2/YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE!
Colombia, Brazil and the Philippines in order to 'clean up' their cities.
According to the 1997 report of the UN Development Programme,
there are 200,000 street children in Brazil. Hundreds of them have
been murdered by the 'upholders of law and order' in recent years.
The International Labour Office also calculates that some 250 million
children between the ages of five and fourteen are obliged to work in
order to survive (Le Soir, 13 November 1996 and 2 7 February 1997).
A significant number of these children become bonded labourers to
repay debt (Bonnet, in Schlemmer, 1996). In the countries of the
North, networks for the sexual abuse of children are frequently
uncovered. The bodies of these children are treated as goods to be
disposed of after use (Tondeur, 1996).
No self-respecting human being can be unmoved by such injustice.
We are moved to unite with others and do what we can, to put an end
as quickly as possible to this intolerable state of affairs.
Barbarism now reigns over a significant part of human civilisation.
This does not mean that those living in such conditions do not have
the will to change their lot. They are not barbarians! Hundreds of
millions of people struggle every day, have organised themselves into
movements for a better future. This book is dedicated to them. Their
creativity and their struggles have strengthened my belief in the
possiblity for emancipation.
Karl Marx declared long ago that the emancipation of the
oppressed can be achieved only by the oppressed themselves. The
fundamental objective must be that of contributing to this emanci
pation of the oppressed, wheresoever on the planet they may be.
SOME COMMENTS ON THE WAY THE BOOK HAS BEEN
ORGANISED
This introduction contains 45 theses, each of which provides a
synthesis of a section of the book. For reasons of space, we have not
included theses on the parts of the book devoted to neo-liberal
ideology, alternatives and counter-initiatives. Readers are
encouraged to read the theses, but if this seems an onerous task you
can move on directly to Chapter 1 and return to the theses upon
completing the book. You are also encouraged to consult the glossary
whenever an expression or acronym creates the slightest doubt. The
authors and works cited in the book, or consulted during its writing,
can be found in the bibliography at the end of the book. In the body