[A monthly link list of recommended articles, videos, podcasts, photos, toots … you name it]
[Disclaimer/Content Warning: The Gaza-Israel war has been my main preoccupation this month, and it still is, as i am sure for many of you as well. And as such it will be strongly featured in this link list. I will link to material, that some might deem controversial, as long as it (in my humble opinion) contains nuance and/or a perspective that helps us think through this scary clusterfuck of a situation. We need to keep an open mind, we need context, we need patience, we need to read diverse viewpoints and not jump to conclusions.
Of course the terrorist attacks by Hamas, their killing of way too many innocent civilians, needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms. But this did not “come out of nothing” as too many now claim, it does need to be looked at in its historical context. The reaction by the Israeli government and military after the Hamas attacks has started to look like an ethnic cleansing, or even a genocide. Some scholars already call it a textbook case of genocide, but it might be early to say so with conclusive certainty. Nevertheless it is important to take a clear stance against any form of ethnic cleansing or genocide, to condemn all war crimes, all forms of collective punishments.
We also need to remember that we find ourselves in a heavily propagandist environment (see: manufacturing consent video bellow or these guidelines on what “facts” to spread). All of the major players in this conflict can’t be trusted to be 100% reliable sources, Hamas (right wing, reactionary, terrorist), the current Israeli government (right wing, supremacist, settler-colonialist), the so-called US (are you kidding me?).
Early on in the conflict i wrote on Mastodon:
With these terrorist attacks, it sure sounds like Hamas is aiming for “The Extinction of the Grayzone”, a strategy we know from Daesh. Its goal is to push moderate people to pick a side. The Israeli government plays right into their hands with the siege, cutting of the water, electricity etc. for 2 Mio people, bombing mosques and calling the Palestinians savages*.
This article describes the strategy as used by Daesh/”ISIS”.
*small correction: “Savages” is how the Swiss news station RTS at first translated the statement by Gallant, since then translated as “we are fighting human animals”. Other than that, yes, i still think it is important, to stand “In defense of the Grayzone” as that article in roarmag (while talking about Daesh) explains. To stand in full solidarity with the civilian victims, there are way way way way way too many of them. To grieve for every single one of them. To condemn all war crimes. To take a stance against nationalism, state power, the international war machine. Now more than ever. To fight against all forms of antisemitism as well as all forms of hatred against Muslims (what is a better word for islamophobia, without the ableist phobia?).
This war must stop now. (Also the one in Ukraine and all the other wars as well!) Ceasefire now!
Just imagine, if we really are witnessing a genocide, and it sure looks like we do, but you supported the side that committed it.
Just imagine, this leads to a surge in antisemitic or anti-muslim hatred, and it sure looks like it does, but you participated in fueling the flames.]
[Videos]
The wolf pups of the Bug Creek Pack
[Music]
help fight fish farming in iceland
[Podcasts]
Elon Musk Unmasked: Origins of an Oligarch (Part 1) [tech won’t save us] – “Elon Musk wasn’t always the influential billionaire he is today. To begin our dive into the myth of Musk, we need to go back to his origins — to find out where he came from, what inspired him, and how he became the man he is today. Those details set the foundation for the three episodes to come.” Four part series on Musk by Paris Marx, “the left’s best Muskologist”, much better than that PBS documentary.
175: Diagonalism (w/William Callison and Quinn Slobodian) [conspirituality] – “Quinn Slobodian teaches Modern German History at Wellesley and William Callison teaches Political Theory and Human Geography at Uppsala. We first came across their work via Naomi Klein’s examination of the clusterf&cked politics that dominate the movements we cover. We dug out their paper, and they had us at this: “At the extreme end, diagonal movements share a conviction that all power is conspiracy.”” In reference to this paper:
Coronapolitics from the Reichstag to the Capitol [boston review] – “Defying conventional political labels and capitalizing on widespread distrust, a range of new movements share the conviction that all power is conspiracy.” The paper from January 2021 was mentioned in Doppelgänger, the new book by Naomi Klein.
