --> 00:14:46,524 who joined #FeesMustFall, and I think 382 00:14:46,524 --> 00:14:48,253 that was because it never necessarily 383 00:14:48,253 --> 00:14:51,585 articulated a radical politic, in the way 384 00:14:51,585 --> 00:14:54,604 in which we do in #RhodesMustFall, 385 00:14:54,604 --> 00:14:58,250 where we have ideological pillars like 386 00:14:58,250 --> 00:15:00,516 Black consciousness, Pan-Africanism, 387 00:15:00,516 --> 00:15:02,371 Black radical feminism... 388 00:15:02,371 --> 00:15:05,218 so it was able to galvanize masses of 389 00:15:05,218 --> 00:15:07,584 students who not necessarily - who had 390 00:15:07,584 --> 00:15:11,847 never been politicized before, and where 391 00:15:11,847 --> 00:15:14,142 this was like, their first kind of 392 00:15:14,142 --> 00:15:18,871 entering of marches, or protest actions. 393 00:15:18,871 --> 00:15:22,562 And I think it was useful to start in that 394 00:15:22,562 --> 00:15:25,430 kind of mobilization for the world, 395 00:15:25,430 --> 00:15:26,800 and for South Africans to see 396 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:28,935 the police brutality and management 397 00:15:28,935 --> 00:15:32,164 brutality that students faced for such 398 00:15:32,164 --> 00:15:37,724 simple, nonviolent demands, and how that 399 00:15:37,724 --> 00:15:39,885 was met with the violence of the state 400 00:15:39,885 --> 00:15:41,893 and the violence of the institution. 401 00:15:41,893 --> 00:15:44,938 So it's been very difficult, but I think 402 00:15:44,938 --> 00:15:48,046 it is clear in a country with such high 403 00:15:48,046 --> 00:15:50,415 inequality and poverty, and racism 404 00:15:50,415 --> 00:15:52,171 where Black students are completely 405 00:15:52,171 --> 00:15:53,881 alienated and marginalized from the 406 00:15:53,881 --> 00:15:55,825 institutions, that free education 407 00:15:55,825 --> 00:15:59,471 must happen in 2016 in order for the 408 00:15:59,471 --> 00:16:01,895 Black majority in this country to be able 409 00:16:01,895 --> 00:16:04,016 to enter these institutions and not be 410 00:16:04,016 --> 00:16:05,062 excluded. 411 00:16:05,062 --> 00:16:06,690 Because of its historic role 412 00:16:06,690 --> 00:16:08,513 in the struggle against Apartheid, 413 00:16:08,513 --> 00:16:11,354 the African National Congress or ANC 414 00:16:11,354 --> 00:16:13,679 is seen by many people around the world 415 00:16:13,679 --> 00:16:16,316 as a torch-bearer for anti-colonial struggles 416 00:16:16,316 --> 00:16:17,385 more broadly. 417 00:16:17,385 --> 00:16:19,259 Yet many people, including members of the 418 00:16:19,259 --> 00:16:21,495 #RhodesMustFall movement, feel the ANC 419 00:16:21,495 --> 00:16:23,842 has betrayed their original mission. 420 00:16:23,842 --> 00:16:24,825 Why is that? 421 00:16:24,825 --> 00:16:27,082 We went through a negotiated settlement 422 00:16:27,082 --> 00:16:29,056 with the Apartheid regime, 423 00:16:29,056 --> 00:16:30,904 which means that many of the 424 00:16:30,904 --> 00:16:33,540 oppressive instruments that existed 425 00:16:33,540 --> 00:16:35,641 in this country to repress, alienate, 426 00:16:35,641 --> 00:16:37,985 exploit and marginalize Black people, 427 00:16:37,985 --> 00:16:41,051 and oppress Black people, were left intact 428 00:16:41,051 --> 00:16:43,463 --especially the economy of the country. 429 00:16:43,463 --> 00:16:47,899 So, mining stayed intact.... agriculture 430 00:16:47,899 --> 00:16:49,469 a bit of people retained the wealth, 431 00:16:49,469 --> 00:16:51,152 white people retained the wealth. 432 00:16:51,152 --> 00:16:52,545 White people retained the land... 433 00:16:52,545 --> 00:16:55,645 and you never saw--Black people 434 00:16:55,645 --> 00:16:57,421 to this day have not seen any kind of 435 00:16:57,421 --> 00:17:01,531 redistribution, or even compensation 436 00:17:01,531 --> 00:17:04,921 or reparation for what has happened to us 437 00:17:04,921 --> 00:17:06,036 in this country. 