I've been catching my breath for a few days, and savouring the sweetness of my own absurdly giddy fanboyism... The result has been a minor flurry of creative activity; in particular, i've been inspired to "embrace the dork side" and all the strange, funny, awkwardness of it all. Coming soon: manifesto of an anarchist dork.
How can i sleep tomight, when i know Wolverine premiers at midnight? ...only 22 hours to go! Oh epic, heroic, phallic power and hairy-chested musclemen! Good god, such spectacular, dizzying, simple, shameless, guilty pleasures...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Hoping for heaven, rowing for shore
Drifting towards sleep, reflecting on this week in New York, and anticipating our immanent return to the city i love — small, unsophisticated Vancouver (kidding! Geez, don't get defensive) — i wanted to take stock of all i've seen and done, and learned and thought (and eaten and bought), but i got distracted. A conversation about The Pirate Bay and Louis Riel lead us to wonder today about whether or not we've been sleeping soundly in a state that legally murders its citizens; it seems the answer is yes, but so far (since 1976), only in theory.
Remembering this huge inescapably clear difference between the state to which my passport belongs and this one i am visiting brought Obama back into my thoughts... Naomi Klein says it's time for Obamafans to "stop hoping and start demanding." While i'm a little dismayed by her haphazard choice of words, i naturally agree with the commonsensical thrust of her statement. Her phrase, in context:
"If the superfan culture that brought Obama to power is going to transform itself into an independent political movement, one fierce enough to produce programs capable of meeting the current crises, we are all going to have to stop hoping and start demanding."
I will be one of the very last people on earth to suggest anyone should "stop hoping" but in addition to keeping our hopes alive, and hoping harder (and more imaginatively) than ever, we do indeed need to demand action from those (like Obama) who occupy positions of power that enable them to turn (some of) our more modest hopes into realities. Without the momentum of hope, our demands will be impotent (and ignored).
Demanding things is pretty hard work. To seriously demand concrete action from powerful authorities can also be frightening. Powerful people are often quite intimidating, and speaking to them with sustained conviction can be even more difficult if the powerful individuals happen to be charming, disarming, charismatic and persuasive, as we can probably all agree Obama is. Whether one is setting boundaries with friends, petitioning an MLA, filing a grievance at work, or challenging an interloping neighbour, a creep on the bus or an aggressive police officer, standing up to an authority — and demanding accountability from them — is hard enough; sustaining and following through on demands in the face of smiles and nods (whether patronizing or in good faith) can be exhausting, even confusing and mind-numbing.
So, while i naturally enjoy Klein's contributions to our ballooning collection of Obama-related neologisms (i think hopesick is my favorite today), and i applaud her warnings about a "dangerously deferential" attitude towards charismatic authorities, i remain (surprise!) optimistic about a burgeoning renaissance of both hope and civility, especially in politics, especially in the USA. But the question of how we avoid letting civility become a pretense for obfuscating or avoiding disagreement remains open and, i think, productive. Of course, you may disagree. :)
And while i'm on the subject, here's a current petition from Avaaz, "demanding" Obama end the Embargo against Cuba. You know what to do.
My summary of our NYC adventures will have to wait until a later post. I'll get to it soon, but as much as i love the comfy chair in this hotel, the bed is quite nice too and, after i've spent a few hours there, i hope to get up early enough to enjoy the shiny new gym downstairs, one last time... I'm getting pretty good at being on vacation. Sometimes i surprise myself.
Oh, ps: our first night back in Vancouver there's an "Oscar Wilde & Anarchy" event at Spartacus. I shall be there, in my fanciest pants.
Remembering this huge inescapably clear difference between the state to which my passport belongs and this one i am visiting brought Obama back into my thoughts... Naomi Klein says it's time for Obamafans to "stop hoping and start demanding." While i'm a little dismayed by her haphazard choice of words, i naturally agree with the commonsensical thrust of her statement. Her phrase, in context:
"If the superfan culture that brought Obama to power is going to transform itself into an independent political movement, one fierce enough to produce programs capable of meeting the current crises, we are all going to have to stop hoping and start demanding."