Decolonial Disability Politics and the Left [death panel podcast] – “In this session, “Decolonial Disability Politics and the Left” Death Panel podcast co-hosts, Beatrice Adler-Bolton and Jules Gill-Peterson, are joined by theorist, Jasbir Puar, and Shira Hassan, who has spent decades building, documenting and participating in systems of change and support outside of the societal frameworks of oppression and exploitation. This session explores the links between disability, debility, and empire: how neoliberal framings of disability structurally exclude people disabled by ongoing colonialism and global/national/local schemes of extraction, and how to expand our conceptions of debility, disability, and capacity to include populations that don’t fit within tidy frameworks of pride and respectability.” The recording apparently had sound issues, so this actually is a transcript of the podcast.
[Toot Threads]
Eldan Goldenberg: “Israel & Palestine (long)” [mastodon] – “But not only am I a Jew, I am very publicly one. So I keep being invoked to defend and to attack. Israel claims to act in my name, under a flag that should be the symbol of my people, not one state. Zionist groups in the US & Canada claim to speak for all Jews, and smear dissenters like me as self-haters. Goyische allies shut down criticism of Zionism intending to keep me safe. And at the same time, actual antisemites frequently hijack pro-Palestinian activism.” Somehow i can’t embed this one.
[Pandemic Roundup]
Pandemic Roundup: October 26, 2023
Pandemic Roundup: October 19, 2023
Pandemic Roundup: October 12, 2023
Pandemic Roundup: October 5, 2023
Thanks Violet Blue for the continued top quality roundups. If you can, please consider supporting them.
[The Must Read[s] This Month]
An Open Letter to our Anarchist, Socialist and Radical Leftist Comrades [rant.li] – “Together, we can create a world that includes everyone. If you still want to, that is. And you should want to, because being abled-bodied and healthy is a temporary state – it might quite possibly not last forever. Most people experience disability or illness at some point in their lives. Or at the very least, they will have loved ones with this experience.” COVID is not over, the radical left should lead the charge of still hosting inclusive events with protective measures. This open letter tells you why and how.
How junk science set a country’s health and welfare policy | Nate Bear [substack] – “As the nature of long covid continues to be contested, and as its burden grows, stories like this are crucial to remind us that health is never apolitical. Medical professionals are not always, perhaps not even mostly, neutral arbiters of the scientific truth. They have deep and often unwavering social and political ideologies that help determine how they treat (or don’t treat) people. And these ideologies can harm huge numbers of people. The large-scale, coordinated minimisation of covid should remind us of this.” For a much deeper analysis on this issue, i can’t recommend it highly enough to please read the book Inflamed by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel.
I Have Discovered That Giving Up on the World Can Set You Free [substack] – “I felt like a prison guard forcing children to sit still and learn shit they’ll never need just so their parents can both work full-time. They never see their child anyway; what is the fucking sense of having one? Please don’t tell me about the purpose of schools and all your noble bullshit. I have spent years in the system, I have seen the purpose they serve. Conditioning. Servitude. Obey, obey, obey, or else.” The entire rant is great, this part specifically resonated with me. I suffered so much in school as a pupil, and here, finally, a teacher admits what it means.
The year poverty began to end | Nate Bear [substack] – “Only when we realise what could have been can we see that a return to normal was contingent on erasing covid from the collective consciousness. Normal being poverty, hunger, homelessness. The necessity for a permanent and visible underclass to keep the working and middle classes on their toes. For the machine to keep running, we had to forget that poverty is a policy choice. We needed those visible examples of who we could be should bad luck strike, or if we stop grifting for the man. Homelessness and poverty is capitalism’s live stream, broadcast everywhere to ensure you can never fully escape the sense of precarity about what might be.” That is why i simply can’t reconcile with the fact that even the fucking radical left participated in the normalization process, even lead the way in some cases.
Covid deaths are on the rise again, so what happens? Mask-wearing in hospitals is scrapped | George Monbiot [the guardian] – “For some people, going to hospital may now be more dangerous than staying at home untreated. Many clinically vulnerable people fear, sometimes with good reason, that a visit to hospital or the doctors’ surgery could be the end of them. Of course, there have always been dangers where sick people gather. But, until now, health services have sought to minimise them. Astonishingly, this is often no longer the case.” Pretty good article, but why did Monbiot not include this (he knew about it):
Let Them Eat Old Vaccines [okdoomer.io] – “The UK government gave more than 2.3 million vulnerable and older people a Covid vaccine that isn’t matched to the currently dominant Covid strains. It wasn’t a mistake. They did it to save money.” What a scandal. And no one gives a shit. Not even Monbiot.
