WEBVTT 00:00:06.816 --> 00:00:09.044 This episode of It's the end of the world 00:00:09.044 --> 00:00:10.519 as we know it and I feel fine 00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:12.608 was made possible by contributions 00:00:12.608 --> 00:00:14.095 from slaves like you. 00:00:14.095 --> 00:00:15.209 Spank you very much! 00:00:15.209 --> 00:00:17.264 Bill Clinton had become president 00:00:17.264 --> 00:00:19.563 with the vision of using political power 00:00:19.563 --> 00:00:21.153 to transform America. 00:00:22.073 --> 00:00:23.684 But he had been persuaded 00:00:23.684 --> 00:00:24.938 to give away that power 00:00:24.938 --> 00:00:26.742 to the financial markets 00:00:26.982 --> 00:00:28.677 with the promise that this time 00:00:28.677 --> 00:00:30.616 they would create a new kind of stability. 00:00:31.906 --> 00:00:33.566 A new kind of democracy 00:00:33.566 --> 00:00:35.968 free of the corruption of elite politics. 00:00:37.178 --> 00:00:38.793 But it was now becoming clear 00:00:38.793 --> 00:00:41.506 that in reality, America's political power 00:00:41.506 --> 00:00:44.513 had just been transferred to another elite 00:00:44.513 --> 00:00:47.437 -- the financiers on Wall Street. 00:00:47.437 --> 00:00:49.702 And when faced by a crisis, 00:00:49.702 --> 00:00:51.664 they had simply used that power 00:00:51.664 --> 00:00:53.267 to rescue themselves. 00:00:54.437 --> 00:00:55.449 In the process, 00:00:55.449 --> 00:00:57.237 far from creating stability, 00:00:57.237 --> 00:00:59.629 their actions were leading to a chaotic 00:00:59.629 --> 00:01:01.878 and far more unstable world. 00:01:08.185 --> 00:01:10.727 Gooooooooooooooood morning slaves 00:01:10.727 --> 00:01:12.214 and welcome to another sedition of 00:01:12.214 --> 00:01:14.107 It’s the End of the World as we Know it 00:01:14.107 --> 00:01:15.964 and I Feel Fine... the show where 00:01:15.964 --> 00:01:18.089 you don’t have to be a monk to discover 00:01:18.089 --> 00:01:20.248 the sound of one hand clapping 00:01:24.118 --> 00:01:25.960 Motherfucker! 00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:28.770 That hit me in the ear! 00:01:28.770 --> 00:01:30.197 I am your host the Stimulator, 00:01:30.197 --> 00:01:32.056 and if you’re a Gen-Xer like me 00:01:32.056 --> 00:01:34.052 y’all probably remember the early 90s 00:01:34.052 --> 00:01:35.736 as a magical fucking time. 00:01:36.576 --> 00:01:38.789 NAS had just dropped Ill-matic... 00:01:38.789 --> 00:01:40.543 all over the world peeps were 00:01:40.543 --> 00:01:42.179 getting fucked up and going to raves... 00:01:42.179 --> 00:01:44.153 and we all got our first taste of 00:01:44.153 --> 00:01:45.831 surfing the world wide web. 00:01:45.831 --> 00:01:47.288 The first thing that you need to know 00:01:47.288 --> 00:01:48.878 is that the Internet is amazing 00:01:48.878 --> 00:01:50.388 and it's changing every day. 00:01:50.388 --> 00:01:51.626 Once you've learned how to get 00:01:51.626 --> 00:01:53.023 online yourselves, you'll start seeing 00:01:53.023 --> 00:01:54.347 web pages everywhere. 00:01:54.347 --> 00:01:56.135 TV shows have them, schools, 00:01:56.135 --> 00:01:57.747 Disney World... even the White House. 00:01:57.747 --> 00:01:59.172 What's a web page... 00:01:59.172 --> 00:02:00.839 something ducks walk on? 00:02:00.839 --> 00:02:02.369 And then, to top it off 00:02:02.369 --> 00:02:04.873 in 1993, the United Snake’s smooth 00:02:04.873 --> 00:02:07.174 sax-playing President, Billy Clint 00:02:07.174 --> 00:02:09.672 told us all about a great new trade deal 00:02:09.672 --> 00:02:10.577 called NAFTA 00:02:10.577 --> 00:02:12.522 that was going to make the world a better 00:02:12.522 --> 00:02:14.605 more prosperous fucking place. 00:02:14.605 --> 00:02:16.278 We have made a decision now, 00:02:16.278 --> 00:02:18.031 that will permit us to create 00:02:18.031 --> 00:02:20.539 an economic order in the world 00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:21.967 that will promote more growth, 00:02:21.967 --> 00:02:23.244 more equality, 00:02:23.244 --> 00:02:25.496 better preservation of the environment, 00:02:25.496 --> 00:02:28.389 and a greater possibility of world peace. 