I will be one of the very last people on earth to suggest anyone should "stop hoping" but in addition to keeping our hopes alive, and hoping harder (and more imaginatively) than ever, we do indeed need to demand action from those (like Obama) who occupy positions of power that enable them to turn (some of) our more modest hopes into realities. Without the momentum of hope, our demands will be impotent (and ignored).
Demanding things is pretty hard work. To seriously demand concrete action from powerful authorities can also be frightening. Powerful people are often quite intimidating, and speaking to them with sustained conviction can be even more difficult if the powerful individuals happen to be charming, disarming, charismatic and persuasive, as we can probably all agree Obama is. Whether one is setting boundaries with friends, petitioning an MLA, filing a grievance at work, or challenging an interloping neighbour, a creep on the bus or an aggressive police officer, standing up to an authority — and demanding accountability from them — is hard enough; sustaining and following through on demands in the face of smiles and nods (whether patronizing or in good faith) can be exhausting, even confusing and mind-numbing.
So, while i naturally enjoy Klein's contributions to our ballooning collection of Obama-related neologisms (i think hopesick is my favorite today), and i applaud her warnings about a "dangerously deferential" attitude towards charismatic authorities, i remain (surprise!) optimistic about a burgeoning renaissance of both hope and civility, especially in politics, especially in the USA. But the question of how we avoid letting civility become a pretense for obfuscating or avoiding disagreement remains open and, i think, productive. Of course, you may disagree. :)
And while i'm on the subject, here's a current petition from Avaaz, "demanding" Obama end the Embargo against Cuba. You know what to do.
My summary of our NYC adventures will have to wait until a later post. I'll get to it soon, but as much as i love the comfy chair in this hotel, the bed is quite nice too and, after i've spent a few hours there, i hope to get up early enough to enjoy the shiny new gym downstairs, one last time... I'm getting pretty good at being on vacation. Sometimes i surprise myself.
Oh, ps: our first night back in Vancouver there's an "Oscar Wilde & Anarchy" event at Spartacus. I shall be there, in my fanciest pants.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
all is (not) well in the state of new york
As i write this, sitting on a luxurious Aeron chair in a comfy Manhattan hotel, a student "Rally for Justice" at Union Square is probably over, having ended either peacefully, in a spirit of celebration and solidarity, or violently with a rash of new arrests by the NYPD...
It may be just after midnight in Vancouver, but i'm well over the jet lag now, so it's past 3am for me and the rest of NYC, thus i won't be reporting in any depth on the events that have come to my attention. However, i'm certain that some folks back home will be interested in the ongoing struggles at The New School, so i'll say a few words and include the links.
I first heard about the situation this morning, as i drank a cup of tea and read this article in the NY Times. Before i go on, i feel compelled to say that it's been surprisingly and dishearteningly difficult to get clear and substantial information about the unfolding events. The materials Sara and i were able to collect from the activists all appear (from our wide-eyed, Canucklehead perspective) to have been written by and entirely for "insiders" — either fellow New School students or at least fellow New Yorkers (who might have been following the long-brewing story), so the Times article is the best i can recommend for a quick & general backgrounder.
After some digging around, i've cobbled together the following ultra-brief summary / analysis of what strike me as the salient points:
Students have at least twice occupied campus buildings recently, demanding the university president Bob Kerrey resign; Kerrey has entirely lost the confidence of the faculty (they have voted); it's hardly surprising based on all accounts of Kerrey's actions as president over the past 7 years in general, and the past few months in particular — eg: Kerrey recently attempted to appoint himself university provost (after four or five provosts resigned)...
Sure enough, when we got to the the Anarchist Bookfair this afternoon, there were ongoing updates about the students who'd been arrested on Friday. They have all been released without bail.