CW: [Gaza/Israel]
Why I’m Finally Leaving X and Probably All Social Media | Rushkoff [substack] – “Where’s the real information? The question of Egypt not being willing to open the gate for Palestinians at the southern border because they’re fighting their own insurgency, the fact that a majority of Israeli Jews are people of color, the pogroms committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, the cynical reasons why Netanyahu helped Hamas rise to power? There’s no room for these “three body problems” on a platform like X, which is handicapping real discussion in favor of terror and bullying. Musk models the behavior he’s encouraging: be the troll.” Douglas Rushkoff on why social media is not a good idea to get your information from in times like these. Well actually, and increasingly so, always. Thanks to Melon Husk et al. Here’s the podcast version of the monologue.
Interview with an Israeli anarchist [161 crew] – “Situation in Gaza Strip is getting more catastrophic every day. In our attempt to better understand the situation in the region , we made an interview with an Israeli anarchist. We talk about the modern anarchist movement, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, resistance against it and prospects for the future.” An opportunity to read the view of an Israeli anarchist on the entire situation.
How To Talk About Gaza (w/ Naomi Klein & Omar Baddar) [levernews] – “I heard from multiple congresspeople today that “ceasefire” is now seen as toxic. It’s seen as not “standing with Israel.” And I saw a lot of signs in the hallways, “Stand with Israel,” which is code for blank check. It’s the same thing that the U.S. did after 9/11. Are you with us or with the terrorists? It’s a straight-up loyalty test. It’s outrageous, because these U.S. congresspeople should not be standing with Israel, if that means that there are no strings attached to any of the weapons, any of the aid. They should be standing with international law.”
Have We Learned Nothing? | David Klion [n+1] – “There’s a pervasive censoriousness right now—conservatives denouncing liberals, liberals denouncing leftists, leftists denouncing other leftists—that’s immediately familiar from the days and weeks after 9/11. Somehow, the upshot of all the denunciations and condemnations is the right’s unchallenged hold over the discourse, and, more importantly, the ultimate facts on the ground.” Not fully convinced that the comparison with 9/11 is apt, but when looking at its outcome, it sure looks familiar.
Even Before the Israel-Hamas War, Being Palestinian Was Controversial [nyt] – “I don’t hesitate for a second to condemn the killing of any child, any massacre of civilians — this of course includes Jewish life. It is the easiest ask in the world. And it is not in spite of that but because of that I say: Condemn the brutalization of bodies. By all means, do. Condemn murder. Condemn violence, imprisonment, all forms of oppression. But if your shock and distress comes only at the sight of certain brutalized bodies? If you speak out but not when Palestinian bodies are besieged and murdered, abducted and imprisoned? Then it is worth asking yourself which brutalization is acceptable to you, even quietly, even subconsciously, and which is not.” Key point. All deaths of civilians are unacceptable.
Tectonic Shifts [thebaffler] – “Generally, most people on the left in the United States will treat the law with scrutiny: it’s the product of politics and of the powerful, and not an ethical framework. That’s all still true when it comes to the laws of nations and the laws of war, but we don’t have another mode of discourse. For the oppressed people of the world, those condemned by history, this is a real challenge. On October 9, I asked on X, “What is the ethical way to climb out of hell?” This wasn’t a rhetorical question. I really don’t know.” This is the article i hesitated longest to include here, some of points do seem controversial. But, big picture, they argue in a congruent way, i think.
Judith Butler · The Compass of Mourning [lbr] – “It should not be the case that ‘contextualisation’ is considered a morally problematic activity, even though there are forms of contextualisation that can be used to shift the blame or to exonerate. Can we distinguish between those two forms of contextualisation? Just because some think that contextualising hideous violence deflects from or, worse, rationalises the violence, that doesn’t mean we should capitulate to the claim that all forms of contextualisation are morally relativising in that way.” This article got criticized heavily. And i think unfairly. Because when decided to read it, i was surprised, in a positive way, on how careful and precise Butler argued. They are handling their reach and influence responsibly.
