Teaser Image May 2021

This! May 202114 min read

[A monthly link list of recommended articles, videos, podcasts, photos, tweets … you name it]

an image or two from my Tumblr
an image or two from my Tumblr
an image or two from my Tumblr


[Videos]

I Will Not Yield My Values: Fired AP Journalist Emily Wilder Speaks Out After Right-Wing Smears [democracy now] – Here’s the difference, rightwing cancel culture actually works and makes people lose their jobs.

Napster, iTunes, Spotify und die Plattformisierung der Welt – Grosses Theater

Gaza Fights For Freedom (2019) (not actually new, but quite relevant) – Abby Martin is of course controversial, but this documentary is very well done.


[Music]

We Are The Union – Boys Will Be Girls – Join the gender party.

The Kiffness – Alugalug Cat (how it happened here) – After hearing this song I can die in peace.


Not my favorite Burial tune, but still amazing.

LUMP – Animal – I like this world.


[Podcasts]

“Cancel Culture” w/ Moira Weigel, Nikhil Pal Singh, Patrick Blanchfield [the dig] – “What is so-called cancel culture? Why has it suddenly emerged as arguably the issue in right-wing politics? How does today’s cancel culture discourse differ from the anti-PC discourse that first emerged in the early 1990s? How do we distinguish between liberal opponents of PC like Jonathan Chain and right-wing ones like Donald Trump? And then, finally, is there still a there there? Some problems with The Discourse that we should reflect upon?” The oddness of the speakers is fun.

How Extremists Like The Proud Boys Weaponize Irony And Memes To Spread Hate [npr] – “On a recent episode of his livestreamed show, the 22-year-old extremist Nick Fuentes repeated a formula that has won him a following with some of the youngest members of the far right. He went on an extended, violent and misogynistic rant, only to turn to the camera and add with a smirk, “Just joking!” Things got difficult when the right discovered irony.


[Articles English]

Too woke? National Trust chair Tim Parker steps down [the art newspaper] – “The rebellion was sparked by a grassroots organisation called Restore Trust following the publication of a report last September about the links between the National Trust’s properties, and Britain’s colonial history, focusing on slavery. The 115-page document singled out 93 estates including Chartwell in Kent, the home of Winston Churchill.” Another example how rightwing cancel culture actually makes people lose jobs.

Honeybees are accumulating airborne microplastics on their bodies [national geographic] – “Scientists discover a new way to monitor airborne plastic particles. But do they harm bees?” Bees will laugh last.

The Very Real “Motherhood Penalty” in the Art World [hyperallergic] – “Research shows that women in the labor market are essential to economic growth, fighting poverty and maintaining those fertility rates that the New York Times is so worried about. It will take a lot more than grants, residencies or pointing to the same five female artists who “made it” after motherhood to reverse what has been lost.” Gender gap in the art world.

Richard Mosse: using weapons to photograph ecocide and erosion of human rights [wmmna] – “Richard Mosse‘s practice has been described as a prime example of “sensor realism.” He appropriates and subverts equipment designed for surveillance in order to challenge documentary tropes and force us to look anew at images we’ve seen again and again. His images do not strive for photorealism but they still manage to challenge our perspective on the erosion of human rights and environmental crimes as well as our own attention fatigue.” Loved his work at the biennale, this exhibit makes me wanna travel to Bologna. Well actually, I always wanna travel to Bologna. And I always wanna hang out with Regine.

Campus Cancel Culture Freakouts Obscure the Power of University Boards [teen vogue] – “The corporate capitalist regime that controls American university boards today has manufactured the current crisis of higher education by inflating tuition to compensate for state funding cuts while passing on the debt to students; hiring contingent rather than tenure-line staff to pay teachers less while withholding the security of academic freedom; and appointing administrators who are ultimately accountable to the regime.” Puts cancel culture in perspective by pointing out who remains in power.

Novelist Cory Doctorow on the Problem with Intellectual Property [jacobin] – “Enabled by a monopolistic global intellectual property (IP) regime and with a tip of the hat to billionaire Bill Gates, Big Pharma and its political allies have largely succeeded in controlling and defining the narrative during the early vaccine rollout — transforming the prospective solution to a global crisis into yet another occasion for narrow corporate profit, in this case at the expense of public health and a speedy end to the pandemic.” Bill Gates is a monster.

