Seeing beyond the local walls: Zapatistas in the Belly of the Beast a.k.a the US

[The following is a work in progress. These are the thoughts of one individual, Agustín Palacios. Any mistakes are my own. I write this with a good heart and intention. Feel free to send suggestions to apalaciosesATgmailDOTcom]

Becoming a Zapatista, or one that tries to implement Zapatismo in their social-political-cultural work in the US, would entail two things: first, understanding the theory and praxis of Zapatismo as lived by the neoZapatistas, and two, re-working Zapatismo (in collectivity) to meet the needs of our respective local settings. The central tenet of Zapatismo goes as follow: “a world where many worlds fit, and where those who govern do so by obeying.” The Zapatistas have thirteen demands, these are: housing, land, work, bread, health, education, information, culture, independence, democracy, justice, liberty and peace. Given our current colonial and capitalist reality, the implementation of Zapatismo would mean a radical transformation of society and ourselves.

Zapatistas have things in common with anarchism, socialism and communism, such as their distrust/animosity towards the State and their affinity for collective work and ownership. However, Zapatismo cannot be reduced to the Western radical tradition or even to indigenous traditionalism, as it is a creative synthesis of all these and more: Zapatismo. This is not just “class struggle,” or “identity politics,” Zapatismo is about ending all types of injustices and domination.

Let me make this clear, Zapatismo is not what in the US is sold as coca-cola or classroom multiculturalism and diversity. It is not about ‘being included’ into the existing history in the matter of a footnote. It is about radically transforming society: its culture, its economy, its government.

¡Ya Basta! The 1994 Uprising

The Zapatista 1994 uprising responded creatively to more than 500 years of colonization and capitalist exploitation. The rebellion and its cry of ¡Ya Basta!/Enough! appeared as an antidote to pessimism. Mexico’s progressive Left had lost much of its political vigor. It had to deal with government’s oppression and ‘dirty war’ that started at least since the 1968 student massacre at Tlatelolco, and the fail attempts at electoral victory (that is if you consider the PRD Leftist). The mass media and both liberal and conservative parties did not tire in announcing the triumph of late Capitalism at a global scale (Neoliberalism). Resignate mi buen, the vendidos said as they filled their pockets at the expense of the poor. The radical left (in Mexico and the US) existed but did not seem to have a clear unified direction. Yes, there were radicals in Mexico, among them were/are the anarchists, indigenous movements, socialists and communists, radical feminists and queers.

The nineties in the US were not much better than the 80s, osea, de la chingada. We just need to remember all those anti-immigrant, anti-youth and anti-people of color propositions that passed and became law (such as 187, 209, 227). The sixties in the US were remembered in nostalgia. There was no more Raza Unida Party or Brown Berets (they exited, but they were talked about in past tense), ahora la única sopa era de LULAC and Democrat. Or so we thought, hasta que la dignidad se hizo rebelde.

For Xican@s and Mexican@s in the US, Zapatismo infused our political imagination with ‘a new sense of the possible’ and a new political direction. These words (land, liberty, justice, dignity, autonomy) had been said and felt in our hearts before (during the Mexican Revolution and in the most radical strands of the Xican@ movement) but some how Xican@s and Mexican@s didn’t heard them or did not remember the power of our dignity. The call for autonomy meant a radical departure from government oriented politics. This meant that for many Xican@s, there was a better alternative then the ‘Democratic’ party; this alternative is the pursuit of autonomy at the local level. These are a politics of self-sufficiency (what many in the indigenous movement have called ‘sovereignty’). Examples include the South Central Farm in Los Angeles, alternative charter schools, the creation of local health promoters, neighborhood security systems to circumvent the police, and the many ways that communities are taking care of their needs without the pinche goverment. This shift towards autonomy, unfortunately, is not as strong as it is in Mexico. The majority of people in the United States continue to hope for the ‘perfect candidate’ who will become the ‘savior president;’ even the labor movement continues to back Democratic candidates to its own detriment (there is no labor candidate or peoples candidate in the matter of Evo Morales in Bolivia).

