Hello, Glad to hear that. OK, the sooner the better... only 150 words or less. Best A
On Wed, May 4, 2022, at 18:31, nettime-l-requ...@mail.kein.org wrote: > Send nettime-l mailing list submissions to > nettime-l@mail.kein.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > nettime-l-requ...@mail.kein.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > nettime-l-ow...@mail.kein.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of nettime-l digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Quick notes about the French context (Fr?d?ric Neyrat) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 4 May 2022 12:30:57 -0500 > From: Fr?d?ric Neyrat <fney...@gmail.com> > To: analoguehori...@gmail.com > Cc: a moderated mailing list for net criticism > <nettime-l@mail.kein.org>, Brian Holmes <bhcontinentaldr...@gmail.com> > Subject: <nettime> Quick notes about the French context > Message-ID: > <cabb5bs1aybgxthxrhbteqnbpwxd94z5wzharyk54-cstkke...@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > 1) "A left majority": it's a possibility at least, because Macron's party > is not that strong and going through difficult alliances; the Rassemblement > National (Lepen/ far right) might be seen as unable to really challenge > Macronism and for this reason the left alliance might be seen as a real > political alternative: people in the US and elsewhere do not really know, > maybe, how Macron is hated, and for legitimate reasons. > > The political scheme is the following: > - Lepen = fascist State based on neoliberalism; > - Macron = neoliberalism using fascist methods > > M?lanchon might be seen as the only option to avoid the > Macron-Lepen tandem, a tandem that we get stuck with since Pinochet (either > a fascist State based on neoliberalism, > or neoliberalism using fascist methods). > > 2) What is "interesting" in the current situation is that all the > hypocrite people who voted for Macron for the second round of the > French presidential election to "faire barrage ? l'extr?me-droite/to block > the far-right," but who have not done what would have been the only > efficient way to do so during the first round, i.e. having voted for > M?lanchon, are now compelled to acknowledge that they are not leftists any > longer, but rightist. I mean: the fact of the leftist alliance produces a > clarification of the political landscape. > > 3) Does it mean that M?lanchon is my cup of tea? No: he comes from the > Socialist Party, he is still someone who struggles with understanding that > imperialism is not anylonger a US privilege, he said stupid things about > Syria, etc. But I never saw anyone else able to evolve in the good > direction as he did (about feminism for instance, and about ecology). > > 4) An anecdote: on May 19, 2021, a day of infamy, the cops demonstrated in > front of the French National Assembly, against the judicial institution, > accompanied by the Minister of the Interior and the leaders of the > Socialist, Communist, and Europe Ecology-Les Verts parties. The only party > that was not present was the one of M?lanchon. Only for that, glory be to > him. > > FN > > > On Wed, May 4, 2022 at 9:49 AM <analoguehori...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > What are the odds of a left majority parliament in France? > > > > > > https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/04/french-socialist-party-agrees-alliance-with-far-left-for-june-elections > > > > On Wed, 4 May 2022 at 02:26, Brian Holmes <bhcontinentaldr...@gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > >> That's brilliant Frederic. I have not followed French politics for years > >> and I am glad to hear what you say! > >> Here, maybe I am missing it, but it seems there is no parallel. > >> Tell more about it, what you think are the strong points. > >> > >> On Tue, May 3, 2022 at 3:19 PM Fr?d?ric Neyrat <fney...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >>> > >>> dear Brian, > >>> > >>> "Archaic communism" is certainly a wrong way to speak about M?lanchon: I > >>> mean, it's certainly what Macron thinks, what all the persons who used to > >>> vote for the "Parti Socialiste" (sic) in order to set up a neolibreal > >>> society think, what many former leftists in Multitudes think (some > >>> renegades, to use Badiou's concept), but to call "archaic communist" an > >>> anti-nuclear Party promoting one of the most daring ecological programs > >>> that exists nowadays is weird, to say the least. That being said, there > >>> are > >>> many problems in La France Insoumise, but M?lanchon was able to evolve in > >>> so many good ways that, well, what do you want? And it seems that a > >>> leftist > >>> coalition is possible these days for the next elections. That's not bad I > >>> think. That's something al least. > >>> > >>> In solidarity, > >>> > >>> Fr?d?ric > >>> __________________________________ > >>> ________________ > >>> > >>> > >>> On Tue, May 3, 2022 at 3:08 PM Brian Holmes < > >>> bhcontinentaldr...@gmail.com> wrote: > >>> > >>>> I think this debate is totally interesting, and I certainly would be > >>>> against screening articles for political correctness! The latter can only > >>>> be achieved by debate and real understanding. > >>>> > >>>> What's characteristic about this moment is that established political > >>>> positions have collapsed, including that of the socialist Left whose > >>>> blindspot has always been communist authoritarianism, whether historical > >>>> in > >>>> the case of the USSR or extant in the Chinese case. This could be an > >>>> important chance for everyone to learn something new, and crucially, to > >>>> come up with new policies. But it isn't happening, not yet anyway. > >>>> Instead > >>>> we have a "fog of partisanship" in which center left, center right and > >>>> far > >>>> left all rehash their worldviews, even as the old authoritarian demons > >>>> reassert themselves and the new challenges of climate change start > >>>> getting > >>>> serious. The victor of the ideological struggle, for the moment, is the > >>>> emergent national-populist right, whose core program of deglobalization > >>>> and > >>>> re-shoring is buried under culture wars and the thrill of polarization. > >>>> We > >>>> may soon get the chance to see what that buried agenda gets turned into > >>>> in > >>>> the USA, where the culture-war rhetoric appears primed to score major > >>>> electoral victories. > >>>> > >>>> Under these conditions it becomes harder to categorize and label > >>>> individual positions. As in the case of