Why We Protest At the Bohemian Grove

By Lew Brown

We protest at the Grove and other places because we recognize that that is where power lies. The men who attend these events at the Grove, Davos and other places continue to make deals in secret that benefit their own class at the expense of not only those of us personally aware of their dealings, but for the very survival and advancement of our species as a whole. The Grove is one representation of the way that policy is really made, outside of any democratic control. The ideas about how to spend tax money that are floated in these semi-public and utterly private chat and bull sessions, are nothing more nor less than drops of water that one by one, over time, wear away at the bedrock foundation of our “democratic” institutions. They represent the rule by and for the rich. They illustrate that as much as we want to believe in a free and open society, that belief is really just an imagining of what could be rather than what actually is.

If there were a message to get out to the people of the world (and the people of the Grove) it should be, “A better world is possible”. That message would be followed by a clear vision of what that world would be like. The men behind that Redwood Curtain truly fear exposure. They fear the threat of the peasants no less than the French Nobility did in the early 19th century. They feel that they have a lot to lose should there be any fundamental changes in the social order. They are right. They have a whole world to lose. But unlike those who suffer and fume beneath them, while they glide across the dance floors of history, it is not their very lives they fear losing, only their position and their wealth. For that they would be more than willing to murder every single human being who would oppose them.

If there could be one message to get to the public at large I think exposing the Grove attendees for what they are is a good place to start. Frankly the facts are that, issues and imaginings surrounding their melodramatic ceremonies aside, these men are simply pathetic. In the Grove they spend some time every year “getting away from it all”. That means that they hang out in their posh little camps, pretend to be in the wilderness, abuse wait staff endlessly, masturbate and urinate on the redwood trees and have illicit homosexual relations all while plotting how to get fatter, meaner and more in control at the expense of their own species. These men, for the most part, represent those “kiss-up, kick-down” personality types who infect every workplace and make systems and organizations that operate based on an hierarchical model horrible places to work for the truly industrious and imaginative. It has been said that, “The cream rises to the top”, however the truth is that in real life its not cream that floats on the water of our society, but another substance more properly flushed away. In terms of both personality types and policies these men represent that latter substance.

Real change is however possible. We can transform this world can be within a generation. We can create a reality in which there is rule of law based on real, objective measures of equality, fairness and justice. We can preserve and protect our planets resources, educate feed and clothe every human being and provide activities and career paths that bring out the best in everyone through the institution of co-operative and democratic models of governance at every level of society. Truly, this world could become a garden and a playground in very short order with our resources redirected and managed with an eye towards the future benefit of us all. But not as long as the Welfare Kings can continue to comfortably enjoy their positions of power and not as long as the nascent opposition fails to articulate this vision, prepare a legal framework for social transformation and enact a comprehensive strategy towards developing a competing way of life. A way of life that the average people of the world can look at and say, “Wow, that is so much better than this life I am living.”

So, all of this muddy and schismatic thinking needs to be cleared away and this moment in history should be recognized for what it could truly be-a turning point in human affairs. We only need a handful of legal reforms to gut their ability to rule. We need a collection of Temporary Autonomous Zones that become cooperative, self-sustaining enterprises to show a better way of life. We need an ad-hoc, anarchistic marketing campaign that both embarrasses with the light of truth those who plot and plan in such a pathetic fashion, while at the same time showing how much more fulfilling, fun and free we could all become. That would make these events far more significant and effective. The organizers and participants in these events should articulate that this is not an isolated event, but rather a part of a growing global struggle. One that will live or die based on the information that the public receives.

We do not yet have that legal document to present to the public, though with a small amount of funding we could certainly get that ball rolling. However, even without that, we can at the very least get across the very basic message to the pubic that, “A better world is possible” and “Our problems are the fault of those guys over there”. By illustrating that in fact the men in the Grove are the real outsiders, the real criminals and anti-social architects of misery we can at least use this as a small step towards building a coherent and cohesive movement that begins to work for real change. The mission would be to show these people that wherever they go to hide out, we will be there. Additionally we expose their “good times” for the pathetic excuse for more narcissism that they truly are and present events that are far more entertaining, instructive and transformative than they could ever imagine.
Combining these missions and messages in regards to the Grove and other events, we can see the tactical nature of these protests. To not only spread a message of hope to the public at large but to put so much light and heat on the people who attend these events that they become so uncomfortable that they just stop coming. Perhaps then they would at least have to use normal channels to develop public policy.