America’s Dead Souls [the paris review] – “At the end of her life my mother made less than $10,000 a year. Suffering from debilitating depression while caring for her aging parents, she found herself chronically unemployed, undermedicated, and overstressed. In our final phone call, as we navigated her looming eviction, she asked me, rhetorically: “Why are these people harassing me? What good does it do them?” I didn’t have an answer for her. Or I did, but it felt obvious and stupid to say out loud. They wanted money. Everybody wants money. The people in power don’t care if we live or die, as long as they get paid.” Heartbreaking.

Trash the Planet [itch.io] – Browsergame with for some reason raccoons? The second part of the game sucks.

The Peculiar Crowds That Line Up to Touch Juliet’s Breast in Verona [hyperallergic] – “Some time ago I found myself on a balcony in Verona staring down horrified as a laughing crowd surrounded a statue of Juliet, vying for the chance to touch her right breast.” Oh come on, italy.

Artists Document Violent Israeli Attacks Across Palestine [artasiapacific] – “Meanwhile, within Israel, members of Palestinian communities and their businesses in cities from Haifa to Lod, Akka, and Bat Yam, have become the targets of rampaging Israeli lynch mobs chanting “death to Arabs” and tagging homes and businesses for future attacks.” Powerful.

This is Why the World is Facing a Covid Apocalypse | by umair haque – “There is no good reason the rich world is stopping the rest of the world from producing enough Covid vaccines. We come back, in the end, to the only reasons there have ever been for tragedy and atrocity. Ideology. Vanity. Hubris. Greed. Hate. The only reasons, in the end, the world doesn’t have enough Covid vaccines to prevent a holocaust, and isn’t going to get them, are money and power, or to put it more accurately, greed and violence.” Strong worded, but very true.

Global Climate Report – April 2021 | State of the Climate [ncdc.noaa.gov] – “The April 2021 global surface temperature was 0.79°C (1.42°F) above the 20th century average of 13.7°C (56.7°F). This was the smallest value for April since 2013 and was the ninth warmest April in the 142-year record. April 2021 marked the 45th consecutive April and the 436th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average.” It’s still happening, bro.

How MDMA and Psilocybin Became Hot Investments [nyt] – “Psilocybin and MDMA are poised to be the hottest new therapeutics since Prozac. Universities want in, and so does Wall Street. Some worry a push to loosen access could bring unintended consequences.” Gimme my psylos, I am depressed.

Capitalism Is A Misanthropic, Dystopian Religion [caitlin’s newsletter] – “In times past the dominant religions had names like “Christianity” or “Islam”, which were used to promote doctrines that shaped societies, dominated civilizations, and built entire empires. Theocratic institutions labored on behalf of the powerful to bend entire continents to their will, using narratives about beneficent invisible deities as cover. Nowadays the dominant religion is called capitalism, and the theocratic institutions are called governments, and the beneficent deity is called the invisible hand of the market.” The invisible hand of the market is pseudoreligious and a fairy tale.

Residents Furious at Release of 500 Million Gene-Hacked Mosquitoes [futurism] – “A biotech company is releasing 500 million gene-hacked mosquitoes in Florida — and residents are enraged.” What could possibly go right.

Fentanyl Is the Genie That Won’t Go Back in the Bottle [jacobin] – “Two bandmates saw their sons both overdose on fentanyl in the space of a few years. The synthetic opioid crisis is more out of control than many realize, and the coronavirus pandemic has only made it worse.” Capitalism is a death cult.

Rich People Are Fueling Climate Catastrophe — But Not Mostly Because of Their Consumption [jacobin] – “What rich people do at home or in their car or on their private jet pales in comparison to the exploitation of labor and the wrecking of the earth that generates the money they enjoy.” Eat the rich.

