The Occupy Wall Street Review [Dec 16, 2011]

a preliminary glance

[The Following text by Peter Lamborn Wilson, was written out by hand. It was typed by David Levi Strauss and given to the Occupy Wall Street Review for publication and dissemination. The OWS Review will be coming out with its debut issue shortly. But it was Peter’s wishes that the following be made available to Occupiers, to All People, as soon as possible. And so we have taken the pleasure of creating a preliminary glance, which was available as a zine, on the day of action, D17.]

Occupy Wall Street

Act Two

Peter Lamborn Wilson

SOME RADICAL HISTORIANS claim the entire Historical Movement of the Social went wrong in 1870 when the Paris Commune failed to expropriate (or at least destroy) The Bank. Could this really be so?

Since 1971 Bank Power—“Money Interests” as the old-time Populists and Grangers used to say—i.e. the power to create money as debt—has single-handedly destroyed all chances to remake any world closer to our heart’s desire. Some anarchist theorists hold that there can be no real revolution except the revolt against money itself—because money itself WANTS Capitalism (i.e. money) to rule. Money itself will always find a way to subvert democracy (or for that matter any government power that opposes Money’s Interests) and to establish the rule of Capital—i.e. of money itself.

“Alternative currencies” will not cure this situation (as Marx rightly sneered) because real [bad] money will always drive the “good” money out of circulation. Alt. money only “wins” in the scenario where it replaces money entirely. But in that case it will have to simply become money itself (which is protean and can take many forms).

American progressive Populism—like the agrarian Grange or industrial Knights of Labor—knew certain esoteric secrets we should study. They believed the real producers (“labor”) could organize alternative institutions (within the legal system) that could erode the rule of Money and perhaps eventually replace it: producers & consumers cooperatives and labor unions. Money would still be used at first—but not banks—so toxic debt could be avoided. True producers would mutually finance each other (say at 1% interest to cover administrative costs). With “Mutual Banks of the People” plus co-ops they would protect their economic position and advance it thru labor agitation including strikes, boycotts, etc.

“Mutuality” works as a non-State non-central-bureaucratic form of socialism, thus providing no unjust power positions for its administrators. It starts, like Occupy Wall Street, as a consensus-ruled direct democracy (the exact opposite of the Neo-Con freemarket “democracy” of predatory Capital). Revocable delegates are sent to larger regional or other administrative Councils.

Thus success for such a system means NEVER participating in representational or “republican” forms of legislative politics (“keep politics off the Farm” —Grange Songbook). The American Populist movement made the fatal error in 1896 of joining the Democratic Party—and instead of being crucified on a cross of gold, American radicalism was crucified on a cross of silver. [I’m not going to explain this joke; look in the Encyclopedia under “William Jennings Bryan.”]

The only true method of organizing the alternative world of Mutuality is thru voluntary non-State free institutions such as co-ops, mutual banking & insurance, alternative schools, various types of communalism and communitas, sustainable economic ventures (i.e. non-Capitalist businesses) like independent farms and craft ateliers willing to federate with the commons outside the sphere of bank/police/corporation power.

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