Mickey Z

Cool Observer

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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

"Far from damaging the system, activists actually legitimize it"

"The only choice we are presented with is the choice between the spectacle of domination and the spectacle of opposition."

The above quotes are from one of Larry Law’s excellent Spectacular Times pamphlet series. I’ve read these mini books maybe 20 times over the past15 years or so and never failed to learn something...so, today, I thought I’d share some Situationist-style thoughts on activism and see what you think:

“In the society of the spectacle, we are not all expected to hold the same views. Indeed, we are encouraged to haves strong opinions about this or that particular issue. All that is required is that we remain passively receptive to the overall design.”

“Far from damaging the system, (activists) actually legitimize it. By their petitioning, they acknowledge the right of those in power to exercise that power as they choose.”

“Anyone working for a saner world will, from time to time, be faced with the choice of caring for present suffering or working to remove the cause of suffering. The choice is always painful. More so because we know that a preoccupation with present suffering—of which there is apparently an inexhaustible supply—is a means of social control. We all know people who have become so involved in caring for present suffering that they have not time and eventually no optimism for the radical changes which would remove the source of the problem.”

And finally:

“Capitalism cannot be reformed piece by tiny piece. Surely it is not our intention to take out bank loans to buy back our world from capitalism. Neither is it our intention to help capitalism run more efficiently.”