Why the Panic Over Trans Kids? [current affairs] – “I have thrashed Shrier’s terrible arguments far beyond what they deserve, so in the interest of not boring your pants off, let me avoid further elongating this disquisition. I do, however, want to emphasize that when you scrutinize a lot of the anti- “social justice,” anti- “cancel culture,” anti- “woke,” anti- “identity politics,” anti- “political correctness” stuff, you will find that while it claims Activists and Ideologues are the ones with the dubious facts, the reality often turns out to be that what the Activists and Ideologues are saying is not nearly as wacky as how it is being portrayed. If you look closely and listen to them carefully, and see what they’re actually saying rather than what they’re presumed to be saying, you will find that the portrayals of them as hysterical, unreasonable, and censorious are often deeply unfair.” Nathan J. Robinson in his usual thorough way should actually end this debate. Listen to Nathan, people.

I got Rudi Dutschke’s FBI File [reddit] – “The main thing of note is how extensive the files are. There are hundreds and hundreds of pages, detailing all of his physical movements and the movements of him and his wife as they travel around Europe, physical profiles and pictures of him, profiles of his philosophies and his contacts with American student groups, and the constant need by multiple US branches of the FBI, the State Department, the US Treasury, and even local PDs to surveil him deny him access to the United States, which is reversed because of the recommendation by an ambassador after his assassination attempt leaves him brain damaged.” The sheer volume of these files should worry us all.

The Nazis Stole May Day, but Socialists Took It Back [jacobin] – “To win over German workers and replace their socialist loyalties with fascism, the Third Reich made a Nazi version of May Day a national holiday. But the real International Workers’ Day is the one that lives on today.” Deeply disturbing images of Hitler on may 1. flyers, hard to unsee.


[Articles German/French]

George Floyd nach Schweizer Art [republik] – “Mike Ben Peter stirbt in Lausanne, nachdem sechs Polizisten minutenlang auf ihn knien. Drei Jahre später ist der Fall noch immer ungeklärt. Warum in der Schweiz der Schwarze Mann Angst hat vor der Polizei. «Reise in Schwarz-Weiss», Folge 1.” Police racism in switzerland. Defund the police (and fund social work instead, I still need a job).

Stürzt “kritische Männlichkeit” das Patriarchat? [das lamm] – “Das Patriarchat muss weg – darin sind sich viele einig. Die Frage ist nur: wie? Eine Antwort lautet „kritische Männlichkeit“. Indem sich cis Männer mit ihrer eigenen Rolle im Patriarchat beschäftigen, arbeiten sie auch an dessen Umsturz – so die Idee. Doch: Ist das ein wirksamer Ansatz oder reine Nabelschau der Privilegien? Ein Thema, zwei Autor:innen, zwei Meinungen.” Let’s throw patriarchy out the window.

«Diese Frauen waren dabei, alles umzukrempeln» [woz] – “Die US-amerikanische Historikerin Carolyn J. Eichner forscht seit langem zu den Frauen und Revolutionärinnen in der Pariser Kommune. Nach nur 72 Tagen beendete die französische Regierung die sozialistische Selbstverwaltung im Mai 1871 mit einem Blutbad. Was ist geblieben von den feministischen Kämpfen jener Zeit?” There are many articles on the paris commune since it is the 150 year anniversary. Focus here is on three other influential women in the Paris commune, besides the best known Michel.

«Im Grunde verpachten wir unsere Staatsgewalt» [woz] – “Das ist ein klassisches Beispiel dafür, wie man durch die enge Sichtweise, man müsse die Eigentumsrechte der Pharmakonzerne schützen, mehr sozialen Schaden anrichtet, als man an Vorteilen bekommt. Zudem hat die Pharmaindustrie riesige öffentliche Subventionen erhalten, um die nötige Technologie zu entwickeln. Schliesslich unterbinden ökonomische Interessen eine gerechte Verteilung. Das ist nicht nur moralisch problematisch, sondern auch einfach idiotisch.” Big Pharma should be dismanteled.

Sie werfen anderen vor, Widersprüche nicht auszuhalten, und verfangen sich selbst darin [woz] – “Diese einst zu nuanciertem Denken fähigen Stimmen werfen anderen vor, Widersprüche nicht auszuhalten, und dabei verfangen sie sich doch selbst in ihnen. Sie poltern auf allen medialen Kanälen, beanspruchen Deutungshoheit und machen gleichzeitig jene mundtot, die sich ihnen in den Weg stellen. Sie suchen sich Beistand von anderen Gleichgesinnten, und keine verbale Waffe ist wirksamer als jene, die in die Dunkelkammer der deutschen Geschichte zurückführt.” A very brave take.

