| Coffeehouse Rebels |
October
2002 |
Wearing Black Is Not Enough
Another IMF/World Bank meeting has come and gone, and the anti-globalists protesting outside have embarrassed themselves and those of us who sympathize with their goals. The complaint that people are apathetic may be true, but that does not excuse the few who aren't from being ineffective. In fact, given the results of the Washington protests, the people who did show up should be tried by a People's Tribunal for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The strategy and tactics of the 1960s civil rights and anti-war movements won't work in the 21st century (if indeed they worked in their day). The issues are not being resolved in legislatures but in boardrooms. Globalization runs on profits, and globalization can only be steered into a more benign form by profits.
If it is more profitable to protect the rainforest than to cut it down, it will survive. If it is profitable to provide clean water and cheap medicines to the world's poor, they shall have those things. If not, well . . .
Throwing a trashcan through a Starbuck's coffeehouse window is probably a very gratifying feeling. However, to really inflict damage, the anti-globalists should try giving away coffee outside of them, set up rival shops with predatory pricing policies (i.e., run them at a loss so Starbuck's can't compete), or buy stock and make the board's lives a living hell with complaints from ownership. At least if you own shares in the firm, they have to let you into the meeting, pierced tongue or not.