Recently I heard someone above me in the local chain-of-command speak dismissively, almost contemptuously about "anarchism".
Perhaps they had in mind the style---black clothes and a dog on a string....
Nonetheless, I was thinking about what I saw recently on "DemocracyNow"....
Generals and other important persons talking about sexual abuse in the military...
And, you could see: they just don't get it.
But the emotions are interesting and complex: frustration, wounded pride, etc.
And today I thought to myself: The army always being one of the least democratic institutions in the world, the most hierarchical, that sort of reaction is just what an anarchist would predict.
I wanted to say: That's just what anarchist theory would predict, but I know that the collection of views associated with the term are a bit woolly, hence maybe "theory" would be inaccurate.
Nonetheless, if you think self-government, autonomy, and human creativity go together, then
you wouldn't be surprised by what's going on today in the USA with the military.......Hierarchical structures inevitably produce a sort of stupidity and blindness, with a corresponding set of emotions.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Down-Side of Spring
Spring has many disadvantages. Mostly Noise!!
If I were dictator, I would immediately make two laws:
1. Anyone who leaves their dog tied up outside a grocery store, would be fined, and the dog would be taken away from them, if they left it outside barking and whining for more than sixty seconds.
2. No motorcycles would be permitted within city limits, especially not in my neighborhood. Anyone caught driving their noisy motorcycle within five miles of my residence would be locked for two days in a room with a whining dog.
If I were dictator, I would immediately make two laws:
1. Anyone who leaves their dog tied up outside a grocery store, would be fined, and the dog would be taken away from them, if they left it outside barking and whining for more than sixty seconds.
2. No motorcycles would be permitted within city limits, especially not in my neighborhood. Anyone caught driving their noisy motorcycle within five miles of my residence would be locked for two days in a room with a whining dog.
profit and anti-culture
My mother recently was explaining that she feels as though she is being absolutely harassed by doctors!
First, there is the case of the doctor who implanted a chip in her breast--without informing her in advance, let alone getting prior consent!
And, then, more recently, there is the case of the doctor's administrative assistant who keeps calling to"remind" my mother that she needs a mammogram.
My mother is eighty-six, almost eighty-seven years old. And a couple of years ago, a doctor who was an expert told her----after an especially painful mammogram---that she didn't really need to have them anymore.
My mother's diagnosis is that this has got more to do with money than health. They want access to the dollars available through her Medicare Insurance.
There's lots to be said here. However, it is clear that the medical system is, at this point, not serving my mother well.
A related, but different point.
Recently a food expert appeared on Democracy Now. His remarks about the adulteration of flour could have been taken right out of Marx's 'Capital', Volume One.
Moreover, he said quite clearly that the reason we ever got white flour is the profit motive. He wasn't the sort to push the political implications of this. However, I am. Here's our health, at the most basic level, under attack by capitalism.........
Did you say "change"? "Time for a change?" I think I heard someone say that...............
First, there is the case of the doctor who implanted a chip in her breast--without informing her in advance, let alone getting prior consent!
And, then, more recently, there is the case of the doctor's administrative assistant who keeps calling to"remind" my mother that she needs a mammogram.
My mother is eighty-six, almost eighty-seven years old. And a couple of years ago, a doctor who was an expert told her----after an especially painful mammogram---that she didn't really need to have them anymore.
My mother's diagnosis is that this has got more to do with money than health. They want access to the dollars available through her Medicare Insurance.
There's lots to be said here. However, it is clear that the medical system is, at this point, not serving my mother well.
A related, but different point.
Recently a food expert appeared on Democracy Now. His remarks about the adulteration of flour could have been taken right out of Marx's 'Capital', Volume One.
Moreover, he said quite clearly that the reason we ever got white flour is the profit motive. He wasn't the sort to push the political implications of this. However, I am. Here's our health, at the most basic level, under attack by capitalism.........
Did you say "change"? "Time for a change?" I think I heard someone say that...............
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Happiness
"Who are You?" she barks.
Smartly attired, with her reading glasses perched upon her nose,
the woman gazes at me sternly.
Once I have identified myself, producing the requisite official identification,
she proceeds to begin the process which will allow me to wash my clothes.
You see, locally, washing machines are strictly rationed to foreign visitors.
And, we must, upon each visit to the Custodians of the Washing Machines,
produce proof of identity prior to payment.
And I, for my part, am most grateful that my identity has been established, and confirmed,
and re-established so frequently. No crises of identity for me!
But, at any rate, as she scribbles in her book, with great focus and diligence,
as if she were recording my victories in the war against ignorance,
she seems to be totally absorbed in her task, and, even, self-satisfied.
And, I said to myself: "Now, that's happiness!"
Well, perhaps--the happiness of a bureaucrat who has learned to enjoy their meaningless work.
And, this, in short, is also the problem I have with the final pages of Keith Oatley's impressive and immensely valuable little book on Emotion. If we can focus our minds so as to "enjoy" the "flow" of trivial activities, is that really happiness---or, merely professional deformation of character?