438 00:17:06,036 --> 00:17:09,204 So I think, for me the ANC continues 439 00:17:09,204 --> 00:17:12,223 and has always been, like a buffer 440 00:17:12,223 --> 00:17:14,604 and a gate-keeper for white supremacy 441 00:17:14,604 --> 00:17:17,494 --white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. 442 00:17:17,494 --> 00:17:19,805 And their position now 443 00:17:19,805 --> 00:17:21,988 as Fanon would speak of, is they are 444 00:17:21,988 --> 00:17:24,171 the comprador class, the middle-man 445 00:17:24,171 --> 00:17:26,202 between those who still retain power 446 00:17:26,202 --> 00:17:28,349 and the Black majority. 447 00:17:28,349 --> 00:17:30,661 The ANC is currently facing a challenge 448 00:17:30,661 --> 00:17:32,727 from the left, coming from a new party 449 00:17:32,727 --> 00:17:34,492 called the Economic Freedom Fighters, 450 00:17:34,492 --> 00:17:36,107 or EFF. 451 00:17:36,107 --> 00:17:37,963 What is the relationship between 452 00:17:37,963 --> 00:17:39,904 the student movement and the EFF? 453 00:17:39,904 --> 00:17:41,562 And do you feel that the betrayal of 454 00:17:41,562 --> 00:17:43,954 the ANC has soured many South Africans' 455 00:17:43,954 --> 00:17:46,694 opinions on traditional electoral politics 456 00:17:46,694 --> 00:17:49,247 So the EFF, the rise of the EFF, I think 457 00:17:49,247 --> 00:17:52,569 is incredibly important in this country 458 00:17:52,569 --> 00:17:54,797 to challenge this notion that this 459 00:17:54,797 --> 00:17:58,224 generation is apathetic, or apolitical. 460 00:17:58,224 --> 00:18:02,170 And you can see the EFF, over a very short 461 00:18:02,170 --> 00:18:04,910 period of time gained huge support. 462 00:18:04,910 --> 00:18:07,302 And I suppose the EFF, just like the ANC 463 00:18:07,302 --> 00:18:11,121 has an incredible amount of contradictions 464 00:18:11,121 --> 00:18:14,214 ... so many of them come from the ANC 465 00:18:14,214 --> 00:18:16,995 and have grown up in the ANC, and in 466 00:18:16,995 --> 00:18:20,269 other movements that are very close to 467 00:18:20,269 --> 00:18:23,725 the ANC, like [inaudible], and the Young 468 00:18:23,725 --> 00:18:25,983 Communist League, and the ANC League 469 00:18:25,983 --> 00:18:29,457 which are all kind of linked to the ANC. 470 00:18:29,457 --> 00:18:32,000 And, you know they talk about economic 471 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,194 freedom, etc, and nationalizing 472 00:18:34,194 --> 00:18:36,876 the economy, but there's the challenge 473 00:18:36,876 --> 00:18:40,208 of how within that organization 474 00:18:40,208 --> 00:18:44,122 materialism through its leadership is 475 00:18:44,122 --> 00:18:48,103 kind of accepted, and it goes unchallenged 476 00:18:48,103 --> 00:18:50,692 South Africa has a variety of other powerful 477 00:18:50,692 --> 00:18:52,759 social movements, such as the country's 478 00:18:52,759 --> 00:18:54,663 trade unions, and the shack dwellers 479 00:18:54,663 --> 00:18:58,389 movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo or AbM, 480 00:18:58,389 --> 00:19:00,456 which I understand has a large section 481 00:19:00,456 --> 00:19:01,663 in Cape Town. 482 00:19:01,663 --> 00:19:04,508 Has there been much overlap and solidarity 483 00:19:04,508 --> 00:19:06,157 between students and some of these 484 00:19:06,157 --> 00:19:07,434 other social movements? 485 00:19:07,434 --> 00:19:09,509 I think for us, to see the rise 486 00:19:09,509 --> 00:19:10,568 in social movements like 487 00:19:10,568 --> 00:19:13,053 Abahali baseMjondolo, and the way in which 488 00:19:13,053 --> 00:19:17,756 they raised and put the issue of housing 489 00:19:17,756 --> 00:19:22,016 and land to the fore of political 490 00:19:22,016 --> 00:19:24,222 discussion and debates has been 491 00:19:24,222 --> 00:19:25,587 incredibly important. 