Socialist Worker reports on Bush's war, W$$D, corporate crime and more...

by pat c Tue Sep 03, 2002 13:32

hmmm, sounds somewhat like michael moorcock & the eternal champion who took on ***** a number which is less than infinity but whose value cannot be calculated ***** different identities throuhout time & the multiverse.

i particularly liked jerry cornelius whose sub-set of the eternal champion included: jerry cornell, catherine cornelius, una person.

of course elric perhaps remains the true avatar & indeed archetype of the eternal champion.

moorcock welcomed other writers into his multiverse & never invoked copyright.

by Blisset (slight return) Tue Sep 03, 2002 11:53

THE LUTHER BLISSETT MANIFESTO

MEETING UP WITH A DANGEROUS CHARACTER: LUTHER BLISSETT

"'Mac Guffin' is the name by which we call this sort of action: stealing papers, stealing a document, stealing a secret. The thing i s not important in itself, and logicians go wrong in searching for a truth in the Mac Guffin. In my work I've always thought that while the 'papers', the 'documents' or the 'secret' of the construction of a fortress must be important for the characters of the movie, they have to be of no interest to me, to the story-teller "
(Alfred Hitchcock).
Luther Blissett is both the story-teller and the Mac Guffin of a board-game played on the stage of the world. It is essentially a grim theory of conspiracy which mostly makes use of techniques tested in the Mail Art (Ethe)real Network (MULTIPLE NAMES, 'Add, Pass & Return' creations etc.) in order to manipulate and overturn the language of myths, the archetypes of the popular culture as well as the neo-pagan religious experience. It is a sort of lucid shamanism which does not belong to a pre-democratic and pre-individual view of the world (i.e. a claim to a totalitarian social unity); on the contrary it puts itself BEYOND democracy and the individuality, in the name of a free chaotic empathy between the creatures, as if we were charming Betazoids.

Sometimes the links between the elements of the project happen to recall the most entangled detective stories (e.g. "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler or "White Jazz" by James Ellroy), or maybe 'Paco Ignacio Taibo meets Paracelsus at an Illegal Rave'.

The game consists in forcing the Wo/Mankind to deal with the Catastrophe and lie down next to it, so that we can't be caught while we sleep. When one feels up to being in safety, at worst her/his mind will PLAY WITH the Catastrophe as an improbable contingency, and some modest assurance will be enough to give her/him shelter. But we are NOT in safety: as a whole, the present-day social relations are nothing but an infectious neuro-epidemic, so we must PLAY INTO the Catastrophe and tie our symbolic capital up to it, in order to keep the Northwest Passage open. The Multiple Name becomes a borderline experience, a live broadcast from the last promontory of the centuries: "At the beginning of a century you may act the experimentalist, but the end is like a western, one makes it a point of duty to describe what's happening and sum it up..." (Andrea G. Pinketts).

Luther Blissett is not a 'teamwork identity' as reported by the journalists; rather, it is a MULTIPLE SINGLE: the 'Luther Blissetts' don't exist, only Luther Blissett exist. Today we can infuse ourselves with vitality by exploring any possibility of escaping the conventional identities.