Practicing New Worlds in a Time of Collapse [truthout] – “The idea that, in the face of extreme grief and loss, or in moments when we feel horribly wronged, we should be spared any interrogation of the violence being done in our names, or with our tax dollars, is extraordinarily dangerous. We are living through an era of climate chaos. As the suffering the U.S. imposes militarily, and through the violence of capitalism continues to compound, crisis is outpacing our collective empathy. With regard to COVID, many people seem to feel they’ve been through enough, and should not have to worry about precautions to protect themselves, their communities, or the most vulnerable among us. We have also seen the steady normalization of the mass deaths of migrants who are often being left to die, whether in the Mediterranean or Sonoran Desert — and how the technology and ideology that supports such actions is exported by right-wing authoritarian countries like Israel. With regard to Gaza, many people have taken the stance that because Hamas committed extreme acts of violence, no one else can be blamed for any atrocities that are committed in response — as though one tragedy lets us all off the hook, and genocide is no longer unthinkable, but instead, a political inevitability that cannot be helped.” In the podcast they speak about many other topics, this excerpt to me offers the big picture view.
Doomsday Diaries | Sarah Aziza [baffler] – ““But what about Hamas?” I grew up with this question whipped at my face every time I declared my people’s right to survive. “What about Hamas?” It didn’t matter if I’d just asked for clean water or the right to return to our stolen land. “What about Hamas?” they’d ask, holding my humanity hostage. Their smug smiles at this question, which they saw as a rhetorical coup. I gave them hours, pages of my words. I filled rooms with my hot breath, panting, “We are not terrorists—Hamas is a symptom of oppression—yes of course I condemn extremism—this is a struggle for human rights—Israel propped up Hamas for years—please look at our children—please, don’t you see our helpless elders?—please, if you don’t respect us as humans, could you spare some pity?”” To read these diaries affected made me cry.
When Jewish Anti-Zionists Are Compared to White Supremacists | Kelly Hayes [substack] – “We should stand united in the fight against antisemitism and Islamophobia going forward, both hold us back from liberation and this is exactly the kind of division the Israeli state uses to drive their war machine. It’s important to remain clear that Israel’s actions are not in the name of, or in collaboration with, all diaspora Jews and to place the struggle for liberation in Palestine within the global justice movement that likewise sees liberation for all people, including Jews.” The interview with Shane Burley offers precise distinctions.
Israel und Palästina: Erkennen, was uns alle verbindet [woz] – “Für eine Linke mit menschlichem Gesicht sollte die Forderung klar sein: eine deutliche Positionierung gegen Antisemitismus genauso wie gegen Islamfeindlichkeit.* Solidarität mit den Opfern beider Seiten. Doch was ist eine solche Forderung wert, wenn sie in der Umsetzung unmöglich zu sein scheint?” That is the question. In this world, in this situation, bullying us pick a side, nuance is what is needed, not optional.
Israel is Committing Genocide – “arguments to go around” Peter Gelderloos made his mind up early on the genocide question. It’s still an interesting read, that offers a lot of historical context and an anti-statist view on the conflict.
“This is not simply between Israel and Hamas. It’s much bigger than that.” | Paris Marx [substack] – “An interview with Antony Loewenstein on the Hamas attack, the brutal Israeli response, and the wider context of the conflict.” Loewenstein being the author of the highly recommended book The Palestine Laboratory.
Israel, Palestine and the Contradictions of Nationalism [igd] – “One can, and I think must, be able to support a struggle against colonization while being critical of (or just outright against) specific forces and actors within that struggle whose aims or methods are reactionary. Hamas are a reactionary force, even when they are fighting for a cause that is very worthy of support. Their own violence towards their fellow Palestinians, their aims as fundamentalists, and their tactics including the targeting of civilians are all enough to put them outside of the circle of forces worth supporting. None of which is to excuse at ALL the Israeli state, which in this war is going to wreak horrific suffering and death on the people of Gaza far above and beyond the gut-wrenching suffering inflicted on Israeli civilians in the last several days.” Keep casting a critical look at all the actors.
How Does This End? [current affairs] – “The responsibility of the international community is clear: we have to push for a final negotiated end to the conflict, through the end of Israel’s apartheid and the granting of full rights of self-determination to Palestine. Ultimately, as Chomsky and Cassif point out, the subjugation of Palestine is not in the interests of ordinary Israelis, who themselves deserve to live in peace. It guarantees Israel’s perpetual insecurity. So long as there are Palestinians, there will be resistance, some of which will be violent, and it will become more violent when other avenues for expressing dissent are closed off. To predict what will happen is in no way to justify it, and while we can and should condemn Hamas’ counterproductive and hideous atrocities, we need to understand why they occurred and how to prevent more from happening in the future.” Exactly that.