For more info:
An earlier Times article includes disturbing video of police aggression against the protestors. The "New School in Exile" website includes a variety of videos from which one can glean insight into their grievances. The "New School Reoccupied" blog contains posts ranging from the aforementioned "insider" updates, to (what i take to be) more entertainment-oriented accounts of their activities. Overall, the most illuminating source of information has been the Student Senate's website, but there might be more coverage to come on the New School Free Press' site.
In any case, suffice to say these protests, along with the bookfair — which was awesome, of course — have added a fascinating and unanticipated dimension to my first taste of the big apple. After visiting friends in Brooklyn, we bought even more books at the Strand and Forbidden Planet. It's been a feast... Will we be able to wake up in time for the Easter Parade & Bonnet Festival? Hopefully we'll make it to the Anarchism & Anti-Colonialism workshop being offered in the afternoon by a panel of Anarchist People of Color... Then i expect we will fight for our right to read. Quietly.
No matter what the coming days look like, i know my nights will be filled with fabulous anarchistic dreams (if i get any sleep).
The Vegan & The Anarchist Take Manhattan (plus: a referendum reminder)
This post might be more accurately titled: The (pregnant) Vegan & The (allergy-stricken) Anarchist (sleepily, nauseously, and snifflingly) Take Manhattan (plus: a referendum reminder)
I'm still in a bit of a daze, but i wanted to post a few words about falling in love with the big apple. It's true; my lifelong suspicions have been confirmed: I heart NY.
I was smitten with this city from the first time i saw (cartoon) Spidey swing over the streets on TV when i was a kid; from the first time i saw Ghostbusters (hearing my mentor Winston Zeddemore proclaim his love for this town). Over the years my crush on New York continued through movies like The Fisher King and, of course, two of my seasonal favorites (for which i remain unapologetic) Scrooged and Elf. And that's just the cinematic romance; then there's the music, the literature, the art, the politics... good heavens. How could i not be seduced by a place where every crack in the concrete is legendary?
Anyway, as my luck would have it: today is the third annual NYC Anarchist Bookfair! I couldn't sleep in this morning (and we have definitely been catching up on sleep in the city that never does); it's like a special anarchist christmas! Visions of radical independent publishing dance in my head...
I won't recap every step of our adventure (i could write a Joycean epic about the first evening alone), but i will say that we've had some amazing vegan meals; last night we dined at the Candle Café. I'm sure i'll be writing some poems about the food soon (and adding new sections to my ongoing description of the great buffet that awaits us all in the afterlife).
I'll try to post again before it's over, but chances are we'll be busy: celebrating Sara's birthday, visiting her friends and their new baby, buying too many books, trying to see all the museums and get into the Daily Show, and so on.
But before we head back into the hustle & bustle, i have to remind all my lovely friends back home in Vancouver: there's only one month left to persuade everyone you love to vote YES in the electoral reform referendum on May 12th. We came within 2% of victory last time! Please, talk to your family and friends.
Changing the way power is exercised in British Columbia, specifically by empowering voters to indicate (dis)approval of multiple candidates will invite a significant deepening of political engagement and accountability.
I've wanted to be able to rank political candidates ever since i spoiled my first ballot in an Alberta provincial election back in the dark days of my adolescence, in the chilly shadow of the Conservatives' dynastic one-party government. I grew up in Ralph Klein's riding. The elections were pure formality; he won by a soul-crushing landslide every time. If i could have ranked candidates, rather than merely scrawling a dispossessed rant on the ballot, i might have indicated an acknowledgement of the legitimacy of two or three quixotic non-conservatives, and leant my weight to one or two joke/protest parties. And i would have declined to rank Ralph at all! It's a nice dream... But this summer we have a chance to make it come true in BC. I beseech you all: don't let obfuscation and mystification of the single transferable vote system scare you or your folks away from it. Yes, it's more complicated than first-past-the-post. Democracy is also more complicated than dictatorship; is that an argument against democracy?
