The year starts off with a bit of tragic news, at least if you're a dastardly 'capitalist roader'. While on an extensive trip of South China, former Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping has died at the age of 88. A controversial figure to the last, Deng oversaw both the rapid liberalization of China's planned economy, as well as the brutal crackdown on workers and students at Tiananmen Square which put paid to any notion of political liberalization. In the wake of his death, it is expected that Jiang Zemin, the current general secretary, will continue a more conservative line, dialing back on some of the neoliberal policies instigated by Deng. While the country is unlikely to revert to a full Soviet-style command economy, neither is it expected to break with its current system of public sector dominance. In the US, meanwhile, Deng's death goes mostly unremarked, except for a notorious "anti-funeral" organized by the Seattle-based New October Movement. This party/lecture is used by the NOM to give their take on contemporary China, and why its recent reform period has just become an excuse for unleashing the forces of capitalism. The event produces some heated discussions afterwards, although it also draws the interest of several curious locals. (Interesting Event; Minor Popularity Gain)
In slightly more important news, at least if you're American, the presidential election of this year has seen a stunning and unprecedented upset. The tumult arguably started during the Democratic party primaries, which turned into a heated showdown between two charismatic (ex-)governors: Bill Clinton of Arkansas, and Jerry Brown of California. Even as the former eked out a narrow victory, the latter proved more vindictive than expected, switching his allegiance to the independent campaign of billionaire Ross Perot in exchange for the vice-presidential nomination. While such a third party bid would ordinarily have been quixotic at best, this was a stranger election than usual, as both mainstream parties were fundamentally aligned on the one issue that seemed to matter most to voters: NAFTA. The opposition to this free trade agreement has brought a lot of divergent political currents into alignment, with even the Institute for Social Ecology dedicating an article to its ruinous potential in their new journal, Society & Nature (Intellectual Inspiration; +3 on the Bookchin Die next turn). With the Perot-Brown ticket going in hard on its 'common sense, anti-establishment' vibe, the polls showed a dead heat between all three candidates. There were even some fears that an obscure 'contingent election' might become necessary. Ultimately, though, an even stranger outcome prevailed, as Ross Perot won the presidency outright. For the first time since it was established, the Republican-Democratic duopoly has been broken, and by a campaign which utterly lacked an underlying party apparatus. Whatever this will mean for the years or even months ahead, they are sure to be interesting times.
But of course, there was more to this year than mere electoral politics, and the latter was frequently shaken up by what was happening in the rest of the country. In Los Angeles, the acquittal of four police officers involved in a brutal assault led to massive riots throughout the city, sparking a further firestorm of protests across the nation's Black communities. The New Black Panthers were no exception, and all three chapters organized large armed marches against police brutality, gaining them a lot of attention–both positive and negative (Local Support; +4 to any community organizing next turn). Similar protests were held in response to the federal shootout at Ruby Ridge; while the targets might have been white supremacists, the NBPP declared that 'they would not go as easily', and vowed to redouble their self-defense efforts (Steeled Your Resolve; +4 to any defense organizing next turn).
In New York, meanwhile, a different set of protests stood out. First off, a landmark Supreme Court decision upheld the constitutional right to an abortion established in Roe v. Wade, even if it expanded the conditions by which this right might be restricted. The semi-positive ruling was likely influenced by the preceding mass protests throughout the country, including a few that were organized by local LGBT organizations such as Queer Nation (Successful Protest; Major Popularity Gain). In September, the members of QN also showed up at a protest of the local police union, who were disgruntled by an initiative to investigate police misconduct. Gathering in front of city hall, a mass of drunk off-duty cops committed itself to vandalizing cars, assaulting passersby, and shouting racial epithets at the city's Black mayor, all while the actual police force stood idle. Only a small band of queer activists, ready to turn the tables on the biggest gang in town, managed to keep the mob from assaulting the on-site journalists. Obviously, the sight of this spectacle produced a lot of noteworthy press images, and in the eyes of the liberal media, these "gay defenders" were thought to be quite alright (Media Sympathy; 20% boost to both Size and Capital).
