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challenging
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5.0
5 stars. In ‘Beyond Bullets’, Jules Boykoff skilfully dissects the mechanisms behind the suppression of dissent in the United States (though it’s applicable to many other rich, industrialised, and developed countries, such as here in Australia), shedding light on historical and contemporary examples that have shaped this troubling reality. Boykoff compellingly and very effectively illustrates how dissent is stifled not only through overt violence, but also through more subtle means, such as through the intricate cooperation of various societal elements, like the news media and larger population.
Drawing frm instances mostly throughout the 20th century, Boykoff exposes the disturbing truth of direct and indirect violence targeted against marginalised communities, movements, and organisations, such as the Black Panthers, AIM, the Young Lords, and Earth first!, among others. The revelation of modes of suppression such as infiltrators, agent provocateurs, surveillance, and a tactic called “badjacketing” or “snitchjacketing,” (a term I hadn’t heard before), which describes individuals who infiltrate dissident social movements and intentionally generate suspicion that legitimate, committed members of the group are actually informants (usually FBI or police in the US), which often can lead to violence being done against legitimate members, all adds a disturbing layer to the narrative, highlighting the calculated efforts to undermine genuine social movements and activism and incite violence against members of these movements and organisations advocating and fighting fr real and lasting change.
As well, another of the book’s crucial contributions lies in its insightful examination of the media’s role in the suppression of dissent. Boykoff delves into how media, often closely tied w the state and corporate interests, marginalises and downplays the significance of dissident movements. This deep-rooted cooperation between media, corporations, and the state can erode the impact of genuine protests and activism, thereby perpetuating an environment of control and silence. Like consider the current day’s dichotomy of social media’s influence on political participation. This isn’t something Boykoff specifically mentions, as he mostly focuses on news media, but it’s worth mentioning. While social media has the potential to - and often does - greatly amplify the voices of marginalised groups and progressive social movements and organisations, it‘s also harnessed by the state and law enforcement to spread disinformation and even fuel communal tensions, effectively smothering and silencing dissent, and this shows the complexities and immense challenges that today’s activists face in utilising social media as a tool fr organising and broadcasting their/our movements and messages.
Social media has facilitated widespread awareness and mobilisation around various social issues and concerns, but its impact on political participation is also a double-edged sword, as while it empowers and connects activists and social movements and marginalised, vulnerable, and targeted communities, it also presents significant hurdles due to the potential fr misuse and manipulation. Consider the use of "shadowbanning” on sites like Instagram and Tiktok, which refers to the practice of limiting or restricting a user’s visibility on such social media platforms w/out their knowledge, often involving reducing the reach of their posts, excluding them frm search results, or suppressing their content in some way. While these platforms claim it’s to combat spam and abusive behaviour, w some even outright claiming shadowbanning doesn’t exist, it’s seen to be most often inflicted on marginalised people and communities, such as sex workers, queer and trans people, BIPOC, and activists, etc etc, to silence and suppress certain viewpoints. This book was published in 2007, and I read that the percentage of US adults who use social media increased frm roughly 5 per cent in 2005 to 79 per cent in 2019, so I’d really love to see Boykoff’s take on social media’s affect on suppressing dissent, especially in today’s political climate, alongside his take on news media manipulation.
But anyway, that’s all to say that in ‘Beyond Bullets’, Jules Boykoff delivers a thought-provoking and meticulously researched account of how dissent is suppressed in the United States. His analysis compels us to confront the multifaceted nature of suppression, transcending mere physical violence and encompassing subtler forms of manipulation and control. This book is a must-read fr anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the intricate forces at play in stifling dissent and preserving the status quo and power of the state and law enforcement. Boykoff’s work shines as a compelling call to action, urging us to critically examine the structures that hinder meaningful change. Because, as he claims in the final chapter, “If it is meaningful social change we want, we must press forward with fire and passion, with resolution and grit, with knowledge and spirit, with fight back and counterpunch.” None of us are free till all of us are free.
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