Photo by Kirk Hirota
Derek Shearer
'Socialist agitator' strives for
'Economic Democracy' in U.S.
By Costas Christ
Of the Emerald
To some he's a "socialist
agitator." To others, he is a light
of hope. His name is Derek
Shearer and his message is
"Economic Democracy."
"As an economist I recognize
the need for coordinated
economic planning, but as a
political activist I object to a
technocratic top-down ap
proach to solving economic pro
blems," Shearer says.
Shearer was on campus Thurs
day to present his lecture "Is
There Life After Reagan: Pro
spects for a Progressive America
in the 1980s."
According to Shearer, the
economic recovery under
Reagan has been a recovery "of
a funny kind."
"What we're recovering from
is a recession that the Reagan
administration led us into. It has
meant high levels of unemploy
* .*•**
ment — in fact, the unemploy
ment rate today is higher than it
was when Reagan took office,"
Shearer says.
"It is certainly a recovery — a
Reagan recovery. Clearly the
people who lost their jobs are
not better off," he says.
Like many in his generation,
Shearer participated in the anti
war movement of the 1960s and
was active in progressive stu
dent politics. He still works for
what he believes in.
"I take democracy seriously.
This means working to make
people's daily lives as mean
ingful and as democratic as
possible," he says.
Shearer is clear on the kind of
changes he would like to see
take place in this country.
There should be public spen
ding to create jobs and
stimulate economic growth,
greater public control of capital
investment through state and
local development banks,
democratic planning programs
at the neighborhood, city, state
and national levels and
economic growth guided by
social and environmental con
siderations, he says.
Shearer has worked hard to
put his ideas into action. In
1981, he helped bring a pro
gressive city government to of
fice in Santa Monica, Calif.
Three years later they still hold a
majority on the city council and
their programs, such as rent
control and neighborhood
decision-making in develop
ment projects, have had a
lasting effect.
But it hasn't been easy.
“We've been called socialists,
communists, fascists and
Nazis," he says. "It's funny
because I don't see how it's
possible to be all of those things
at the same time."
To those who believe that the
strength of the conservative cor
porate structure in America will
always crush opposition to its
policies, Shearer says that the
key to change is commitment.
"You must make a life-long
commitment," Shearer says.
"What you do now is not going
to bring a revolution next year
but hard work and good
organization will bring impor
tant results in the long run.
"There are many examples of
individuals who've made a dif
ference. Look at what Rosa
Parks achieved by refusing to
give up her bus seat to another
passenger simply because he
was white and she was
black,"he says.
" I tell my students to learn
how things work and then you
will be able to make changes.
It's also important to have a
sense of humor. Wasn't it Emma
Goldman who said 'If I can't
dance I don't w'ant to be a part
of your revolution'?"
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