“Getting Them To See Themselves as an Agent of Change” - Boots Riley on Art, Labor Organizing, and Revolutionary Change
Dec 31, 2023
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Boots Riley, film director, producer, screenwriter, rapper, and communist, discusses labor upsurge and strikes in the US, limitations of protests, CIA's influence on art, challenges for artists supporting resistance, potential for collective organizing in the arts, and future plans including 'I'm a Virgo' season two.
Labor organizing is shifting towards broader socio-political issues and policy changes, such as divestment initiatives and democratic control over budget allocations.
The recent labor upsurge is rooted in past radical movements and requires a visionary approach that incorporates lessons learned from previous struggles.
Labor movements have the potential to influence political issues beyond the workplace, evidenced by the United Auto Workers' call for a ceasefire and divestment in response to the war on Palestine.
Deep dives
Labor upsurge and strike wave in the United States
The podcast episode discusses the recent labor upsurge in the United States, focusing on the wave of strikes and increasing militancy among workers. It explores the significance of this strike wave and the unique elements that make it special, such as the increased interest in unionization and the broader goals of the labor movement. The episode highlights examples of strikes and work stoppages, including teachers in Chicago, LA, and Oakland, Boeing workers demanding the production of respirators, and restaurant workers refusing to serve police for free. It emphasizes how labor organizing is shifting towards not only focusing on wages and benefits but also on broader socio-political issues and policy changes, such as divestment initiatives and democratic control over budget allocations.
The role of radical movements in shaping labor organizing
The podcast episode explores how recent labor upsurge is rooted in the last few decades of radical movements and their efforts to navigate capitalism. It discusses the limitations of previous protest-centered approaches and highlights the importance of understanding power dynamics under capitalism. The episode illustrates the shift from mere protest to strategies like solidarity strikes, organizing within specific industries, and utilizing collective bargaining power for societal change. Examples include the Occupy movement's impact on labor organizing and how teachers' strikes in Oakland and Chicago achieved both wage gains and common goods victories, while also empowering parents and teachers in decision-making processes. The episode emphasizes the need for a radical vision connected to the working class's material change that incorporates lessons learned from past movements.
The connection between labor struggle and political issues
The podcast episode delves into the interconnectedness of labor struggles and political issues, specifically focusing on the Palestine-Israel conflict. It highlights the recent call for a ceasefire made by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and their commitment to investigate divestment and boycotting in response to the war on Palestine. The episode touches on the potential for labor movements to exert their influence on matters beyond the workplace and engage with political forces. It explores the debates surrounding effective strategies for advancing radical politics and offers insights into how organizing efforts can have material impacts on various targets, such as the military-industrial complex and political figures like Joe Biden.
Challenges of radical art in a capitalist industry
The podcast episode delves into the challenges faced by artists striving to create radical art within a capitalist industry. It discusses the difficulty of navigating the film and television industry from a communist perspective and highlights potential obstacles, such as funding limitations and the pressure to conform to mainstream narratives. The episode emphasizes the importance of creating art that goes beyond mere criticism and raises questions about how to build power and effectively challenge the status quo. It explores the tension between explicitly stating political ideas in art and the traditional approach of 'showing, not telling.' The episode offers insights into the artistic choices made by the speaker, referencing their experiences with Sorry to Bother You and the series I'm a Virgo.
Advice for artists seeking to make radical art
The podcast episode provides advice for artists who aspire to create radical art and navigate the challenges of the industry. It emphasizes the significance of honing one's artistic skills through repetition, seeking feedback from others, and constantly improving one's craft. The episode encourages artists to establish their artistic vision and goals, consider the impact they want their art to have, and connect with radical movements for inspiration and a deeper understanding of organizing tactics. It discusses the importance of creating art that is rooted in collective struggles and mobilizes people towards meaningful action. The episode also highlights the need for persistence, self-criticism, and finding ways to showcase one's work through innovative methods such as self-produced videos and live performances.
This is the slightly edited version of our December 5th livestream with film director, producer, screenwriter, rapper, and communist Boots Riley. He is the lead vocalist of the musical groups The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He wrote and directed the film Sorry to Bother You and is the creator and director of the television series I’m A Virgo.
We talked to Boots Riley about the recent labor upsurge, including the wave of strikes and increasing militancy among workers in the US. We briefly discuss United Auto Workers’ call for a ceasefire in the war on Gaza and establishment of a Divestment and Just Transition working group.
We also discuss navigating the capitalist film and television industry as a communist and possibilities for organizing among creatives. Boots also answers some questions about making anticapitalist art including some behind the scenes insights from I’m A Virgo.
We want to shout-out Boots Riley for joining us for this discussion and definitely recommend I’m A Virgo if people haven’t watched it yet. I also want to say there’s some really special content we released in the month of December on our YouTube channel. Including our conversation with Steven Salaita and our conversation on Kuwasi Balagoon with several comrades of his and movement elders including Ashanti Alston, David Gilbert, dequi kioni-sadiki, Matt Meyer, Meg Starr, & Bilal Sunni-Ali so if you haven’t checked that out yet, make sure you do at youtube.com/@makcapitalism.
This will be our final episode released in 2023. We have a ton of stuff already being edited for release for 2024. This year we released 67 audio episodes, 26 livestreams and our content was listened to or watched over 640,000 times. We’re proud of that, and we’re also proud that our programs are still entirely dependent upon regular folks like yourself who listen and watch the work we put out. Today is your last day of 2023 to support us and that would be much appreciated, but also we hope many of you who have not become patrons of the show yet will do so in 2024. And we want to profusely thank everyone who supported us in 2023 for making the show possible for another year. You can support us at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism
This episode was co-edited and co-produced by Aidan Elias and Jared Ware
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