An Anarchist from Jaffa on the Violence in Palestine and Israeli Repression [crimethinc] – “The context of struggle here is between a nuclear military superpower and a dispossessed people. Colonialism does not relent. Colonialism will not step back of its own accord, not even if you ask nicely. Decolonialism is a noble cause, but the path to achieve it is often ugly and tainted by violence. In the absence of any realistic alternative to achieve liberation, people are forced into carrying out unjustifiable acts. It’s a fundamental reality of the disparity of power. To demand that the oppressed always act in the purest of ways is to demand they remain forever in servitude.” The interview was recorded before or even during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. It shows the perspective from a longer timeframe on how Israeli anarchists might view the situation.
[Articles English]
New Interview about Abolition and Infrastructure in Radical History Review [deanspade.net] – “Freshly published: Rachel Herzing, Bench Ansfield and I had a conversation about abolitionist questions of infrastructure, focusing on what transformative justice means, how abolitionists debate questions of state formation, and much more.”
The Best We Can Do? The Rise of Bullshit Research [okdoomer.io] – “They cite “studies” that suggest people with depression and chronic illness are just lazy. They make declarations about public health and call up one hack doctor willing to lie for 15 minutes of fame. Let’s call this bullshit research, the sibling of those bullshit jobs made famous by David Graeber. We are being fed trivia and bullshit about delighting listeners and smiling while the ecological foundations of our world are being destroyed. What happened to the great sense of inquiry that I’ve read used to exist in the world?” Nate Bear now crossposts his stuff to okdoomer.io. Saves you a visit to that horrible site called substack.
Brian Eno: why I sculpt sound [ft] – “The painter Philip Guston once said: “I paint what I want to see”. In my case, I compose the music I want to hear. I find myself discovering certain new feelings and trying to find out how I got to them, what in the music made them happen. I sometimes hear someone else’s music and imagine how I would improve it, or what I would leave out to make it better. Sometimes I hear something I dislike so much that I start imagining its exact opposite.” Eno seems to do the check-your-privilege-thing.
New research offers clues to what causes long COVID — fuelling hope for eventual treatments [cbc] News – “It’s still “early days” when it comes to answering that question, Schaffner added, because the latest published studies are fairly small and narrow in scope, based on researchers’ areas of expertise. “These various studies seem to complement each other,” he added, “even though they’re not exactly duplicative.” Schaffner and others are hopeful, however, that these kinds of emerging findings could eventually lead to a diagnostic test for long COVID, or to potential treatments.” Early days. And my fear as always, will this confirm all forms of LongCOVID or will it serve to triage the “real” cases from the “fake” ones, in order to save the state more money.
Toxic workplaces are the main reason women leave academic jobs [nature] – “Women feel driven out by problems with workplace culture more often than by lack of work–life balance.” This is confirmation what most women already knew.
Indigenous Groups Rally Against Lithium Extraction in Argentina [hyperallergic] – “Murals, flags, performance, and other artistic expressions define the ongoing struggle to protect lands threatened by rampant extraction of the so-called “white gold.”” Full solidarity.
Australians Vote Down Referendum to Recognize Indigenous Groups in Constitution [truthout] – “Aboriginal groups mourned the proposal, which would have created an advisory body to advocate for them in government.” So fucking awful to not even agree on such a minimal thing.
“That’s Never Going to Work.” How Futility Bias Keeps Us from Even Trying. [okdoomer.io] – “Futility bias tends to serve the status quo. It serves the affluent and the elite. It comes from a position of power and privilege. When someone leans on futility bias as a reason, they’re saying they’re too lazy or immature to do the right thing. They want everything to stay the same, no matter who’s getting hurt. It suits them. They’re saying they don’t care, and they’re counting on the idea that nobody else does.” For the next time someone tells you “it’s never gonna work”.
Fruit, wildflowers, insects: the people transforming disused land in England [the guardian] – “From community allotments to wildlife havens, guerilla gardeners are taking it upon themselves to create meaningful spaces” Guerilla gardening.