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:30.396 Buuuuuuuuut like all politicians, 00:02:30.396 --> 00:02:31.951 Slick Willy was full of shit. 00:02:31.951 --> 00:02:33.774 Blue collar workers in the United Snakes 00:02:33.774 --> 00:02:36.514 and Klanada got totally fucked by NAFTA, 00:02:36.514 --> 00:02:38.395 with millions losing their jobs 00:02:38.395 --> 00:02:39.428 to corporate outsourcing, 00:02:39.428 --> 00:02:41.042 while millions of independent 00:02:41.042 --> 00:02:43.387 Mexican farmers lost their livelihood, 00:02:43.387 --> 00:02:45.593 leading to a crisis of mass migration 00:02:45.593 --> 00:02:47.590 that has continued, unabated, 00:02:47.590 --> 00:02:48.705 to this fucking day. 00:02:48.705 --> 00:02:51.015 Fast-forward more than twenty years 00:02:51.015 --> 00:02:52.668 and politicians are still 00:02:52.668 --> 00:02:54.417 up to the same fucking tricks. 00:02:54.417 --> 00:02:57.064 They confuse the BAD trade deals 00:02:57.064 --> 00:02:59.270 in the past, with this one, 00:02:59.270 --> 00:03:01.255 which is the first time when 00:03:01.255 --> 00:03:02.370 we've been able to get one 00:03:02.370 --> 00:03:03.426 that's even steven. 00:03:03.426 --> 00:03:05.051 Understandably, folks in labour 00:03:05.051 --> 00:03:06.897 and some progressives 00:03:06.897 --> 00:03:08.592 are suspicious generally, 00:03:08.592 --> 00:03:10.195 because of the experiences they saw 00:03:10.195 --> 00:03:11.771 in the past. 00:03:11.801 --> 00:03:13.980 But, my point is, don't fight 00:03:13.980 --> 00:03:15.874 the last war, wait and see 00:03:15.874 --> 00:03:18.391 what we actually have in THIS deal. 00:03:18.391 --> 00:03:21.747 The latest incarnation of NAFTA - the TPP, 00:03:23.057 --> 00:03:25.822 or Totalitarian Proletarian Pulverizer, 00:03:25.822 --> 00:03:27.552 has been expanded to include 00:03:27.552 --> 00:03:28.887 an additional nine countries, 00:03:28.887 --> 00:03:30.257 and has been dubbed by its critics 00:03:30.257 --> 00:03:32.613 as NAFTA on steroids. 00:03:32.613 --> 00:03:34.506 After years of top-secret negotiations 00:03:34.506 --> 00:03:36.259 these Taco Pinching Pandejos 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:37.617 finally released the text of the agreement 00:03:37.617 --> 00:03:39.638 back in November, and since then, 00:03:39.638 --> 00:03:41.124 high-priced corporate trade lawyers 00:03:41.124 --> 00:03:43.341 from the United Snakes have added their 00:03:43.341 --> 00:03:45.676 own special brand of legalese shit-varnish 00:03:45.676 --> 00:03:48.797 granting corporations even more protection 00:03:48.797 --> 00:03:50.822 for intellectual property rights. 00:03:50.822 --> 00:03:52.613 I hereby inform you under powers 00:03:52.613 --> 00:03:54.493 entrusted to me under section 47 00:03:54.493 --> 00:03:57.018 paragraph 7 of council order #438476, 00:03:57.018 --> 00:03:58.389 that Mr. Buttle Archibald, residing at 00:03:58.389 --> 00:04:00.815 412 North Tower, Shangrila Towers 00:04:00.815 --> 00:04:02.544 has been invited to assist the Ministry 00:04:02.544 --> 00:04:04.192 of Information with certain inquiries, 00:04:04.192 --> 00:04:05.692 and that he is liable to certain 00:04:05.692 --> 00:04:07.329 financial obligations as specified in 00:04:07.329 --> 00:04:11.774 council order RB/CZ/907/X. 00:04:11.774 --> 00:04:13.052 Sign here please. 00:04:13.052 --> 00:04:15.038 This subtle re-write will have grave 00:04:15.038 --> 00:04:16.802 implications on the costs of medicine 00:04:16.802 --> 00:04:18.718 in poorer countries in South America 00:04:18.718 --> 00:04:20.390 and Southeast Asia, and will 00:04:20.390 --> 00:04:23.153 force governments in all twelve countries 00:04:23.191 --> 00:04:25.427 to criminalize even small 00:04:25.427 --> 00:04:26.922 instances of copyright infringement. 00:04:26.922 --> 00:04:27.706 Uhh.... Stim. 00:04:27.706 --> 00:04:29.535 Yeah, I know... Agitator. 00:04:29.535 --> 00:04:30.905 We’re going to motherfuckin jail! 00:04:30.905 --> 00:04:33.296 Downloading films is stealing! 00:04:33.296 --> 00:04:34.794 If you do it.... 00:04:34.794 --> 00:04:37.641 you WILL face the consequences. 00:04:41.661 --> 00:04:43.699 The Throbbing Purple-headed Peoplefucker 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:45.394 was signed on February 4th, 00:04:45.394 --> 00:04:46.840 in Auckland, New Zealand, 00:04:46.840 --> 00:04:48.958 as thousands of peeps hit the streets 00:04:48.958 --> 00:04:50.179 to denounce their government 00:04:50.179 --> 00:04:51.755 as the puppets of the international 00:04:51.755 --> 00:04:53.424 corporate elite that they are. 00:04:53.424 --> 00:04:55.100 Massive protests have also rocked the 00:04:55.100 --> 00:04:56.957 streets of Chile and Lima, Peru 00:04:56.957 --> 00:04:59.221 where 5,000 militants threw down 00:04:59.221 --> 00:05:00.858 on Thursday February 25th, 00:05:00.858 --> 00:05:02.681 lobbing molotovs at the pigs, 00:05:02.681 --> 00:05:04.992 who responded with live fucking rounds. 