WHAT DOES IT MEAN TODAY TO BE ANTI-SYSTEM?

Check out this inspiring new report from Otros Mundos, our sister organization in Chiapas, Mexico. by Gustavo Castro Soto In general, we find that in social movements, two words keep recurring in the vernacular, in discussions and in the shouts, in the slogans and the declarations: “lucha” (meaning “struggle”) and “contra” (meaning “against”), the Capitalist System, a system of domination, patriarchy, exploitation, etc. We always seem first to be “anti” prior to being “alter”, that is proposing alternatives. Or rather, we could call this position one of “Alter-Nates.” But to know against what we are struggling and from what we seek emancipation, it is important to know what the capitalist system is. Even prior to that, we must understand what a “system” is, and then understand what is Capitalism. In this way, we can diagnose what stage of its existence this system of Capitalism is at, and what the real possibilities of maintaining its momentum are. We can pinpoint any roads that involve anti-capitalism strategies and/or anti-system initiatives, as well as the best strategies to employ in creating an experience or reality that is truly anti-system.

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