Beyond Liberal Democracy

The Zapatistas are anti-capitalist and oppose the concentration of power at the state level. Zapatista notion of democracy transcends “Liberal Representative Democracy,” such as the one that exists in the United States. Liberal or Representative Democracy is based on the notion that common people cannot decide what is best for themselves and do not have the capacity to carry out their own choices, therefore, a liberal elite is chosen through a vote to decide on what is supposed to be the population’s best interest. Voting is supposed to grant legitimacy to the concentration of political power. As it is, liberal/representative democracy has its fallacies; the problem worsens when you factor in the predatory and oppressive tendencies of capitalism, and inhumane hierarchies such as racism, patriarchy and homophobia. As many have pointed out, the liberal State and capitalism are compatible and mutually reinforcing. Capitalists use the state apparatus to disempower workers (laws written by the rich, the police and military to protect the ‘sacred’ right to private property). The state is made up of the capitalist class, which means the further concentration of economic and political power. A clear distinction between the wealthy elite and politicians is not possible in our society.

“The Fourth World War” / “La Cuarta Guerra Mundial”

Zapatismo is about knowing your social-political position, understanding where you are located in history and the world, this in relation to others who struggle against the same multi-headed monstruo (neoliberalism, patriarchy, homophobia, etc.). Zapatismo is about understanding our connections to other peoples and how, for example, the war against Iraq, the dispossession of Palestinians, and the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border are connected. These are strategies and methods used by those in power to retain and expand their power (political and economic) at the expense of the poor and the excluded. If one understands how local oppressions and local resistance around the world are connected to each other, than one begins to see the need to work with others and to support each other in our respective fights.

The fight for humanity is happening in many fronts, including the economic, the political, the cultural and the spiritual (in fact, society is complex and interrelated, it is really not possible to compartmentalize reality). The larger enemy consists of religious fundamentalists (both Christian and non-Christian), greedy corporations, and imperialist governments. The mental enemies are those ideas that reproduce oppressive hierarchies, such as sexism and racism. Unfortunately, these oppressive ways are enacted in the intimacy of our home and in the streets of our barrios.

The Zapatistas say: “somos iguales porque somos diferentes,” (we are the equal because we are different) which is to say that we have a rich diversity, but we have in common being the oppressors’ “Other;” we are the racialized, minoritized, subalternized, excluded and discriminated communities of those in power. The systems of oppression can be understood as capitalist, patriarchal, homophobic, racist, hierarchical and undemocratic, and the many other ways that limits people’s full human potential and community.

Otro Mundo Es Posible / Another World Is Possible

Zapatismo is not about one-way solidarity and it is not about charity. The Zapatista struggle seeks to create a “nosotros” (an “us”) that blurs the distinctions between ‘them’ and ‘us,’ to the point where there is one movement of movements: for humanity and against neoliberalism. This means that we understand that we are all fighting the same systems of oppression that affects everyone, and that these systems exist globally and not just locally.

It is not necessary to attend Zapatista ‘Encuentros’ to become a Zapatista. What defines a Zapatista in the US is one that fights against capitalism, against the concentration of power (be it in the State or individuals) and who struggles to create their own local autonomy while connecting with others (specially the Zapatistas) who are doing the same. At the practical level, it also means creating awareness about the Zapatistas and answering their calls for support. The Xican@ struggle for sovereignty and dignity is tied to the struggles of the worlds indigenous peoples,’ so we should continue to strengthen our relationships and coalitions with the native peoples of the land we live on.

For Xican@s, Zapatismo has special significance. Since the 60s (and most likely before that), Chican@s have been claiming indigeneity and identifying our struggle as one of de-colonization (against European and gringo domination). Now we get a chance of actually aligning forces with Mexican indigenous people. Being a Zapatista in the US also means a commitment to struggle with our society’s most dispossessed and oppressed peoples, such as undocumented workers, US people of color, the LGBTQ community, the homeless, the incarcerated, etc. There is no longer “theirs” and “our” struggle, but one common struggle. Es una gran lucha to create a better world, as the Zapatistas say, “a world where many worlds fit,” un mundo donde haya espacios para todos para vivir con dignidad.

In conclusion, organizate pueblo!!!

Desde San José, Califaztlan,

Agustín Palacios aka “Tin”

Suggested Readings (can be found in most major languages):

1. Zapatista Declarations of the Lacandon Jungle 1 – 6

2. 7 Loose Pieces of the Global Jigsaw Puzzle (Sub Marcos)

3. Chiapas: the Southeast in two winds, a storm and a prophecy.

4. Los Peatones de la Historia

You can find these (in different languages) online at:

http://www.ezln.org/documentos/index.html

http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/ezlnco.html

Appendix

7 Principios del Mandar Obedeciendo del Buen Gobierno

(basado en un discurso del Comandante Tacho en el Segundo Encuentro de los Zapatistas con los Pueblos del Mundo)

Obedecer y no Mandar: el pueblo es el que decide, los que estan en el gobierno no hacen las leyes ni tampoco mandan.