00:05:04.992 --> 00:05:07.698 We reject the TPP because it's 00:05:07.698 --> 00:05:10.014 another step, another attempt by 00:05:10.014 --> 00:05:11.957 the government that bends its knees 00:05:11.957 --> 00:05:14.356 before capitalists and global corporations 00:05:22.986 --> 00:05:25.734 Buuuuuut by far the most militant protests 00:05:25.734 --> 00:05:27.324 have taken place in Japan. 00:05:27.324 --> 00:05:28.543 Check this shit out! 00:05:38.609 --> 00:05:39.967 Fucking intense! 00:05:42.377 --> 00:05:43.892 The Transnational Power Project 00:05:43.892 --> 00:05:45.993 now only needs to be ratified by the 00:05:45.993 --> 00:05:47.932 governments of each participating country 00:05:47.932 --> 00:05:49.951 before it officially becomes law. 00:05:49.951 --> 00:05:51.380 Here in Klanada... 00:05:51.380 --> 00:05:53.156 while Justin Trudeau has yet to officially 00:05:53.156 --> 00:05:54.364 make up his mind, 00:05:54.364 --> 00:05:55.767 it’s pretty fucking obvious that he's 00:05:55.767 --> 00:05:57.684 going to use his Parliamentary majority 00:05:57.684 --> 00:05:58.758 to pass it. 00:05:58.758 --> 00:06:00.494 Because, let’s be fucking real... 00:06:00.494 --> 00:06:02.398 as Trudeau’s International Trade Minister 00:06:02.398 --> 00:06:04.522 Chrystia Freeland explains, when 00:06:04.522 --> 00:06:06.339 it comes to fucking people over... 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.284 That is my job... and the job 00:06:08.284 --> 00:06:10.834 great Canadian companies. 00:06:10.834 --> 00:06:12.812 And in other news, on Saturday 00:06:12.812 --> 00:06:15.064 February 27th in Anaheim California, 00:06:15.064 --> 00:06:16.666 anti-racist militants confronted 00:06:16.666 --> 00:06:18.733 several members of the KKK 00:06:18.733 --> 00:06:20.881 on their way to a racist fucking rally, 00:06:20.881 --> 00:06:22.669 beating the living shit out of them. 00:06:22.669 --> 00:06:24.434 During the fracas, several comrades 00:06:24.434 --> 00:06:25.692 were stabbed -- one with the 00:06:25.692 --> 00:06:27.464 sharpened business end of a flagpole -- 00:06:27.464 --> 00:06:29.112 and seven were arrested. 00:06:29.112 --> 00:06:30.306 Copwatch Santa Ana, 00:06:30.306 --> 00:06:32.386 and the LA Anarchist Black Cross are 00:06:32.386 --> 00:06:33.851 currently accepting donations to help 00:06:33.851 --> 00:06:34.926 cover these comrades 00:06:34.926 --> 00:06:36.342 medical and legal bills. 00:06:36.342 --> 00:06:37.840 For more info on how you can help, 00:06:37.840 --> 00:06:39.129 check out my fucking website: 00:07:44.497 --> 00:07:46.358 Last October, so-called South Africa 00:07:46.358 --> 00:07:48.563 was rocked by a powerful student movement, 00:07:48.563 --> 00:07:50.131 which paralyzed the country with 00:07:50.131 --> 00:07:51.653 three weeks of intense protests 00:07:51.653 --> 00:07:53.766 sparked by a proposed tuition increase. 00:07:53.766 --> 00:07:56.204 Under the banner of #FeesMustFall, 00:07:57.734 --> 00:07:59.771 thousands of pissed off students 00:07:59.771 --> 00:08:01.498 stormed a parliamentary precinct 00:08:01.498 --> 00:08:02.334 in Cape Town, 00:08:02.334 --> 00:08:03.865 and marched on the headquarters of 00:08:03.865 --> 00:08:06.560 the African National Congress, or ANC, 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:08.383 in Durban and Johannesburg. 00:08:08.383 --> 00:08:10.321 This wave of struggle culminated 00:08:10.321 --> 00:08:12.992 on October 23rd, when tens of thousands 00:08:12.992 --> 00:08:15.221 of protestors rallied outside the office 00:08:15.221 --> 00:08:16.348 of the country's corrupt, 00:08:16.348 --> 00:08:18.437 neoliberal strongman, Jacob Zuma, 00:08:18.437 --> 00:08:20.085 throwing down with the pigs 00:08:20.085 --> 00:08:21.769 and torching several porta-potties. 00:08:21.769 --> 00:08:23.243 Faced with the protestors' 00:08:23.243 --> 00:08:24.648 unwavering determination, 00:08:24.648 --> 00:08:26.912 and the sheer fucking size of the crowds, 00:08:26.912 --> 00:08:28.654 Zuma backed down. 00:08:28.772 --> 00:08:31.382 There will be a zero increase 00:08:31.382 --> 00:08:33.971 of university fees. 00:08:33.971 --> 00:08:35.746 Buuuuuuuuuuuut rather than settling 00:08:35.746 --> 00:08:37.489 for this minor concession, 00:08:37.489 --> 00:08:39.520 student organizers have kept their eye 00:08:39.520 --> 00:08:41.217 on the motherfuckin prize.... 