The debate can be frustrating, but i look at it this way: whether or not you're fully persuaded that the proposed BC-STV system will actually bring about all of the particular hoped-for beneficial results (to name a few: more power-sharing, more independent and small-party MLAs, increased voter turnout and political engagement due to the vastly increased probability that [at least] one of each voter's top choices for political office will actually get a seat), we can be sure to see improvement in some of these areas of concern. Given the calamitous state of things in BC politically and economically (Campbell's opposition-free legislative reign; ubiquitous homelessness and poor-bashing), can we please agree that the current system is a collosal failure and a sad scrap of the potential for democracy?
The referendum is a chance to exponentially increase the depth of popular influence on the legislative assembly. Don't let it pass us by.
I'm still in a bit of a daze, but i wanted to post a few words about falling in love with the big apple. It's true; my lifelong suspicions have been confirmed: I heart NY.
I was smitten with this city from the first time i saw (cartoon) Spidey swing over the streets on TV when i was a kid; from the first time i saw Ghostbusters (hearing my mentor Winston Zeddemore proclaim his love for this town). Over the years my crush on New York continued through movies like The Fisher King and, of course, two of my seasonal favorites (for which i remain unapologetic) Scrooged and Elf. And that's just the cinematic romance; then there's the music, the literature, the art, the politics... good heavens. How could i not be seduced by a place where every crack in the concrete is legendary?
Anyway, as my luck would have it: today is the third annual NYC Anarchist Bookfair! I couldn't sleep in this morning (and we have definitely been catching up on sleep in the city that never does); it's like a special anarchist christmas! Visions of radical independent publishing dance in my head...
I won't recap every step of our adventure (i could write a Joycean epic about the first evening alone), but i will say that we've had some amazing vegan meals; last night we dined at the Candle Café. I'm sure i'll be writing some poems about the food soon (and adding new sections to my ongoing description of the great buffet that awaits us all in the afterlife).
I'll try to post again before it's over, but chances are we'll be busy: celebrating Sara's birthday, visiting her friends and their new baby, buying too many books, trying to see all the museums and get into the Daily Show, and so on.
But before we head back into the hustle & bustle, i have to remind all my lovely friends back home in Vancouver: there's only one month left to persuade everyone you love to vote YES in the electoral reform referendum on May 12th. We came within 2% of victory last time! Please, talk to your family and friends.
Changing the way power is exercised in British Columbia, specifically by empowering voters to indicate (dis)approval of multiple candidates will invite a significant deepening of political engagement and accountability.
I've wanted to be able to rank political candidates ever since i spoiled my first ballot in an Alberta provincial election back in the dark days of my adolescence, in the chilly shadow of the Conservatives' dynastic one-party government. I grew up in Ralph Klein's riding. The elections were pure formality; he won by a soul-crushing landslide every time. If i could have ranked candidates, rather than merely scrawling a dispossessed rant on the ballot, i might have indicated an acknowledgement of the legitimacy of two or three quixotic non-conservatives, and leant my weight to one or two joke/protest parties. And i would have declined to rank Ralph at all! It's a nice dream... But this summer we have a chance to make it come true in BC. I beseech you all: don't let obfuscation and mystification of the single transferable vote system scare you or your folks away from it. Yes, it's more complicated than first-past-the-post. Democracy is also more complicated than dictatorship; is that an argument against democracy?
The debate can be frustrating, but i look at it this way: whether or not you're fully persuaded that the proposed BC-STV system will actually bring about all of the particular hoped-for beneficial results (to name a few: more power-sharing, more independent and small-party MLAs, increased voter turnout and political engagement due to the vastly increased probability that [at least] one of each voter's top choices for political office will actually get a seat), we can be sure to see improvement in some of these areas of concern. Given the calamitous state of things in BC politically and economically (Campbell's opposition-free legislative reign; ubiquitous homelessness and poor-bashing), can we please agree that the current system is a collosal failure and a sad scrap of the potential for democracy?
The referendum is a chance to exponentially increase the depth of popular influence on the legislative assembly. Don't let it pass us by.
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