Note: I have been told by a student that I have entirely the wrong impression. After all, every family in these parts owns a washing machine. Well, in that case, why is it that visiting foreigners live below the local standard? Why must I go through a laborious and idiotic process of identity-verification (as if I were crossing a border) and painfully time-wasting paper generation to record my payment, as well as the details of my washing routine (one machine or two? For how many hours?)
Sorry, but it all strikes me as pure idiocy. I don't care if local families have one or two or four or twenty washing machines. What I care about is the complicated system which needlessly enlarges the time that I must spend in order to merely wash my clothes---and pay my employer to do so. Over the course of six months, the time I waste in these negotiations with the custodians of the washing machines is not trivial.
Smartly attired, with her reading glasses perched upon her nose,
the woman gazes at me sternly.
Once I have identified myself, producing the requisite official identification,
she proceeds to begin the process which will allow me to wash my clothes.
You see, locally, washing machines are strictly rationed to foreign visitors.
And, we must, upon each visit to the Custodians of the Washing Machines,
produce proof of identity prior to payment.
And I, for my part, am most grateful that my identity has been established, and confirmed,
and re-established so frequently. No crises of identity for me!
But, at any rate, as she scribbles in her book, with great focus and diligence,
as if she were recording my victories in the war against ignorance,
she seems to be totally absorbed in her task, and, even, self-satisfied.
And, I said to myself: "Now, that's happiness!"
Well, perhaps--the happiness of a bureaucrat who has learned to enjoy their meaningless work.
And, this, in short, is also the problem I have with the final pages of Keith Oatley's impressive and immensely valuable little book on Emotion. If we can focus our minds so as to "enjoy" the "flow" of trivial activities, is that really happiness---or, merely professional deformation of character?
Note: I have been told by a student that I have entirely the wrong impression. After all, every family in these parts owns a washing machine. Well, in that case, why is it that visiting foreigners live below the local standard? Why must I go through a laborious and idiotic process of identity-verification (as if I were crossing a border) and painfully time-wasting paper generation to record my payment, as well as the details of my washing routine (one machine or two? For how many hours?)
Sorry, but it all strikes me as pure idiocy. I don't care if local families have one or two or four or twenty washing machines. What I care about is the complicated system which needlessly enlarges the time that I must spend in order to merely wash my clothes---and pay my employer to do so. Over the course of six months, the time I waste in these negotiations with the custodians of the washing machines is not trivial.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Same Conversation
For as many years as I can now remember,
I seem to have the same conversation over and over again with Europeans.
It goes something like this:
He or she alludes to communism,
but does not provide details.
And that allusion is enough to tilt the conversation.
I must acknowledge the allusion and shut up.
We don't describe or analyze.
We shift.
And if I happen to say something about the USA,
about wealth inequality,
or racism,
or anything less than the Hollywood Stereotype,
somehow it's not given equal weight,
or it sits there in the conversation not moving things one way
or another.
Or, even,
often,
there are the doubts:
Could that be true?
I don't believe it!
You must be exagerrating!
Because de facto censorship,
and propaganda have done their job.
I seem to have the same conversation over and over again with Europeans.
It goes something like this:
He or she alludes to communism,
but does not provide details.
And that allusion is enough to tilt the conversation.
I must acknowledge the allusion and shut up.
We don't describe or analyze.
We shift.
And if I happen to say something about the USA,
about wealth inequality,
or racism,
or anything less than the Hollywood Stereotype,
somehow it's not given equal weight,
or it sits there in the conversation not moving things one way
or another.
Or, even,
often,
there are the doubts:
Could that be true?
I don't believe it!
You must be exagerrating!
Because de facto censorship,
and propaganda have done their job.
why the computer revolution is a lie
In the USA you need a car to get to work. But, if you haven't got much money, you've got to buy a used car. And, so, if you've got an older car, it's more likely to break down.
So, it's a vicious circle. Not enough money to buy a new car. Not enough money to keep up with repairs. And, so problems at work. Which means, once again, problems with getting money.
Likewise, today, with computers.
I need my computer for my job.
But, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was forced
to purchase a computer at short notice, in a country I don't know,
in a city I don't know, and I didn't want to throw all of my resources into the purchase.
So, I ended up with a very low quality computer, whose most basic features are problematic.
Problematic? A mouse-pad that takes me to places I don't go.
A "Bluetooth" accessory that doesn't work.
ETC.
In short, I am screwed.
And now I haven't got the money to buy a better computer.
That's not progress.
So, it's a vicious circle. Not enough money to buy a new car. Not enough money to keep up with repairs. And, so problems at work. Which means, once again, problems with getting money.
Likewise, today, with computers.
I need my computer for my job.
But, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was forced
to purchase a computer at short notice, in a country I don't know,
in a city I don't know, and I didn't want to throw all of my resources into the purchase.
So, I ended up with a very low quality computer, whose most basic features are problematic.
Problematic? A mouse-pad that takes me to places I don't go.
A "Bluetooth" accessory that doesn't work.
ETC.
In short, I am screwed.
And now I haven't got the money to buy a better computer.
That's not progress.
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