Politics is the great equalizer. When considered a weapon, it can give its bearer the leverage necessary to control the actions of its target. It is how the force of the few is able to overcome the might of the masses. It is why the wealth of the minority, the elite class, far surpasses the riches of the masses of ordinary people. This weapon, however, is not limited to a gun or bomb. It can take the form of psychological pressure, economic hardship, and/or demographic discrimination to accomplish its task. Politics manipulates every available resource to gain the advantage and dominate the opposition. That is why the elite fight like hell to keep it out of the minds of ordinary people, let alone our possession.
The elite understand that if the masses collectively decided to retaliate on a political front, it could dismantle the establishments of imperialism, neo-colonialism, and capitalism which preserves their livelihoods. The masses seem to recognize this power too, but our approach has traditionally been through the American political system. We try to vote our way to freedom as if in a democracy, but America’s instinct of greed trumps that of humanity. If the ordinary people want significant, long-term change to our situation, we must strategically identify our target, pick up our weapons, and overpower the resistance.
This is no call to arms [although arms could be necessary]. This is a roar for organization. There is power in numbers! The masses can utilize this resource to cripple oppressive systems because we are the ones who perpetuate it. Granted, we are coerced and confused, our only hope to prevail lies in solidarity. It is our political weapon. Through it, we can demand the change we want in the world, we can force the elite into submission, and we can determine our destinies. Attaining this level of power won’t come easy, but it should be the motivation behind every move taken. Further, we should expose those who act to contrary.
In war, there are typically two entities, us and them. If the masses don’t draw a line between the two, the elite class will intervene. They do so by dividing and conquering us via race, income, political beliefs, religion, sexual orientation, and even more within the spectrums of each. We end up fighting so many battles amongst ourselves that we miss the real battles crippling our communities on a daily basis. We must identify who to defend and who to attack.
I believe it starts with the individual, the most basic unit. Ask yourself, what could I be doing that is counter to the collective? Am I measuring success based on criteria I created or those ingrained within me? What can I do to strengthen relationships outside of my circle? What principles and values am I flexible and unmovable on? As we all reflect on our personal existence and how it relates to the masses, we develop one of our most valuable weapons, our mind. And like the old saying goes, iron sharpens iron. The masses must work collaboratively to gain a strong sense of self, learn to trust and depend on each other, and increase our collective political expertise.
The most complex unit, on the other hand, is the masses of the world. The struggle that we face here in Dayton, in Ohio, and in America is no different than the struggle of our comrades in Haiti, Venezuela, South Africa, or India. We are all under a regime of oppressive forces that keep our communities suffering from extreme poverty, police and state brutality, inhumane work environments, and useless education. The elite class uses politics as a weapon of mass destruction which has no borders in this global society.
Likewise, the masses should treat politics as a weapon. If you want to use the vote as your sword, grab 10 people and go to the ballot box swinging. If you choose to protest in the streets as your gun, organize your community and go out guns blazing. If you choose to boycott a store as your bomb, spread the word so more people can help set it off. There are so many ways we can preserve ourselves against those who exploit us, but it’s important that we all do something and do it together.
The elite class is willing to do whatever it takes to oppress us. What are you willing to do to be free?
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