00:08:41.217 --> 00:08:43.501 namely, free universal education 00:08:43.501 --> 00:08:45.860 and an end to the deep structural racism 00:08:45.860 --> 00:08:48.089 that continues to divide the nation 00:08:48.089 --> 00:08:49.528 into haves and have-nots. 00:08:49.528 --> 00:08:52.489 Despite the fall of Apartheid in 1994, 00:08:52.489 --> 00:08:54.984 South Africa remains one of the most 00:08:54.984 --> 00:08:58.092 economically polarized countries on earth. 00:08:58.092 --> 00:09:00.825 In fact, under the ANC, inequality has 00:09:00.825 --> 00:09:02.686 only gotten worse. 00:09:02.686 --> 00:09:04.703 Almost 80% of its population 00:09:04.703 --> 00:09:07.261 are indigenous Africans, yet 00:09:07.261 --> 00:09:09.080 thanks to the nation's colonial history 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:11.332 whites still own over 70% 00:09:11.332 --> 00:09:12.574 of the fucking land. 00:09:12.574 --> 00:09:14.176 And despite being the second largest 00:09:14.176 --> 00:09:15.395 economy in Africa, 00:09:15.395 --> 00:09:17.253 millions of its inhabitants live 00:09:17.253 --> 00:09:19.482 in sprawling rural slums, struggling to 00:09:19.482 --> 00:09:21.617 survive on less than a dollar per day. 00:09:21.617 --> 00:09:23.267 Life is very rough. 00:09:23.267 --> 00:09:24.869 There are more than 40 of us 00:09:24.869 --> 00:09:26.912 sharing one toilet and a tap. 00:09:26.912 --> 00:09:29.269 Zuma has been on the ropes since 2013, 00:09:29.269 --> 00:09:31.394 after it was discovered that he spent 00:09:31.394 --> 00:09:33.124 shit-tons of public skrilla 00:09:33.124 --> 00:09:35.608 on opulent renovations to his casa. 00:09:35.608 --> 00:09:37.617 In recent months, a growing movement 00:09:37.617 --> 00:09:39.834 has been calling for him to be impeached, 00:09:39.834 --> 00:09:41.111 and for an end to the ANC's 00:09:41.111 --> 00:09:42.586 twenty-two year rule. 00:09:43.656 --> 00:09:45.012 So... within this context 00:09:45.012 --> 00:09:46.915 of political crisis, the student movement 00:09:46.915 --> 00:09:48.205 exploded back on the scene 00:09:48.205 --> 00:09:50.341 in mid-February to remind peeps 00:09:50.341 --> 00:09:52.330 that shit is still fucking on. 00:09:52.330 --> 00:09:53.615 On February 15th, 00:09:53.615 --> 00:09:55.343 students at the University of Cape Town 00:09:55.343 --> 00:09:58.155 erected a corrugated tin shack on campus 00:09:58.155 --> 00:09:59.920 to highlight the lack of 00:09:59.920 --> 00:10:01.975 affordable housing available for students. 00:10:01.975 --> 00:10:04.191 Pigs responded with flash bang grenades, 00:10:04.191 --> 00:10:05.981 which kicked things off. 00:10:05.981 --> 00:10:08.254 Militants soon torched two vehicles, 00:10:08.254 --> 00:10:09.962 including a university shuttle bus, 00:10:09.962 --> 00:10:12.099 then proceeded to engage the po-po 00:10:12.099 --> 00:10:13.374 in pitched street battles 00:10:13.374 --> 00:10:14.409 late into the night. 00:10:14.409 --> 00:10:15.721 On February 22nd, 00:10:15.721 --> 00:10:17.149 students and campus workers 00:10:17.149 --> 00:10:18.774 at the University of Free State 00:10:18.774 --> 00:10:20.771 disrupted a school rugby match, 00:10:20.771 --> 00:10:22.362 to demonstrate their opposition to 00:10:22.362 --> 00:10:25.113 staff outsourcing, and to show solidarity 00:10:25.113 --> 00:10:26.309 with striking workers. 00:10:26.309 --> 00:10:28.236 Soon after the disruption, a mob 00:10:28.236 --> 00:10:30.558 of white spectators swarmed the field 00:10:30.558 --> 00:10:32.462 and began attacking the protestors, 00:10:32.462 --> 00:10:34.982 in a gross display of racist violence. 00:10:34.982 --> 00:10:36.003 Two days later 00:10:36.003 --> 00:10:38.244 at North West University in Mafiking, 00:10:38.244 --> 00:10:40.984 the school administrator appointed a new 00:10:40.984 --> 00:10:42.505 Student Representative Council, 00:10:42.505 --> 00:10:44.316 after dissolving the previous one 00:10:44.316 --> 00:10:45.918 for being too fucking radical. 00:10:46.778 --> 00:10:48.359 In the protests that followed, 00:10:48.359 --> 00:10:50.400 a private security guard opened fire 00:10:50.400 --> 00:10:51.686 with live ammunition, 00:10:51.686 --> 00:10:53.337 with some reports suggesting that 00:10:53.337 --> 00:10:55.241 a student was killed. 