LUTHER BLISSETT. NOTES ON THE NATURE OF THE CONSPIRACY
There is nothing new when someone affirms that the nihilistic tyranny of the spectacle could be faced and fought by "talking big and telling tall stories", i.e. by raising a whirl of fibs and lies "till a communication short-circuit dissipates the virtual world and the real one will settle again" (Paul Virilio). In fact, a radical criticism of the world order, and even the right to criticize, was an achievement by the "plagiarist" pirates of the past centuries, i.e. by rascals, buffoons and court jesters. The Middle Age social conflict was similar to that of the present day: the language of the powers that be (that is the language as Law, State and Identity) was objected, perverted and subverted by the words of the détournement, by parody and the plagiarism, by a 'resistance through lies' which used to keep the language in motion as well as to frustrate all authoritarian codification. Tramps, tumblers and criminals deviated from the "straight path" of the high poem of chivalry in order to practise such minor literary genres as satire, coarse songs and blasphemous prayers. So they saved the linguistic cross-fertilisation. Thanks to them, the speaking of each class, rank or profession might cross and modify one another. The XVIth century novel "Gargantua et Pantagruel" by François Rabelais owed to this practice of the "merry prank" its radicalism and its subversive change which consists in "breaking all hierarchical false link between ideals and things by destroying any ideological partition between them" (M. Bakhtin). In plain words, it was necessary to free anything and let them naturally link up each other, however strange this might seem considering Tradition and the customary connections. It was necessary to enable things to come into contact one another with all their concreteness and variety, in order to reapproach what had been fallaciously divided and redivide what had been fallaciously approached. It was a question of "a radical skepticism about the direct speaking and its seriousness, a skepticism which went so far as to negate any possibility that a direct speaking couldn't be false" (M. Bakhtin). Rabelais, Villon and their anonymous predecessors did not put their feet down trying to state Truth in a world of lies: quite the contrary they used to "circumvent" any official truth and dismember it from the inside by carrying its logic to paradox. Today, on the analogy, it's question of preventing the writing of an informal constitution which submits the general intellect to a system based on exploitation and the ecocide. The struggle is still against the language of the powers that be, in order to create by merry pranks new links between things (i.e. networking) and break any old hierarchy. As Rabelais emphasized in his works that the Middle Age was over and that new social relations were beating up the inertial force of the feudal world, so we have to point out that wagework has become unnecessary, that information and technology must belong to everybody, and so on. However, it is insufficient to wait for a 'short-circuit' or to hope for cathartic explosions: rather, we must create a scientific strategy of the merry prank. In the mid-eighties cyberpunk propagated an interesting metaphor, according to which information is a bank that we have to force open in the name of a free admittance to the data, challenging their secrecy. That was correct, yet the 1989 Amsterdam ICATA (an international conference on the alternative use of technology) had also stated that "any information is in the meantime deformation, the right of the former is inseparable from that of the latter, which belongs to the whole world...We should subvert the conventional channels by means of detournements and surrealistic changes of the events in order to raise chaos, rumours and waste which in their turn shall be regarded as carriers of information". This provocative use of the term 'right' had to cause a breakdown in the liberal phraseology, as though we used the term 'non-statal public sphere'. Actually, those who decided to follow that statement opened breaches in the liberal-democratic horizon which had limited any discussion on 'infoglasnost' and the cybermedia up to that time. Those XXIth century rascals and buffoons weren't interested in the myth of a "new new frontier": rather, they decided to deal with rumours, noises and interferences, just standing in the dark shades which the information outgrowth couldn't help throwing on the capitalist society, i.e. the symptoms of a psychochemical illness. The morals of those who ride the waves of the digital ocean are necessarily provisional. Especially in Italy, some called all this 'Transmaniacality' (see the 1979 John Shirley S-F novel "Transmaniacon"). In the depths of the informal 'network of events' which these teams of mind invaders are setting up, one of the most interesting practices of merry prank is the so-called MULTIPLE NAME, a technique particularly improved by the NEOISTS. KAREN ELIOT was an important multiple name. The Luther Blissett Project has been launched in the Summer '94 by an international gang of revolutionaries, mail artists, poets, performers, underground 'zines, cybernauts and squatters. A multiple name, if it was used outside small circles of radicals, would be a practical solution of problems such as the relation between community and individual, or the quest for identity. All the debates on the necessity of a 'Nomadology' and all idle talk on 'situations' are superseded by this concept. Luther Blissett is a -dividual, because the character has many personalities and reputations; Luther Blissett is also a con-dividual, because many individuals share the name; Luther Blissett is a multitude as well as a 'decentralized subject', a project aiming to what Karl Marx called 'Gemeinwesen' (i.e. the common essence of the Wo/Mankind, the awareness of the global community). Luther Blissett is not an (anti)artist like KAREN ELIOT: s/he's a cultural terrorist who supports the religious programme of the NEOIST ALLIANCE. Sabotages, hoaxes, urban legends, performances, magazines, bulletin boards and TV or radio broadcasts are spreading the name all over the world. Especially in Italy, this merry prank is reaching new heights of subversion and mythopoiesis. Anyone can be Luther Blissett simply by adopting the name. Become Luther Blissett.