Representar y no suplantar: ni el gobierno ni los lideres pueden decidir por el pueblo, el poder se mantiene en el pueblo. Los lideres solo pueden proponer, pero no decidir. [Nota: aquí “representar” esta muy lejos de lo que se entiende en una “democracia representativa” como en los Estados Unidos. Se representa solo en el sentido de “llevar voz” de lo que el pueblo decidio anteriormente por medio del concenso, no del voto.]

Bajar y no subir: no sentirse mas grande, mantener la igualdad con los demás, no acumular poder.

Servir y no servirse: hacer el trabajo a base de consciencia no para beneficio personal ni para acumular riquezas. Esto tambien ha sido formulado como “para todos todo, para nosotros nada.” [Nota: en los territories Zapatistas, los que forman parte de las Juntas del Buen Gobierno y los promotores (de salud, educación, etc.) no reciven paga. La comunidad les da hospedaje, comida, y trabajan sus tierras mientras ellos/ellas hacen las labors que la comunidad les encargo.]

Convencer y no vencer: No se decide por voto. Los lideres no imponen sup unto de vista, si no proponen y se llega a un acuerdo por medio del dialogo.

Construir y no destruir: la autoridad legítima sólo debe construir. [Nota: Se puede entender que a los que se les da autoridad tienen la obligación de ejercer sólo un poder creativo (poder-hacer) y no un poder oppresivo (un poder-sobre otros). Esto no significa que no haya que destruir al capitalismo y a la oppression]

Proponer y no imponer: El pueblo decide lo que se debe hacer y lo que necesita. No se puede imponer “a beneficio del pueblo.” El pueblo sabe lo que quiere y tiene el derecho a equivocarse.

Ley Revolucionaria de Mujeres

Primera.- Las mujeres, sin importar su raza, credo o afiliación política tienen derecho a participar en la lucha revolucionaria en el lugar y grado que su voluntad y capacidad determinen.

Segunda.- Las mujeres tienen derecho a trabajar y recibir un salario justo.

Tercera.- Las mujeres tienen derecho a decidir el número de hijos que pueden tener y cuidar.

Cuarta.- Las mujeres tienen derecho a participar en asuntos de la comunidad y tener cargo si son elegidas libre y democráticamente.

Quinta.- Las mujeres y sus hijos tienen derecho a atención primaria en su salud y alimentación.

Sexta.- Las mujeres tienen derecho a la educación.

Séptima.- Las mujeres tienen derecho a elegir su pareja y a no ser obligadas por la fuerza a contraer matrimonio.

Octava.- Ninguna mujer podrá ser golpeada o maltratada físicamente ni por familiares ni por extraños. Los delitos de intento de violación serán castigados severamente.

Novena.- Las mujeres podrán ocupar cargos de dirección en la organización y tener grados militares en las fuerzas armadas revolucionarias.

Décima.- Las mujeres tendrán todos los derechos y obligaciones que señalan las leyes y los reglamentos revolucionarios.

La Otra Campaña: Otra forma de hacer Politica: Abajo y a la Izquierda

Con la Otra Campaña se propone unir a los grupos, colectivos e individuos de izquierda no partidaria, para crear una nueva Constitución refleje un nuevo México no homogenizante ni excluyente. Grupos que se han aliado a la Otra Campaña incluyen: el Congreso Nacional Indígena, la APPO de Oaxaca, grupos femenistas, grupos de Queers/Otros Amores, trabajadores de todo tipo (incluyendo sexuales), y un chingo de gente de todo el mundo. Se le llama “Otra Campaña” para constrastarla con las campañas de los partidos politicos y con los planes de los capitalistas.

La Otra Campaña Del Otro Lado

Ver más allá de las paredes locales: entendiendo lo global atravez de lo local. Principalmente entender de como lo que ocurre en Estados Unidos affecta a los Mexicanos y viseversa.

La comision Sexta decidió desde el principio que l@s Mexican@s y Xican@s que radican en Estados Unidos fueran incluidos como parte de la Otra Campaña de México. Esta participación se distingue de los grupos internacionales, los cuales se adhieren como parte de ‘la intergalactica.’