All of this is being done with the key principles of the World Social Forum, which first was held in Porto Allegre from January 25 to 30 in 2001, in mind. Under those key principles, which include ideas that the Forum will be an open meeting place for reflective thinking and democratic debate, a process of seeking and building alternatives, standing in opposition to processes of globalization commanded by large multinational corporations a by governments and international institutions at the service of corporate interests, bringing together organizations and movements from civil society from all over the world, and much more.
This massive convergence signals that despite what the world may be seeing on US television, hearing on US radio stations, or reading on US-based websites there is a diverse and vast population of people who are willing to come together and form social links with one another and brainstorm ideas for a better future that is conducive not only to the country that these people are from but to all people in the world.
These are people committed to addressing and solving conundrums, dilemmas, scenarios, and schemes that are presented, which all too often are broken down into what is right and wrong inevitably resulting in discussion absent of nuance.
No celebrities are here. While some well-known people may be in Detroit this weekend, they do not necessarily demand recognition for their actions. They understand they are part of a whole and without that whole their individual work would not be as inspirational and outstanding as it has been.
Five days. An ongoing process. People doing work without pay all in the service of further constructing a society that is much more open, fair and free to all of its citizens.
These are the people that marched for greater social justice yesterday from Woodward & Warren to the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. These are the people who will make possible a better world and upend the dominating political myth in the U.S. that all a person can do to create change is vote every two or four years.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
1
1
