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That's an interesting historical fact of increasing relevance. Here's a topical quote that pares nicely with it:
Ask for work. If they don't give you work, ask for bread. If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread. ― Emma Goldman, Anarchism and Other Essays
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_Lead_(Italy)
Italy had a strong leftist movement. But it also had some other shit.
If that happened anywhere in the United States, 1000 police officers were surrounded the place and just opened fire
Almost as if that's why it's so much harder to see actions like this that everyone is constantly bitching about not seeing
I don’t know… I think the bigger problem is considering it bitching
If this happened in America, cops would be called and they would walk in and shoot everyone
and then the grocery store closes and everyone loses their jobs and the neighborhood doesn't have a grocery store to go to anymore.
*cries in San Francisco*
If you care more seriously, you'd take over the farms and distribute it. Taking over grocery stores without the greater infrastructure is just causing food shortages when the distribution points can't function, and the producers don't have funding
Oh yeah, they tried this in China in the 50s. It went great.
It would be stupid and terrible either way, but that was a government takeover.
but that was a government takeover.
How else do you imagine a large-scale infrastructure takeover would happen? an angry mob?
Did you read the post?
It was something they could do a few times. It makes a nice story, but doesn't mean there was any significant change.
The post is not a description of large-scale infrastructure takeover. That was literally the point of this comment thread.
I get what you’re saying but tactically this makes no sense. A farm is only useful over the long term, which would require you to defend it from police and potentially military forces. Groceries can be distributed from stores fairly quickly, so you could give them away quickly if the state forces are slow.
Groceries can be distributed from stores fairly quickly
Once. Then the store shuts down and nobody can get groceries.
Seriously asking, did that actually happen in Milan?
Not sure. I know I read about a lot of the places that were subject to looting during the BLM protests closed down. I don't have good info as to what happened with them long term though.
If your goal is exclusively to lootz grocery stores are easier and a better target
Not a great long term strategy though if you want grocery stores to stay in business.
I don't want grocery chains to stay in business. I want them to go bankrupt and make way for locally owned grocers.
How do you know that the "supermarkets" referenced in OP were not locally owned? This is 1973 in Italy, we're not talking about Wal-Mart.
What exactly would prevent these nutjobs from doing the same thing to locally owned stores? Do you think they were being particularly selective in their grandstanding tactics?
That's the thing. Right now, I believe we are talking about Walmart.
It was in milan though, so it definitely could have been large chains
That's an awful lot of assumptions from someone who clearly hasn't read anything about the events...
Edit: and because I got curious, here's some reading on the topic. I've not found much on the internet about it, but I found this: https://libcom.org/article/take-over-city-community-struggle-italy-lotta-continua
You're right, the person I responded to did make a lot of assumptions.
You think you're cute or clever, rest assured you're the only one that does.
I don't think the point of this comic is to judge the past. I think it's to plan for the future. I want to go proletariat shopping at Walmart.
I would grab so many PS5's with which to feed my hungry children
Peter Kropotkin comes to mind, my favourite quote of his (from the Conquest of Bread) is: "the available food ought to be shared by all without exception... ‘But provisions will run short in a month!’ our critics at once exclaim. ‘So much the better,’ say we. It will prove that for the first time on record the people have had enough to eat."
It's too early in the morning for this "no apostrophe" shit....
Took me far too long wondering who the hell thought supermarkets existed in 73 AD.
Anybody have a source for this? I don't doubt it happened, but I'm struggling to find more information.
Yeah, used to be a thing. Source: I am Italian and everyone knows 🙂
Edit: ok here a source but in Italian (Wikipedia)
Nice. Should continue to be a thing.