Permaculture et Microferme maraichère : une alternative agricole entre mythe et espoir [lundi.am] – “Si respectueuses, louables, souhaitables et généralisables soient ces approches et ces pratiques alternatives, elles restent largement insuffisantes à elles seules pour provoquer une véritable révolution et marée vertes dans le domaine agricole. Car sans véritable socle politique lui-même révolutionnaire, ces alternatives ne dureront pas et se prendront en pleine face le rouleau-compresseur de l’Agro-Business qui lui continue sa route vers l’effondrement… inexorablement.” Permaculture without system change means nothing.

EqualStreetNames Bern. Oder die Geschlechterverteilung der Strassennamen in meiner Heimatstadt. [habi.gna.ch] – “Von den 177 Strassen, die bis jetzt eine*r Namensgeber*in zugeordnet sind, sind 151 nach einem Mann und 24 nach einer Frau benannt. Die restlichen 731 Strassen sind entweder nach irgendwas sonst benannt, oder wurden noch nicht richtig zugeordnet.” Love this geeky project.

Gorillas Start-up: Die neuen Verteilungskämpfe [netzpolitik.org] – “Das Berliner Start-up Gorillas verspricht Lebensmittellieferungen in unter zehn Minuten und baut dazu in Wohnvierteln hyperlokale Logistikzentren auf. In Berlin-Kreuzberg zeigen sich die Auswirkungen auf den öffentlichen Raum.” Fuck start up capitalism.

Plague Raves in der Coronapandemie: Spreader on the Dancefloor [taz] – “Trotz Corona legen DJs bei „Plague Raves“ in Tansania, Russland und Indien auf. Inzwischen ist darüber ein erbitterter Streit entbrannt.” I always hated superstar DJs, now I despise them.

Judentum: Nur in Deutschland [zeit online] – “Aber ich bin hier und, noch einmal borush hashem, nicht allein. Langsam entstehen Allianzen: migrantisch-jüdisch, jüdisch-palästinensisch, interreligiös, Black-Jewish, Migrantifa. Diese Allianzen und Bündnisse sind nicht einfach nur Marketingpose oder Hashtag, sie sind überlebensnotwendig. Sie entstehen durch offenen, auch schmerzhaften Dialog, damit wir eine gemeinsame Sprache finden. Wir verteidigen uns, wir unterstützen uns, wir hören unseren Geschichten zu und schreiben zusammen eine neue. Wir wissen, wer unsere Feind*innen sind. Und natürlich kann über Deutsche gehatet werden.” The must read in May, even if it actually is from April 😉


[Older articles, still great]

Siriusmo – Comic – Happy song makes me happy.

How to change the course of human history [eurozine] – “Rousseau wasn’t a fatalist. What humans make, he believed, they could unmake. We could free ourselves from the chains; it just wasn’t going to be easy.” Cant wait for the Graeber and Wengrow book coming out this fall.

Some “Politically Incorrect” Pathways Through PC | by Stuart Hall – “Some extremely odd reversals seemed to be going on here. Strategies associated with the radical right, the security state or the authoritarian left were being appropriated by the inheritors of the free-speech, libertarian radicalism of the 1960s. The only arguments against it seemed to belong to the most feeble of the classical liberal cop-outs.” Hall kinda called it all in 1994.

Max Hölz – Anklagerede gegen die bürgerliche Gesellschaft 1921 [anarchismus.at] – “Die bürgerliche Ehre, um die Sie sich streiten, habe ich nie besessen. Bürgerliche Ehre heißt für mich die Kunst, von der Arbeit anderer zu leben. Sie bedeutet Monokel im Auge, voller Bauch und hohler Kopf. Für mich gibt es nur eine proletarische Ehre, und die wollen Sie mir und können Sie mir nicht absprechen. Proletarische Ehre heißt Solidarität aller Ausgebeuteten, heißt Nächstenliebe, heißt, durch die Tat beweisen, daß man seinen Nächsten liebt wie seinen Bruder. Die Welt ist unser Vaterland und alle Menschen Brüder.” 35 years+ thinking of myself as a radical leftist and I just dicovered Hölz now? Huge fail.


R.I.P.

Anna Halprin


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Header Photo: Tomato block presente

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