refuseniks/counter-recruitment outside of the military
Dec 28 2006 12:01
Title says it all really.
It's not uncommon for people to get involved in counter-recruitment campaigns around the military, particularly at schools and colleges. It occured to me the other day tho, that this doesn't seem to be replicated in other fields. E.g. we encourage people not to join the military but don't do much about the people constructing the jets they fly, the bombs they drop, the guns they fire.
This was partly triggered by a friend who studies physics and gets job adverts from weapons groups.
On the one hand this seems like it could be worthwhile, on the other it could easily come across as moralising activisty bollocks.
any thoughts? would this be a worthwhile avenue to pursue?
- Jonathan
Dec 28 2006 13:28
#2
there's a difference between "passive" support (through taxation) and "active" (going to work for the company) - taking the examples you gave, I'd be talking about actions targetted at Caterpillar recruitment drives to discourage people from going to work for them, for example.
Dec 28 2006 13:58
#3
I used to make stuff for the Australian military. I was rorting my employer by hiding behind the closed door of the secure workshop doing fuck all and they were rorting the military by overstating the hours I'd spent on the useless crap I was doing. Developing test programs for circuit boards from an artillery-locating radar system to be precise. I don't think the grunts at the army repair centre ever bothered to use the things.
Dec 28 2006 14:34
#4
West Midlands Anarchists brought out a good anti-recruitment leaflet a while back. There should be a link to it on the site.
Dec 30 2006 14:22
#5
JonnyT wrote:
there's a difference between "passive" support (through taxation) and "active" (going to work for the company) - taking the examples you gave, I'd be talking about actions targetted at Caterpillar recruitment drives to discourage people from going to work for them, for example.
I think that would count as moralising activist balls. I mean you have to draw a line somewhere. Do you get people to stop being cleaners at MoD offices, stop delivering pizzas to soldiers' houses? I think the anarchist/communist line on people who work for weapons companies should be the same as all other workers - to fight for better wages/conditions and ultimately workers' self-management so production can be aimed at being socially useful, like Lucas Aerospace workers attempted here in the 70s.
The question is, how far would you go? Anarchists Against the Wall have campaigned against Caterpillar and Matrix, companies who take part in the construction of the separation wall, but any Israeli who pays taxes pays for the military (which gets a large part of the annual budget), any American steel-worker helps kill unarmed Iraqis, etc. I can't see that there's any point in that kind of absenteeism.