Applebaum, valuable concepts and > >>>> assessments are mixed with confusion and self-justification. You have to > >>>> simultaneously identify the true parts AND remember the enormous mistakes > >>>> that these individuals have made, as well as the horrors perpetrated > >>>> within > >>>> policy networks that they still support. It is so easy for an old Cold > >>>> Warrior to talk about the cities bombed during WWII, and still easier to > >>>> just forget Fallajuh in Iraq, where the Americans, acting in a rebooted > >>>> Cold War mode, committed one of the most murderous acts in human history. > >>>> To think there is no danger of another Fallujah is, imho, as naive as to > >>>> think that Russia should not be confronted today. > >>>> > >>>> The article that Michael Benson sent on Applebaum continually makes the > >>>> point that she is unable to ascribe any fault to her own side for > >>>> generating the fascistic national-populism that so many of her old > >>>> friends > >>>> now embrace. Perhaps the author is keenly aware that the center left is, > >>>> if > >>>> anything, worse on that score. Global neoliberalism and the ardent belief > >>>> that borderless commerce would soothe the slumbering authoritarian beast > >>>> were the creations of the center-left in the Clinton-Blair-Schroeder > >>>> years. > >>>> Not only did that fail spectacularly with Russia and China, it also > >>>> failed > >>>> with the US, British, French and perhaps other working classes, leaving > >>>> them desperate on both the economic and cultural levels, and therefore > >>>> open > >>>> to all kinds of opportunistic rhetoric. > >>>> > >>>> I was certain that capitalist globalization would ruin national systems > >>>> of solidarity, spark a populist backlash and supercharge climate change, > >>>> so > >>>> I opposed it. Now in the US, neither the center nor the far left can even > >>>> talk about political economy in any coherent way - the center because it > >>>> can't admit abysmal failure, and the socialist left, because it has > >>>> accepted its role in the culture war, which is to call the other side > >>>> racist pigs and consider that a platform. In France the situation is > >>>> worse: > >>>> the center parties have disappeared in favor of a national-populism > >>>> aligned > >>>> with Russia (Le Pen), a catch-up neoliberalism that arrived decades too > >>>> late to succeed (Macron) and what looks to me like another archaic > >>>> communism (Melenchon). What you don't see are assessments of the major > >>>> trends attendant on capitalist globalization: their origins, their > >>>> effects, > >>>> and the ways to valuably intervene. > >>>> > >>>> thoughtfully, Brian > >>>> > >>>> On Tue, May 3, 2022 at 6:11 AM allan siegel < > >>>> allansie...@internet-mail.org> wrote: > >>>> > >>>>> Dear Michael and Nettimers, > >>>>> > >>>>> I do not favour a pre-screening of articles or anything of the like. > >>>>> Rather I am concerned about pointing out and contextualizing certain > >>>>> political arguments. Although she may think otherwise Applebaum > >>>>> represents > >>>>> a strata of opinion makers that specialises in a specific political > >>>>> terrain; in her case the Soviet Union, Eastern and Central Europe, etc. > >>>>> She > >>>>> operates within binary paradigms of East vs. West, democracies vs. > >>>>> autocracies etc.. She sits in an intellectual grandstand formulating > >>>>> opinions not exactly based on rigorous research but rather stemming > >>>>> from a > >>>>> form of entitlement in which the publications and books she has written > >>>>> spotlight and self-validate her opinions. She is not alone in her role > >>>>> as > >>>>> an ideological agent whose mission is to buttress forms of political > >>>>> discourse that take place within specified boundaries. These forms of > >>>>> delimited discourse are the bedrock of mainstream media - within the > >>>>> U.S. > >>>>> especially. A mainstream wherein the voices of activist movements in the > >>>>> U.S. have been historically marginalised, silenced and sometimes > >>>>> killed. I > >>>>> am simply stating facts here. > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> So, let me cut to the chase: the CIA, FBI, and all the various stripes > >>>>> of intelligence agencies have used journalists and writers as > >>>>> pollinators > >>>>> of skewed opinions and ostensible facts in order to maintain a > >>>>> superficially neutral status quo - all under the banner of a so-called > >>>>> democracy. > >>>>> > >>>>> Given the current extreme political tensions, and the proposals to > >>>>> hopefully avoid a full-out war and resolve the crisis, I was prompted to > >>>>> draw attention to Anne Applebaum's bona fides and the pool within which > >>>>> she > >>>>> swims. Especially given the clouds of misinformation floating across the > >>>>> horizon. > >>>>> Best > >>>>> > >>>>> Allan > >>>>> > >>>>> # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission > >>>>> # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > >>>>> # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > >>>>> # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > >>>>> # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nett...@kein.org > >>>>> # @nettime_bot tweets mail w/ sender unless #ANON is in Subject: > >>>> > >>>> # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission > >>>> # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > >>>> # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > >>>> # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > >>>> # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nett...@kein.org > >>>> # @nettime_bot tweets mail w/ sender unless #ANON is in Subject: > >>> > >>> # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission > >> # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > >> # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > >> # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > >> # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nett...@kein.org > >> # @nettime_bot tweets mail w/ sender unless #ANON is in Subject: > > > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > <http://mx.kein.org/pipermail/nettime-l/attachments/20220504/210aa8d4/attachment.html> > > ------------------------------ > > # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission > # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > > End of nettime-l Digest, Vol 176, Issue 11 > ****************************************** >
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