by pat c Tue Sep 03, 2002 10:56

i see you have dropped (slight return); does this mean you are back for good (& bad)?

make your mind up quickly; at this moment scientists are at work in south-west kerry in secret labs (funded through the efforts of certain south kerry TDs who shall remain mameless). scrapings were taken fron connolly & an army of blisset clones are being force grown as i write.

only you can stop the "boys from barr na sráide".

as for the swp, i know they can be a pain but i've found myself defending them on several occasions here.

the swp are not in league with satan, honestly. those 666s on their foreheads are just tattoos, not birthmarks.

by Blisset Mon Sep 02, 2002 15:37

I do however enjoy and get a laugh out of the spectacle of otherwise rational adults foaming at the mouth about the 100 or so of them that exist- remember that if you demonise something (like Heavy Metal frinstance) - the kids'ill get right stuck into it - I will consistently defend the SWP's right to use and contribute to IMC within the editorial guidelines - Just as I will defend the right of others to foam at the mouth about them on it (within the editorial guidelines of course) -

by Rose Mon Sep 02, 2002 15:23

Blisset if you love the SWP so much, why don't you write in THEIR paper and leave this newswire alone. We're sick of the SWP.

by blisset Mon Sep 02, 2002 14:32

As for Simon only ever defending SWP on lists - he is entitled to just as swp SadoMascho obsessives are entitled to attack them - boiling SWP literature down to a digest hardly qualifies as 'Hijacking' - I think if you check the record he has been involved at whatever level since the start of IMC IRL and has corresponded and argued about many other subjects including off the top of my head how IMC should deal with the NICE Referendum - Are WSM Hijacking when they post digests- are Environmentalists who helped with the Sustainable Ireland Report Hijacking - Am I hijacking when I post stuff - AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH - let's all go back to our homes and hide - trying to create a genuinely open forum for news and comment is too dangerous the Swimmers might get us - hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

by Rose Mon Sep 02, 2002 13:11

SWP has got it's website and its paper, it shouldn'd be allowed to hijack indymedia.
I can't remember a single original article or news sent by swp members. Probably the party doesn't allow them. They only repost articles from their tabloid.

by Excuse me? Mon Sep 02, 2002 01:39

What about what I'm saying gives you the right to tell me to feck off.

1. Simon only ever speaks to defend the SWP and promote the SWP. Classic Secterianism. Be it is justification of SWP electioneering on the site. or SWP advertising on the site.

Oh he'll make it up oh so clever like, talking about how "theres a lack of clarity" or a "confusion" but the fact is he speaks and talks only to further the SWP. Protect it and help it. It's the only time he speaks and he only time he offers his opinion.

Eine Volk Eine Reich Eine Party.

Be a good little party bitch and go sell your paper quota Simon

by Blisset (slight return) Sun Sep 01, 2002 14:47

Nit Pickers feck off

by NWT Sun Sep 01, 2002 13:32

Number one Simon, only ever speaks up on the Indymedia lists to defend or protect to SWP. Remember the farce over SWP election guff? Simon came in "speaking rationally" (his words) over the rights of groups to advertise on the wire (no surprise this was after the SWP tried to whore out some votes using Indymedia). It goes down and Indymedia gets accused of being a WSM front.

Now SWP whoring their paper and kicking up a fuss when a blatant advertisment gets removed. Again simon comes on and speaks "rationally" about this problem.

This is secterian behaviour pure and simple. Simon only every speaks when the SWP breach editorial guidelines, and he tries to worm in a justification.