492 00:19:25,587 --> 00:19:26,961 But I think what's also been really 493 00:19:26,961 --> 00:19:29,585 interesting in our engagements as young 494 00:19:29,585 --> 00:19:31,803 people with these political organizations 495 00:19:31,803 --> 00:19:35,274 and social movements, to say that as young 496 00:19:35,274 --> 00:19:38,214 people... from one generation to another, 497 00:19:38,214 --> 00:19:42,252 you know, "We are forging our own struggle 498 00:19:42,252 --> 00:19:45,480 and we are fighting our own battles... 499 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:47,428 and we would like your support. 500 00:19:47,428 --> 00:19:49,891 But in a way that is not patronizing, 501 00:19:49,891 --> 00:19:53,339 is not telling us what to do, but really 502 00:19:53,339 --> 00:19:55,360 being able to learn together and 503 00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:57,473 unlearn together and build a bigger 504 00:19:57,473 --> 00:20:00,069 broader movement. Because we know that 505 00:20:00,069 --> 00:20:02,906 we cannot do this by ourselves." 506 00:20:02,906 --> 00:20:04,309 Anything else you'd like to add? 507 00:20:04,309 --> 00:20:06,457 Maybe just to say that I think 508 00:20:06,457 --> 00:20:11,739 it's critical that we build genuine 509 00:20:11,739 --> 00:20:16,152 trans-national solidarity as young people 510 00:20:16,152 --> 00:20:18,381 and as students across the world. 511 00:20:18,381 --> 00:20:21,724 So to support the students of India, 512 00:20:21,724 --> 00:20:24,058 to support the students of Chile, Brazil, 513 00:20:24,058 --> 00:20:27,262 South Africa, Canada, Kenya... 514 00:20:27,262 --> 00:20:31,233 who are struggling for the same things 515 00:20:31,233 --> 00:20:34,275 we are... in countries where we are 516 00:20:34,275 --> 00:20:37,630 repressed, brutalized, etc. 517 00:20:37,630 --> 00:20:40,208 I think we can learn a lot from each other, 518 00:20:40,208 --> 00:20:41,752 and support each other. 519 00:20:41,752 --> 00:20:42,878 Thanks Alex! 520 00:20:42,878 --> 00:20:45,061 And that about does it for this sedition 521 00:20:45,061 --> 00:20:46,686 of It's the End of the World as we Know it 522 00:20:46,686 --> 00:20:47,835 And I feel Fine. 523 00:20:47,835 --> 00:20:49,645 If you'd like to find out the names of the 524 00:20:49,645 --> 00:20:51,400 songs we played, the movies we sampled, 525 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:53,780 or to subscribe to our podcast, 526 00:20:53,780 --> 00:20:55,509 or email list.... just visit my 527 00:20:55,509 --> 00:20:56,576 fuckin website: 528 00:20:58,366 --> 00:21:00,235 In case you didn't know, this show is 529 00:21:00,235 --> 00:21:02,928 funded by micro-donations from wage slaves 530 00:21:02,928 --> 00:21:05,076 who'd rather get their news from this 531 00:21:05,076 --> 00:21:06,237 floating composite. 532 00:21:06,237 --> 00:21:09,751 So... my undying love this week goes out 533 00:21:09,751 --> 00:21:12,487 to the following slaves: Marisol, Joseph, 534 00:21:12,487 --> 00:21:14,135 Kirk, Willie, Gerrard, Justina, Jeremy, 535 00:21:14,135 --> 00:21:16,711 Reto, Renzo, Yvanne, Sebastien, 536 00:21:16,711 --> 00:21:18,975 Christopher, Alexandra, Ricky, Andrew, 537 00:21:18,975 --> 00:21:21,448 Jason, Dylan, Mason, Massiege, Sara, 538 00:21:21,448 --> 00:21:23,759 Gregory, Jennifer, Martin, Jonathan, Max, 539 00:21:23,759 --> 00:21:26,557 Gomo, Jonathan, Kyle, Stephen, Miguel 540 00:21:26,557 --> 00:21:27,787 and... Shannon. 541 00:21:27,787 --> 00:21:28,902 Teguino! 542 00:21:28,902 --> 00:21:30,711 I would also like to welcome the newest 543 00:21:30,711 --> 00:21:32,373 members of the taconspiracy... 544 00:21:32,373 --> 00:21:35,427 Christopher, Stinsky and Daniel. 545 00:21:35,427 --> 00:21:36,495 Chermole! 546 00:21:36,495 --> 00:21:38,724 Stay tuned next time, for more news 547 00:21:38,724 --> 00:21:40,756 from the global motherfuckin resistance! 548 00:21:40,756 --> 00:21:43,228 Que la passen chingon camaradas!