00:10:55.241 --> 00:10:57.215 In response, militants torched 00:10:57.215 --> 00:10:58.329 several campus buildings, 00:10:58.329 --> 00:11:00.094 leading to a total suspension of classes. 00:11:00.094 --> 00:11:01.578 At the time of this writing, 00:11:01.578 --> 00:11:02.904 protests are continuing in 00:11:02.904 --> 00:11:04.668 numerous universities across the country, 00:11:04.668 --> 00:11:06.898 and show no signs of stopping 00:11:06.898 --> 00:11:07.850 anytime soon. 00:11:13.010 --> 00:11:14.537 To learn more about this situation 00:11:14.537 --> 00:11:16.625 I recently caught up with Alex Hotz, 00:11:16.625 --> 00:11:18.577 a member of #RhodesMustFall, 00:11:18.577 --> 00:11:20.098 a grassroots student group 00:11:20.098 --> 00:11:22.014 that came together in March of 2015 00:11:22.014 --> 00:11:24.196 and which has been a major force in the 00:11:24.196 --> 00:11:25.878 student movement ever since. 00:11:25.878 --> 00:11:28.109 Hey Alex... how the fuck are you? 00:11:28.109 --> 00:11:31.429 Ummm... it's a very loaded question. 00:11:31.429 --> 00:11:32.455 I'm surviving. 00:11:32.455 --> 00:11:34.007 For viewers who might not know, 00:11:34.007 --> 00:11:35.400 who was Cecil Rhodes? 00:11:35.400 --> 00:11:37.409 And why do people want his statue removed 00:11:37.409 --> 00:11:39.380 from the University of Cape Town campus? 00:11:39.380 --> 00:11:41.449 Cecil John Rhodes is a symbol of 00:11:41.449 --> 00:11:44.334 white supremacy. He was a colonizer... 00:11:44.334 --> 00:11:48.450 he was one of the first British governors 00:11:48.450 --> 00:11:51.712 in colonized South Africa, and he 00:11:51.712 --> 00:11:55.056 plundered the resources of this country, 00:11:55.056 --> 00:11:57.399 genocided millions of Black people 00:11:57.399 --> 00:12:00.362 and enslaved them, if not killed them. 00:12:00.362 --> 00:12:03.357 But also was the founder of racialized 00:12:03.357 --> 00:12:05.871 capitalism in this country, because he 00:12:05.871 --> 00:12:08.547 started the first huge mining companies 00:12:08.547 --> 00:12:12.018 which used and exploited the cheap labour 00:12:12.018 --> 00:12:13.050 of Black people. 00:12:13.050 --> 00:12:14.816 In recent years, university and 00:12:14.816 --> 00:12:15.872 high school students from 00:12:15.872 --> 00:12:17.358 so-called Quebec to Chile have 00:12:17.358 --> 00:12:19.739 shown that when students get organized, 00:12:19.739 --> 00:12:21.499 they can be a serious fucking force 00:12:21.499 --> 00:12:22.688 to be reckoned with. 00:12:22.688 --> 00:12:24.534 Can you tell us a bit about how 00:12:24.534 --> 00:12:25.799 the current student movement 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:27.273 has spread throughout South Africa 00:12:27.273 --> 00:12:28.513 and how it is organized? 00:12:28.513 --> 00:12:31.453 We've seen the South African government 00:12:31.453 --> 00:12:35.702 become a very repressive government that 00:12:35.702 --> 00:12:40.242 almost kind of mimics the Apartheid state. 00:12:40.242 --> 00:12:42.692 So there's a lot of repression... 00:12:42.692 --> 00:12:46.690 police brutality, a clampdown on activity. 00:12:46.690 --> 00:12:48.055 So it's been a bit difficult 00:12:48.055 --> 00:12:51.608 to be coordinated in the same way in which 00:12:51.608 --> 00:12:53.334 it seems the Chilean students, 00:12:53.334 --> 00:12:56.055 the students of India, Montreal etc. 00:12:56.055 --> 00:12:59.004 So what you find now, is a country that is 00:12:59.004 --> 00:13:01.442 deeply polarized and students who are 00:13:01.442 --> 00:13:03.624 entering institutions that have had 00:13:03.624 --> 00:13:06.620 no change.. they're almost the exact same 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:08.539 institutions. They exist in the same way 00:13:08.539 --> 00:13:10.138 they did under Apartheid. 00:13:10.138 --> 00:13:12.657 And now Black students having to go into 00:13:12.657 --> 00:13:14.747 these institutions and experience 00:13:14.747 --> 00:13:18.320 incredible psychological and epistemic 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:20.912 violence, but also physical violence... 00:13:20.912 --> 00:13:24.197 as we've seen recently from white students 00:13:24.197 --> 00:13:27.378 management of the university, and police. 