Woop te Doo he's reposted the links, fan fucking tastic, it's still a repost of the Socialist fucking worker. An unbalanced piece of poorly written propaganda.

It's depressing that people are pleased with this.

by Rose Sat Aug 31, 2002 12:48

Ok I'm sad and you're a genius, how many papers
did you sell last week?

by Carnation Fri Aug 30, 2002 23:05

Rose, you're sad. Even Ray thinks so and he should know only having just escaped the clutches of the WSM

by Rose Fri Aug 30, 2002 22:54

Is the SWP ever going to do anything worthwile?

by Rose Watch Fri Aug 30, 2002 22:24

Are you ever going to post something worthwhile Rose or do you just want to bleat on about the SWP? Bleat, bleat, bleat,...

by Rose Fri Aug 30, 2002 19:24

How can they be so thick? It took them months to get the point.

by Ray Fri Aug 30, 2002 15:05

Simon wasn't accusing indymedia of sectarianism, all he said was that the editorial policy needed to be clearer so that people would know why posts were cut. This was after the debate had started, and as part of a response to posts suggesting the SWP do something like the post above. The format above, of brief summaries and links to articles, is great. Some organisations already use it when they post to the newswire, and I hope everyone now adopts it.

(It was another SWP member who posted the original ad and made accusations of sectarianism and bias)

by NOA Fri Aug 30, 2002 14:18

if you want to get that personal and dirty, forget it, i add no more... your last post was just pathetic...

by Simon Basketter - swp Fri Aug 30, 2002 14:16

...but NOA you count as well as you grasp what you read.

by Jim Bob Fri Aug 30, 2002 13:31

I think a picture of the infamous Ray, pulling his hair out in anger at spammers, would be good. It would help me to visualise the pain the guy obviously feels concerning the subject. I think IMC Ireland can be a bit tough sometimes, but a quick look at the UK shows the approach is making this site alot leaner and meaner. Certainly, Zionist/anti-Zionist shite is cleared a lot quicker.

by NOA Fri Aug 30, 2002 12:55

"FYI: I sent one mail to the indymedia list(after my opinion was asked for on a thread)"

It was two i just checked my inbox.

"It wasn’t whinging - it was part of a debate about the newswire."

Actually you complained that it was sectarianism on the newswire against the poor old SWP. And then proceeded to pick Ray as the centre for your complaint against Indymedia.

"I tend to limit the number of interventions I make into such debates precisely because of the noise produced by people like you."

Well now my feelings are hurt, granted you may not stick your nose in and neither do i, but it was my opinion that this was only posted in this manner because of the debate on the Indymedia list.

"On “this was posted this way because he had to told how to put together an actual post”

I didn’t need to be told how to put a post together, but if you would like some help with how to put a sentence together, don’t hesitate to get in touch."

I dunno id prefer to actually write articles for indymedia (which i do) than post a load of links from the socialist workers rag!

by Simon Basketter - swp Fri Aug 30, 2002 12:39

Mr?

NOA
FYI: I sent one mail to the indymedia list (after my opinion was asked for on a thread).
It wasn’t whinging - it was part of a debate about the newswire.
I tend to limit the number of interventions I make into such debates precisely because of the noise produced by people like you.

On “this was posted this way because he had to told how to put together an actual post”

I didn’t need to be told how to put a post together, but if you would like some help with how to put a sentence together, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

by NOA Fri Aug 30, 2002 12:08

mr. basketter has been whinging about how it was sectarian to cut a an advertisement for the socialist worker on the imc lists for the last week nearly. this was posted this way because he had to told how to put together an actual post. Other groups have been doing this for a while now!

by MG Fri Aug 30, 2002 11:31

Take note Indymedia spammers!

This is the fairest way to deal with re-postings and cut 'n' pastes.

The SWP may get a lot of flak from users of this site, but the above article is, in my view, the correct way to bring alternative news to the attention of IMC users.

The likes of McMean would do well to take this on board.

If everybody followed the guidelines like Mr Basketter, poor Ray would have nothing to do...