September 2023 Global Climate Report [ncei] – “The September global surface temperature was 1.44°C (2.59°F) above the 20th-century average of 15.0°C (59.0°F), making it the warmest September on record. September 2023 marked the 49th-consecutive September and the 535th-consecutive month with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th-century average. September 2023 was 0.46°C (0.83°F) above the previous record from September 2020, and marks the largest positive monthly global temperature anomaly of any month on record. The September 2023 global temperature anomaly surpassed the previous record-high monthly anomaly from March 2016 by 0.09°C (0.16°F). The past ten Septembers (2014–2023) have been the warmest Septembers on record.” This is normal.
The Coronavirus Still Doesn’t Care About Your Feelings [the nation] – “The Covid-19 pandemic is not a state of mind—and telling us not to panic isn’t healthcare.” Yet, the Coronavirus can affect your feelings, Long COVID often leads to depression and other mental health outcomes.
The Long Covid Reader: The Book About Covid Long Haulers by Mary Ladd – “An anthology amplifying the voices of 45 Long Haulers, sharing raw, powerful stories that shed light on the impact of Long Covid” A crowdfunded book written by people affected with Long COVID.
Covid Silence and How The Media Works [okdoomer.io] – “Covid doesn’t have a PR agency, and most studies are coming out of niche research labs or universities that have very limited or non-existent PR teams/agency support. And even when it’s coming out of a big university, the media teams at these unis are spread thin and often don’t see the humdrum science research as something to prioritise when it comes to media. It doesn’t raise money, it’s not that sexy etc.” Interesting thought, what of COVID had a lobby instead of the fucking pharma industry?
Plutocrats Forever | Peter Gelderloos [substack] – “Empathy alone was never enough to get me through. Rage followed closely on its heels, because of how clearly it felt like we should be fighting back against those things, that maybe we don’t truly understand them, as empathy demands, if we can accept them with equanimity. Honestly, we should feel rage that we live in a world where those things are allowed to occur, again and again and again. And that the people most responsible for them get rewarded, and the people who look away, who pretend to be asleep, usually have the easiest time getting by in the aftermath.” Didn’t know there were two plutos in Rome.
Someone Infected Neil Gaiman with COVID-19, After Venues Refused to Enforce Audience Masking [okdoomer.io] – “The passive voice has served a macabre purpose in this pandemic. The passive voice, by erasing the subject of the sentence, neatly obscures accountability, and with it our own role in unmitigated infections. Moreover, it has prevented us from identifying the layers of responsibility in enabling infections on a mass scale. This mental block is the first obstacle to advocating for effective mitigations and constructive solutions. It stops us from preventing infections. But that is changing now. It is time to own the damage that we are causing by infecting others with COVID-19. I believe that we all know, deep inside, that we are causing harm. And many of us are suffering from the cognitive dissonance of pretending that we aren’t. Because, in a pandemic, this is serious and large-scale harm.” Helpful distinction. People spreading COVID have gotten easy so far.
Linton Kwesi Johnson Is a Revolutionary Poet for Our Times [jacobin] – “In our contemporary political landscape, increasingly characterized by reactionary onslaught and progressive retreat, Johnson stands out as that rarest of figures: a people’s poet and radical of radicals. In his work and in his person he keeps alive the many currents of struggle and resistance, suffering and solidarity, history and music, that made the emancipation movements of the global black proletariat as transformative as they have been in the decades since the mid-century wave of decolonial and anti-segregationist campaigns.” <3
Elon Musk is a racist | Paris Marx [disconnect] – “From demonizing migrants to pushing “white genocide,” he’s saying the silent part out loud” Also check out the podcast by Marx linked above.
Artist Shellyne Rodriguez Agrees to Plea Deal [hyperallergic] – “Her misdemeanor charge will be withdrawn upon completion of a minimum of six months of behavioral therapy and compliance with good behavior.” I so feel with this artist.
The 15-Minute City Conspiracy Theory Goes Mainstream [wired] – “The conspiracy has taken hold among right-wing audiences in the United States on social media, with psychologist turned right-wing conspiracy theorist Jordan Peterson boosting it in a tweet late last year that has been viewed almost 8 million times.” Oh fuck you, JP.
