They might have worked in those shops. By Keen On. These revolutionaries fought back, and white history is trying to erase their bravery and significance. This show features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the deeper economic, political, and … Her writing has also appeared in The Baffler, The Nation, The Rumpus, Real Life, and Al Jazeera America. But I think in defense of violence is not actually what the book is arguing. This criticism of Osterweil and the negative perception of looting as a tactic for social change is expected; dominant narratives of what constitutes “violence” and “destruction” pervade our political landscape. Andrew Keen: I don’t know how you came up with the title of the book. Peering beneath the ashes of a destroyed city lies the Phoenix of liberation and justice waiting to take flight. We believe in the statement “People over property” and we stand poised to expedite the process of joyous liberation offered by Therapeutic Property Diminishment. But I think that that term, which takes place largely in the 60s, towards judging a movement by its nonviolence, is precisely the problem that I’m trying to grapple with in the book. You can no longer ignore a movement whose time has come if you are forced to end your meal, raise a fist against your will, or clean up the smoldering remnants of your successful business. The activist’s book titled “In Defense of Looting” came out in August, so Osterweil, who was born male but identifies as a woman, definitely had the right time down. And also it provides people with an imaginative sense of freedom and pleasure and helps them imagine a world that could be.”. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Erica Barnett on the Books That Helped Her in Recovery, President Lincoln’s Republican Party Was the Original Party of Big Government. A look into anti-riot, anti-looting, and worse, anti-Black narrative by Marxist Louis Proyect. These actions state loud and clear that business as usual will no longer be tolerated, especially if that business has burned to the ground. When a protester, regardless of their race, gender, or economic status decides to enact property expropriation, it can serve as a vital reminder of the power of the masses and an example of what happens when the master class does not give in to the demands of the oppressed. One Author’s Argument ‘In Defense Of Looting’ In the past months of demonstrations for Black lives, there has been a lot of hand-wringing about looting. When advertising tried to create the perfect woman, thriller writers rebelled. At LootSafe.org, we do not condone the more wild, unrestrained versions of property diminishment that we are currently witnessing. Yet looting has a long, often ignored history in uprisings as author and columnist Vicky Osterweil demonstrates in her new book In Defense of Looting (August 25, 2020, Bold Type Books). There are lessons in this book for everyone and will arm the reader with the tools they need to discuss the current uprising around the US with liberals, conservatives, and those relatives you will have to argue with over the holidays. One place the book really shines is in the way the stories and lessons of riots are framed. © Dan Arel - All rights reserved Photo credit: Montecruz Foto, Creative Commons 2.0, Dan Arel is an award-winning columnist, author, and labor activist. Let's Stop with the Realism Versus Science Fiction and Fantasy Debate, Finding Strange Magic and Unlikely Love During the Vietnam War, 10 New and Forthcoming Books in Translation, Why Writers Are Always in Pursuit of the Maltese Falcon.