The Political Catastrophes Series by Joost van Steenis

Sihanoukville, Januari 13 2006

Dear reader. I wish you a very happy New Year.

This article is the fourteenth article in the series Political Catastrophes ( http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis/catastrophes.htm).

Nothing will happen when you remain seated in your chair waiting toll heaven comes down on earth. Change occurs only when you become active. But not all movement leads to change. See for example article 4 in the series Political Catastrophes ( http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis/catastrophes4.htm) or the articles 1, 5 and 12.

An important factor for change is that only masspeople should be involved in Movements for a Fundamental Change. They should not be active in factors that are ultimately controlled by elitepersons as political parties, elections or the trade-union movement.

Another important factor emphasizes that activities should disturb the private living space of elitepeople so they cannot anymore live the privileged life on the safe eliteworld. At the same time masspeople will realise that they do not have to continue their subordinated life on the often harsh massworld.

An example of a small psychological factor that somewhat disturbs the eliteworld is connected to language.

On the European Continent differences between people are accentuated by the use of you (du, tu, jij) in the downward direction and the use of thou (Sie, vous, u) when masspeople have to speak to elitepeople. The elite does not like it when one of its symbols of power is undermined.

See for example the reactions on the casual striped, multicoloured sweater the new Bolivian president Morales was wearing during his visits to European leaders. The elitist protocol is also a symbol of elitist power that will cease to exist in a new society.

Since fifty years there has been some movement in The Netherlands to abolish the use of thou. It has become quite common that pupils and teachers address each other with first names and you. The leading class is seemingly shocked by this mass activity that diminishes the distance between rulers and ruled. Someone proposed "to improve discipline in schools by making it compulsory for pupils to address teachers with madam, sir and thou."

But the language and the dress-code factors are too small to cause a fundamental change. These factors are only an example how common people can autonomously contribute to the undermining of the power of the elite.

For a political catastrophe more important factors have to increase, Masspeople can also contribute to these factors in an autonomous and creative way on the time and the place they choose.

Yours truly, Joost van Steenis
http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis
Ways to increase masspower