00:13:27.378 --> 00:13:30.002 So... it's been amazing to see how 00:13:30.002 --> 00:13:31.779 these protests have spread. 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:34.832 They started... at first it moved to us, 00:13:34.832 --> 00:13:36.481 and we had a national shutdown, which we 00:13:36.481 --> 00:13:41.077 coordinated through WhatsApp and, y'know... 00:13:41.077 --> 00:13:44.526 facebook, etc, etc. And obviously that's 00:13:44.526 --> 00:13:46.639 getting a little bit more difficult to do 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:49.379 because we know that the state, through 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:51.469 the National Intelligence Agency, 00:13:51.469 --> 00:13:54.684 is trying to infiltrate our movements, 00:13:54.684 --> 00:13:56.728 and to spy on many of us. 00:13:56.728 --> 00:13:59.084 Last year saw an incredible level of 00:13:59.084 --> 00:14:00.467 student mobilization for the 00:14:00.467 --> 00:14:02.371 #FeesMustFall movement, 00:14:02.371 --> 00:14:04.542 which ultimately succeeded in rolling back 00:14:04.542 --> 00:14:06.368 planned tuition increases. 00:14:06.368 --> 00:14:08.153 How were peeps involved in this movement 00:14:08.153 --> 00:14:10.043 able to keep momentum going after 00:14:10.043 --> 00:14:11.485 achieving its initial aims? 00:14:11.485 --> 00:14:14.793 So I think for us, and for many of us, 00:14:14.793 --> 00:14:18.056 it was never just about the 0% increase. 00:14:18.056 --> 00:14:20.738 We were calling for free education, 00:14:20.738 --> 00:14:23.072 and still call for free education, and an 00:14:23.072 --> 00:14:24.963 ending of outsourcing at all of these 00:14:24.963 --> 00:14:26.260 institutions. 00:14:26.260 --> 00:14:29.329 And so while, that has been a victory 00:14:29.329 --> 00:14:32.069 and it's been used to de-mobilize, 00:14:32.069 --> 00:14:35.057 you know, masses of students who supported 00:14:35.057 --> 00:14:38.826 and were active in #FeesMustFall, it was 00:14:38.826 --> 00:14:44.167 interesting to see the masses of students 00:14:44.167 --> 00:14:46.524 who joined #FeesMustFall, and I think 00:14:46.524 --> 00:14:48.253 that was because it never necessarily 00:14:48.253 --> 00:14:51.585 articulated a radical politic, in the way 00:14:51.585 --> 00:14:54.604 in which we do in #RhodesMustFall, 00:14:54.604 --> 00:14:58.250 where we have ideological pillars like 00:14:58.250 --> 00:15:00.516 Black consciousness, Pan-Africanism, 00:15:00.516 --> 00:15:02.371 Black radical feminism... 00:15:02.371 --> 00:15:05.218 so it was able to galvanize masses of 00:15:05.218 --> 00:15:07.584 students who not necessarily - who had 00:15:07.584 --> 00:15:11.847 never been politicized before, and where 00:15:11.847 --> 00:15:14.142 this was like, their first kind of 00:15:14.142 --> 00:15:18.871 entering of marches, or protest actions. 00:15:18.871 --> 00:15:22.562 And I think it was useful to start in that 00:15:22.562 --> 00:15:25.430 kind of mobilization for the world, 00:15:25.430 --> 00:15:26.800 and for South Africans to see 00:15:26.800 --> 00:15:28.935 the police brutality and management 00:15:28.935 --> 00:15:32.164 brutality that students faced for such 00:15:32.164 --> 00:15:37.724 simple, nonviolent demands, and how that 00:15:37.724 --> 00:15:39.885 was met with the violence of the state 00:15:39.885 --> 00:15:41.893 and the violence of the institution. 00:15:41.893 --> 00:15:44.938 So it's been very difficult, but I think 00:15:44.938 --> 00:15:48.046 it is clear in a country with such high 00:15:48.046 --> 00:15:50.415 inequality and poverty, and racism 00:15:50.415 --> 00:15:52.171 where Black students are completely 00:15:52.171 --> 00:15:53.881 alienated and marginalized from the 00:15:53.881 --> 00:15:55.825 institutions, that free education 00:15:55.825 --> 00:15:59.471 must happen in 2016 in order for the 00:15:59.471 --> 00:16:01.895 Black majority in this country to be able 00:16:01.895 --> 00:16:04.016 to enter these institutions and not be 00:16:04.016 --> 00:16:05.062 excluded. 00:16:05.062 --> 00:16:06.690 Because of its historic role 00:16:06.690 --> 00:16:08.513 in the struggle against Apartheid, 00:16:08.513 --> 00:16:11.354 the African National Congress or ANC 00:16:11.354 --> 00:16:13.679 is seen by many people around the world 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:16.316 as a torch-bearer for anti-colonial struggles 00:16:16.316 --> 00:16:17.385 more broadly. 