No time to bask in the glory of victory
The taken for granted influence of corporations such as Enbridge are weakening in the face of their critics, such as those against the Northern Gateway (see also the real cost of Northern Gateway). Our voices are rising up against, as David Suzuki tells it, corporations race to the bottom line where “... corporations often go for the lowest standards of medical care, wages, and environmental regulations because it’s all about maximizing profit.” Thankfully it seems some of these corporations are slowly wakening to this new reality. Here are just a few examples of their stirring :
Financial Post: http://business.financialpost.com/2011/11/10/where-did-transcanada-and-the-oil-sector-go-wrong/ (Keystone XL victory for advocates)
The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/occupy-wall-street (Editors picks for Occupy)
CNN: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/03/more-americans-supporting-occupy-wall-street/ (64% of US heard of wall st protests).
Naomi Klein acknowledged recently that victory against the Keystone XL could not have happened without the Occupy Movement. I agree wholeheartedly. It must also be recognized that the success of these movements are due in large part to the creative use social media and the resulting increased exposure to alternative media such as Alternet, Adbusters, Democracynow, and DailyKos. The results are truly astounding. It appears the balance is finally shifting, in spite of the limitations of our democracies, toward those of us formerly pushed off to the side (often called the silent majority). Participating in these discussions and contributing in many ways are very often just a mouse click away. Though we may not always be able to converge physically, we are joining together virtually, supporting those on the ground by making all our causes/voices visible on social media.
These victories deserve cautious attention, though, as the waking beast is bound to present more challenges than before. This means we will need to be more. We will need more vigilance and creativity, and we will need to do more if we expect to continue to make our contributions to these discussions more visible. As the saying goes: there is no time bask in glory. We must keep our heads together, and stay involved until the real conversation starts between the powers that be and the people. Real democracy is, after all, an evolving creative work and we are all its’ contributing artists.
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