Failure to do the hard work of organizing is what continues to hold progressive students back today, even as they try to piece together new methods of political engagement.
SDS was defined by its commitment to base-building. Dorm-storming, canvassing and teach-ins were staples of the organization’s constant education and recruitment. “We had circles of hundreds and hundreds [of supporters], and the circles grew and grew,” said Rudd, who became Columbia’s chapter chair in 1968. “That was the essence of what we were always doing: growth.”
Above all, building a strong base of activists is key. The old SDS leaders lost faith in the ability of mass movements and turned inward on themselves
It’s pretty hard to get people to engage in this kind of organizing work. It seems ideas about what it means to build a movement and to build power through popular support have been forgotten.
the “narcissism of small differences” keeps youth voices trapped in the entertainment world and invisible in the political realm.
If students had a better sense of their own power, it would be possible to restart another broad-based student movement like SDS. Students do care, and they know what’s going on, SDS said, cautioning against mistaking lack of action for apathy. They don’t really see any way that they can impact the system, and so they stop engaging and don’t act, because otherwise it’s just too frustrating.
Source: The Lessons of the Weather Underground
http://campusprogress.org/fieldreport/2450/the-lessons-of-the-weather-underground