00:16:17.385 --> 00:16:19.259 Yet many people, including members of the 00:16:19.259 --> 00:16:21.495 #RhodesMustFall movement, feel the ANC 00:16:21.495 --> 00:16:23.842 has betrayed their original mission. 00:16:23.842 --> 00:16:24.825 Why is that? 00:16:24.825 --> 00:16:27.082 We went through a negotiated settlement 00:16:27.082 --> 00:16:29.056 with the Apartheid regime, 00:16:29.056 --> 00:16:30.904 which means that many of the 00:16:30.904 --> 00:16:33.540 oppressive instruments that existed 00:16:33.540 --> 00:16:35.641 in this country to repress, alienate, 00:16:35.641 --> 00:16:37.985 exploit and marginalize Black people, 00:16:37.985 --> 00:16:41.051 and oppress Black people, were left intact 00:16:41.051 --> 00:16:43.463 --especially the economy of the country. 00:16:43.463 --> 00:16:47.899 So, mining stayed intact.... agriculture 00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:49.469 a bit of people retained the wealth, 00:16:49.469 --> 00:16:51.152 white people retained the wealth. 00:16:51.152 --> 00:16:52.545 White people retained the land... 00:16:52.545 --> 00:16:55.645 and you never saw--Black people 00:16:55.645 --> 00:16:57.421 to this day have not seen any kind of 00:16:57.421 --> 00:17:01.531 redistribution, or even compensation 00:17:01.531 --> 00:17:04.921 or reparation for what has happened to us 00:17:04.921 --> 00:17:06.036 in this country. 00:17:06.036 --> 00:17:09.204 So I think, for me the ANC continues 00:17:09.204 --> 00:17:12.223 and has always been, like a buffer 00:17:12.223 --> 00:17:14.604 and a gate-keeper for white supremacy 00:17:14.604 --> 00:17:17.494 --white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. 00:17:17.494 --> 00:17:19.805 And their position now 00:17:19.805 --> 00:17:21.988 as Fanon would speak of, is they are 00:17:21.988 --> 00:17:24.171 the comprador class, the middle-man 00:17:24.171 --> 00:17:26.202 between those who still retain power 00:17:26.202 --> 00:17:28.349 and the Black majority. 00:17:28.349 --> 00:17:30.661 The ANC is currently facing a challenge 00:17:30.661 --> 00:17:32.727 from the left, coming from a new party 00:17:32.727 --> 00:17:34.492 called the Economic Freedom Fighters, 00:17:34.492 --> 00:17:36.107 or EFF. 00:17:36.107 --> 00:17:37.963 What is the relationship between 00:17:37.963 --> 00:17:39.904 the student movement and the EFF? 00:17:39.904 --> 00:17:41.562 And do you feel that the betrayal of 00:17:41.562 --> 00:17:43.954 the ANC has soured many South Africans' 00:17:43.954 --> 00:17:46.694 opinions on traditional electoral politics 00:17:46.694 --> 00:17:49.247 So the EFF, the rise of the EFF, I think 00:17:49.247 --> 00:17:52.569 is incredibly important in this country 00:17:52.569 --> 00:17:54.797 to challenge this notion that this 00:17:54.797 --> 00:17:58.224 generation is apathetic, or apolitical. 00:17:58.224 --> 00:18:02.170 And you can see the EFF, over a very short 00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:04.910 period of time gained huge support. 00:18:04.910 --> 00:18:07.302 And I suppose the EFF, just like the ANC 00:18:07.302 --> 00:18:11.121 has an incredible amount of contradictions 00:18:11.121 --> 00:18:14.214 ... so many of them come from the ANC 00:18:14.214 --> 00:18:16.995 and have grown up in the ANC, and in 00:18:16.995 --> 00:18:20.269 other movements that are very close to 00:18:20.269 --> 00:18:23.725 the ANC, like [inaudible], and the Young 00:18:23.725 --> 00:18:25.983 Communist League, and the ANC League 00:18:25.983 --> 00:18:29.457 which are all kind of linked to the ANC. 00:18:29.457 --> 00:18:32.000 And, you know they talk about economic 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.194 freedom, etc, and nationalizing 00:18:34.194 --> 00:18:36.876 the economy, but there's the challenge 00:18:36.876 --> 00:18:40.208 of how within that organization 00:18:40.208 --> 00:18:44.122 materialism through its leadership is 00:18:44.122 --> 00:18:48.103 kind of accepted, and it goes unchallenged 00:18:48.103 --> 00:18:50.692 South Africa has a variety of other powerful 00:18:50.692 --> 00:18:52.759 social movements, such as the country's 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:54.663 trade unions, and the shack dwellers 00:18:54.663 --> 00:18:58.389 movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo or AbM, 00:18:58.389 --> 00:19:00.456 which I understand has a large section 00:19:00.456 --> 00:19:01.663 in Cape Town. 00:19:01.663 --> 00:19:04.508 Has there been much overlap and solidarity 00:19:04.508 --> 00:19:06.157 between students and some of these 00:19:06.157 --> 00:19:07.434 other social movements? 