I don't want to justify attitudes in the US and can't speak for Rhizome for that matter but I do want to say that what's going on here - Wikileaks is not as important or violent as some of the other things going on. Some examples - Obama keeping the Bush onslaught on the Environmental Protection Agency in place; his backing the Bush tax cuts for the rich; the failure of health-care; the daily dose of ugly racism and ignorance from the heart of the Republican party; the increase in violent crime (at least here in NY) and increase in homelessness; the long soup kitchen lines; the arrogance of the rich and railroading of grass-roots organizations; the onslaught against immigration and "anchor babies"; the constant lies and viciousness of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and others; the constant war in Afghanistan and clandestine wars elsewhere; the ugliness of a Congress that can't even grant the 9/11 workers decent healthcare; the hatred of Muslims; the national debt creating an economy tottering on the brink of chaos; minor things like open season for bear hunting in New Jersey; the closing of firehouses and other basic care facilities in NYC; in other words, the unraveling of a fundamental social fabric that allows folks to think about things like Wikileaks; and this sort of news goes on daily. We're now 25th in education, 40th in infant mortality; way down in quality of life indices; 17th or 18th in terms of lifespan; highest by a factor of 2 or 3 in health-care costs; and so forth. I support Wikileaks and associated groups; but I worry about suicidal friends, ill friends, friends in despair more; and this is where a lot of my mental energy goes. This may not explain anything, but it's the best I can do.
- Alan On Sat, 11 Dec 2010, marc garrett wrote: > Hi Andreas, > > > Subversion is not a political attitude, it is a way of life... > > Being a decent human being is considered either negative or a criminal > activity in itself. > > I have not noticed many art groups in the UK other than ourselves and > Mute, discussing all these issues as openly. > > Across the sea, Rhizome.org in America is 'silent' regarding the > wikileaks or student cuts around the world - I would of hoped the > individuals who run the platform would be brave enough to activate some > kind of dialogue around it. And I suppose, what it tells me is that, > they do not care enough to push these things into the public for mutual > dialogue. Yes, I know it may threaten funding, but we have the same > problems here. > > Next week live on Resonance fm, our last broadcast this year - we are > holding a minute silence 'live' on the radio to mourn the death of > education. > > All this stuff threatens the existence of furtherfield and the space we > have in London plus many projects we are involved in, most of them > socially engaged - and that's what the government wants to happen. > > And all those peer 'art' groups who do not openly challenge the powers > that be will be invested in, such as those similar to Rhizome.org > because they tow the line - and lets not forget that this is not just a > national issue, it is an international, neoliberlist attack on > humanities. And I will not 'ever' forgive those who have so conveniently > kept silent, when as others have at least tried to make real changes in > culture; deeper than promoting top-down artists and institutional > drone-art, and product and technologically determined (so called) art, > conveyor belt products. Techno-bling is boring, boring, boring, and shallow. > > We have already been warned to stop discussing the current crisis > regarding cuts and the neoliberlaist situation with our own community, > by friends who are well connected to others in power, who are watching > us - and it really feels strange and distressing to know that by openly > discussing this with you and others, that I may be risking the future of > our independent, creative and brilliant individuals and groups who are > part our networked communities... > > wishing you well. > > marc > > > > > > Shame on our justice systems and the prosecution of our idealistic > motivated youth, which are threatened all over the world by the > fillistines called judges > > > > More examples of injustice in our so called democracies: > > > > Hungary: > > > > Asisstence given by child birth at home, imprisoned until at least > January 2011 > > > > Source : chtodelat > > > > Us Chigaco > > > > Three young women accused of travelling to Palestine put on trial by > the FBI > > > > Source: hufftington post > > > > And so it goes on and on and on > > > > What is there to stop falling in a cynical state of mind and a > profound sadness about the failure of the human project? > > > > How to survive in a bitter and cold world without shared ethical and > moral principles ? > > > > I am deeply depressed by the current situation and can hardly believe > it will be better during my lifetime > > > > Liberators turn out to be ursurpators in the very end > > > > Andreas Maria Jacobs > > > > w: http://www.nictoglobe.com > > w: http://burgerwaanzin.nl > > > > On 11 Dec 2010, at 11:24, marc garrett > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> Angles On Anonymous. > >> > >> "A number of readers are sending in links related to Anonymous, the > >> Internet phenomenon ??? don't call them a group ??? behind the > controversial > >> DDoS attacks on commercial entities that fail to support WikiLeaks. The > >> best insight into Anonymous comes from the Economist's Babbage blogger, > >> who hung out in one of their IRC channels > >> (http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/12/more_wikileaks). Reader > >> nk497 points out that UK users looking to join Anonymous's DDoS army > >> should be aware they could face a jail term of up to two years > >> > (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/363523/wikileaks-protest-tool-could-carry-two-year-jail-stretch); > >> simply downloading the LOIC software used in the DDoSing could suffice > >> to earn a conviction. One 16-year-old has been arrested > >> > (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/12/first-arrest-made-in-wikileaks-revenge-attacks.ars) > >> in The Netherlands and is charged with participating in the DDoS. Reader > >> ancientribe sends in coverage of a claim by one security outfit that > >> several existing criminal botnets have joined forces > >> > (http://www.darkreading.com/database-security/167901020/security/attacks-breaches/228800076/botnet-operators-set-to-join-operation-payback.html) > >> with Anonymous's Operation: Payback. And reader Stoobalou notes a > >> Thing.co.uk story on a manifesto of sorts > >> > (http://www.thinq.co.uk/2010/12/10/who-are-anonymous-and-what-do-they-want/) > >> that purports to come from "ANON OPS," even though Anonymous disclaims > >> any central spokesperson or entity - press release here > >> (http://dump.no/files/467072ba2a42/ANONOPS_The_Press_Release.pdf) PDF." > >> From Slashdot.org > >> > >> wishing you well. > >> > >> marc > >> _______________________________________________ > >> NetBehaviour mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > >> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > NetBehaviour mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > == email archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ webpage http://www.alansondheim.org music archive: http://www.espdisk.com/alansondheim/ current text http://www.alansondheim.org/qv.txt == _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
