Occupy Main Street, ye Tories: Commons film The Devil's Disciple

7 pm. 189 Ellsworth in SF. FREE.


This month's Liberal-Conservative film poses more subtle questions than "Who owns the earth?" and "What are the injurious social effects of privatizing the earth?" George Bernard Shaw's original stage play "The Devil's Disciple" explores the consternating challenge of how to crack (and replace) ossified, insidious patterns of thought.


This BBC production well translates stage to screen (there's a head-start as most Shavian scripts were written with novel-like explanatory notes), and the usual (but ever fresh) Shavian jibes and startling shifts in perspective reveal just how absurd the received social world is. When a man is discovered to be wrongly charged by authority, ah well, good form requires his execution anyhow. And when allegiance to God and Flag challenges responsibility and liberty, ah well, most citizens petrify with the cross and surplice themselves in red white and blue.


Gads, folks, today our fellow Americans who teeter on the brink of truly occupying Main Street and making America ours deserve the support of today's Tories--you and me and the Tea Party folk . . . and most everyone else, but we hang back, waiting for privilege to return to America and Europe.


A good revolution requires thought and coherent ideology. A bad revolution only needs ogglers who let the oppressed founder with sentiment without sense.


Beware! After this screening and discussion, we'll design an Occupy SF education action.


Film at 7 sharp. Discussion 9-9:30. Design an end to Tory behavior 9:30-10. Everyone expelled by 10:05.


Features Patrick Stewart, Ian Richardson, Elizabeth Spriggs, Mike Gwilym and Susan Woolridge. Directed by David Jones.


David