00:19:07.434 --> 00:19:09.509 I think for us, to see the rise 00:19:09.509 --> 00:19:10.568 in social movements like 00:19:10.568 --> 00:19:13.053 Abahali baseMjondolo, and the way in which 00:19:13.053 --> 00:19:17.756 they raised and put the issue of housing 00:19:17.756 --> 00:19:22.016 and land to the fore of political 00:19:22.016 --> 00:19:24.222 discussion and debates has been 00:19:24.222 --> 00:19:25.587 incredibly important. 00:19:25.587 --> 00:19:26.961 But I think what's also been really 00:19:26.961 --> 00:19:29.585 interesting in our engagements as young 00:19:29.585 --> 00:19:31.803 people with these political organizations 00:19:31.803 --> 00:19:35.274 and social movements, to say that as young 00:19:35.274 --> 00:19:38.214 people... from one generation to another, 00:19:38.214 --> 00:19:42.252 you know, "We are forging our own struggle 00:19:42.252 --> 00:19:45.480 and we are fighting our own battles... 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:47.428 and we would like your support. 00:19:47.428 --> 00:19:49.891 But in a way that is not patronizing, 00:19:49.891 --> 00:19:53.339 is not telling us what to do, but really 00:19:53.339 --> 00:19:55.360 being able to learn together and 00:19:55.360 --> 00:19:57.473 unlearn together and build a bigger 00:19:57.473 --> 00:20:00.069 broader movement. Because we know that 00:20:00.069 --> 00:20:02.906 we cannot do this by ourselves." 00:20:02.906 --> 00:20:04.309 Anything else you'd like to add? 00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:06.457 Maybe just to say that I think 00:20:06.457 --> 00:20:11.739 it's critical that we build genuine 00:20:11.739 --> 00:20:16.152 trans-national solidarity as young people 00:20:16.152 --> 00:20:18.381 and as students across the world. 00:20:18.381 --> 00:20:21.724 So to support the students of India, 00:20:21.724 --> 00:20:24.058 to support the students of Chile, Brazil, 00:20:24.058 --> 00:20:27.262 South Africa, Canada, Kenya... 00:20:27.262 --> 00:20:31.233 who are struggling for the same things 00:20:31.233 --> 00:20:34.275 we are... in countries where we are 00:20:34.275 --> 00:20:37.630 repressed, brutalized, etc. 00:20:37.630 --> 00:20:40.208 I think we can learn a lot from each other, 00:20:40.208 --> 00:20:41.752 and support each other. 00:20:41.752 --> 00:20:42.878 Thanks Alex! 00:20:42.878 --> 00:20:45.061 And that about does it for this sedition 00:20:45.061 --> 00:20:46.686 of It's the End of the World as we Know it 00:20:46.686 --> 00:20:47.835 And I feel Fine. 00:20:47.835 --> 00:20:49.645 If you'd like to find out the names of the 00:20:49.645 --> 00:20:51.400 songs we played, the movies we sampled, 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:53.780 or to subscribe to our podcast, 00:20:53.780 --> 00:20:55.509 or email list.... just visit my 00:20:55.509 --> 00:20:56.576 fuckin website: 00:20:58.366 --> 00:21:00.235 In case you didn't know, this show is 00:21:00.235 --> 00:21:02.928 funded by micro-donations from wage slaves 00:21:02.928 --> 00:21:05.076 who'd rather get their news from this 00:21:05.076 --> 00:21:06.237 floating composite. 00:21:06.237 --> 00:21:09.751 So... my undying love this week goes out 00:21:09.751 --> 00:21:12.487 to the following slaves: Marisol, Joseph, 00:21:12.487 --> 00:21:14.135 Kirk, Willie, Gerrard, Justina, Jeremy, 00:21:14.135 --> 00:21:16.711 Reto, Renzo, Yvanne, Sebastien, 00:21:16.711 --> 00:21:18.975 Christopher, Alexandra, Ricky, Andrew, 00:21:18.975 --> 00:21:21.448 Jason, Dylan, Mason, Massiege, Sara, 00:21:21.448 --> 00:21:23.759 Gregory, Jennifer, Martin, Jonathan, Max, 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:26.557 Gomo, Jonathan, Kyle, Stephen, Miguel 00:21:26.557 --> 00:21:27.787 and... Shannon. 00:21:27.787 --> 00:21:28.902 Teguino! 00:21:28.902 --> 00:21:30.711 I would also like to welcome the newest 00:21:30.711 --> 00:21:32.373 members of the taconspiracy... 00:21:32.373 --> 00:21:35.427 Christopher, Stinsky and Daniel. 00:21:35.427 --> 00:21:36.495 Chermole! 00:21:36.495 --> 00:21:38.724 Stay tuned next time, for more news 00:21:38.724 --> 00:21:40.756 from the global motherfuckin resistance! 00:21:40.756 --> 00:21:43.228 Que la passen chingon camaradas!