The Collapse Will Not Be Televised | Jessica Wildfire [okdoomer.io] – “The spectacles will be the last thing to go. As society collapses, the rich will work overtime to supply everyone with a constant stream of distraction and entertainment. They’ll encourage everyone to keep eating out, shopping, and watching movies no matter what virus is spreading. A growing number of people will be too braindead and emotionally numb to resist. The concerts aren’t going to stop. The football games aren’t going to stop. The movies aren’t going to stop. The elite will keep all of that going as long as possible, no matter the cost. That’s what convinces everyone that everything’s okay. If that ended, people would have to stop and pay attention to what’s happening. They would actually feel how hot it is. They would feel the despair. They might do something.” Football, festivals, clubbing are what keeps us docile.
Fascism in America: a long history that predates Trump [the guardian] – “We don’t sufficiently teach civics or democratic awareness [in high schools], how fascism and far-right extremist movements have a long history in the US,” Rosenfeld said. “We think we’re an exception, that America fought ‘the good war’ to defeat fascism and Nazism. We patted ourselves on the back for many decades as ‘the greatest generation’ – a useful myth for American public life that blinded us to darker undercurrents in our society.” Might be a book to read.
[Articles German/French]
Abschreckungspolitik in der Postkartenidylle [daslamm] – “Nachdem Bayram Hasgül im Gurnigelbad an einem Herzinfarkt starb, steht die Asylunterkunft im ehemaligen Berner Kurhotel in der Kritik. Der Todesfall sei nur die Spitze des Eisbergs, sind sich Bewohnende und Aktivist*innen einig.” It is so goddamn awful how we treat refugees in this country.
Silvia Federici: «Die Nacht zu einem gefährlichen Ort zu machen, war im Interesse der Mächtigen» [woz] – “Sie zeigt, dass Hexenverfolgung und Entstehung des Kapitalismus eng zusammenhingen – und propagiert Gemeingüter als feministische Verteidigungsstrategie: Eine Begegnung mit Silvia Federici in Glarus, wo 1782 Europas letzte «Hexe» hingerichtet wurde.” This sadly is a remarkably uncritical interview, please also read the two older critiques of her work:
Caliban and the Witch: A critical analysis [1919]
“Critical analysis of Sylvia Federici’s Caliban and the Witch demonstrates her lack of seriousness in dealing with an important issue: why was the last phase (from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century) of the multi-secular transition from feudalism to capitalism accompanied in Western Europe by a deterioration of the situation of women, from the top to the bottom of the social ladder?”
Beyond the Periphery of the Skin – Silvia Federici [full stop]
“Silvia Federici’s Beyond the Periphery of the Skin: Rethinking, Remaking, and Reclaiming the Body in Contemporary Capitalism is a baffling work that slides from the academically indefensible to the ethically dubious with remarkable facility.”
Überwachung: Die Predator Files [woz] – “Eine Welt ohne Skrupel: Wie die Intellexa-Allianz um den israelischen Exgeheimdienstler Tal Dilian Überwachungstrojaner an Despoten verkauft – und die Schweiz als sicheren Hafen zur Verschleierung ihrer Geschäfte nutzt. Die grosse internationale Recherche.” A research into not much new stuff.
[Older articles, still great]
The Weaponisation of Labour Antisemitism | David Graeber – Graeber of course says nothing about the current war in Israel, but his reflections still can be quite helpful now.
Manufacturing Consent Noam Chomsky and the Media (Documentary)
Why Anti-Authoritarians are Diagnosed as Mentally Ill, and How This Helps America’s Illegitimate Authorities Stay in Charge [brucelevine.net] – “Many people with severe anxiety and/or depression are also anti-authoritarians. Often a major pain of their lives that fuels their anxiety and/or depression is fear that their contempt for illegitimate authorities will cause them to be financially and socially marginalized; but they fear that compliance with such illegitimate authorities will cause them existential death.” Context!
Letter to a Young Doctor | Johanna Hedva [triple canopy] – “I want it to be that trust is the most important thing a doctor and her patient can share, because trust is what keeps people from falling apart, and it’s what puts broken ones back together, and in the cases where the brokenness is all there is, trust can offer a small encouragement that the brokenness is bearable—that it can eventually, hopefully, ideally be reframed not as “brokenness” at all, but as the different parts that are there to work with.” The letter to a young poet of disability justice.
R.I.P.
Much much much much much too many civilians in Israel and Gaza.
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Header Photo: A flock of Alpacas