[P2P-F] Fwd: Neutral Grounds - for Christmas Truce ? - Live and Let Live

[Michel Bauwens]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 1:23 PM
Subject: Neutral Grounds - for Christmas Truce ? - Live and Let Live
To: econowmix at googlegroups.com


http://www.truth-out.org/vacant-or-occupied-where-do-99-percent-go-when-nature-calls/1322091353

The restaurant serves as something of a neutral ground, where protesters
and policemen are able to switch off the suspicion and hostility born of
the power relationship they find themselves in when the latter are
specifically charged with supervising the former. "Suddenly," says Wilkins,
"they're really courteous to you. They can see you're a protester; you've
walked in there with a cardboard sign. But if they bump into you, they
apologize." Policemen have seen footage of protesters tossing barricades,
and protesters have seen footage of policemen tossing occupiers, but none
of this footage has been set in McDonald's.

"Everybody needs a break," says Wilkins, inadvertently recalling the fact
that McDonald's used to ask whether you'd had yours today.


it reminds me :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

The *Christmas truce* was a series of widespread unofficial
ceasefires<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceasefire> that
took place along the Western
Front<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Front_%28World_War_I%29>
around
Christmas of 1914, during the First World
War<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World_War>.
Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of
German<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Empire>
 and British<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland>soldiers
began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches; on
occasion, the tension was reduced to the point that individuals would walk
across to talk to their opposite numbers bearing gifts. On Christmas
Eve<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve>
 and Christmas Day <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Day>, many
soldiers from both sides – as well as, to a lesser degree, from
French<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Third_Republic> units
– independently ventured into "No man's
land<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_man%27s_land>",
where they mingled, exchanging food and souvenirs. As well as joint burial
ceremonies, several meetings ended in carol-singing. Troops from both sides
had also been so friendly as to play games of
football<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football> with
one another.[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce#cite_note-0>

The truce is seen as a symbolic moment of peace and humanity amidst one of
the most violent events of modern history.

...

The truces were not unique to the Christmas period, and reflected a growing
mood of "live and let
live<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_and_let_live_%28World_War_I%29>",
where infantry units in close proximity to each other would stop overtly
aggressive behaviour, and often engage in small-scale
fraternisation<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternisation>,
engaging in conversation or bartering for cigarettes. In some sectors,
there would be occasional ceasefires to go between the lines and recover
wounded or dead soldiers, whilst in others, there would be a tacit
agreement not to shoot while men rested, exercised, or worked in full view
of the enemy. However, the Christmas truces were particularly significant
due to the number of men involved and the level of their participation –
even in very peaceful sectors, dozens of men openly congregating in
daylight was remarkable.




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