Nothing organised or refined here - just a quote dump because I am supposed to be doing other things (I am always supposed to be doing other things!). tl;dr - timing matters, there are deeper tides than we realise (just read about Camatte's idea of speciosis-ontosis - not sure it adds much, but it's intriguing... Continue Reading →
Handmaids, Leopards and Cory Doctorow
The set-up in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, is that the Bad People have managed to end women’s economic independence at the tap of a few keys on a keyboard. You had to take those pieces of paper with you when you went shopping, though by the time I was nine or ten most... Continue Reading →
“There’s a hole in my movement, dear Liza…” (aka “caught in a trap, can’t walk out…”)
A good friend recently pointed me at a very good (imo, ymmv obvs) article "education for democratic resilience." It's full of quotable bits but for now Imma riff on this - "I believe one reason is that too few Americans understand the nuts-and-bolts of associations. An initial meeting often draws many concerned people, who may... Continue Reading →
“Rules based international order” my very fat arse
I learn a lot from Heather Cox Richardson's astonishing "Letters from an American." It's a brilliant, concise exercise in public education which everyone should be listening to every day. And I totally get why she is painting the Trump regime as unhinged and extreme (because... checks notes... it is). But the constant invocation of the... Continue Reading →
The real deal – votes, jobs and demopatriarchy
When the Great Barrier Reef of Australia wasn’t obviously dead - 10 to 15 years ago - there were fierce battles between various factions of Queensland (and global) business sectors over what needed to happen. The mining industry, under scrutiny not just for the emissions from all the coal burnt but also the danger posed... Continue Reading →
“Professional amateurism” as authenticity (once you can fake that, you’ve got it made…)
This, from chapter 3 (on the 2019 election in the UK) of "Johnson at 10" by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell, leapt out at me Brooks, like Levido, was an alumnus of [Lynton] Crosby’s consultancy and had worked with him on the 2019 Australian campaign. Attempting to replicate their antipodean successes too would be left-field... Continue Reading →
We live drenched and waterboarded by propaganda – two (trivial) examples
There is that quote by Alex Carey, the Australian wicketkeeper social scientist about three big developments in the twentieth century being - well, let me google that for me. "The 20th century has been characterised by three developments of great political importance. The growth of democracy; the growth of corporate power; and the growth of... Continue Reading →
In the Kingdom of the Biters, the …. thick-skinned? are king?
Holy cow this is a must-read. The thing about the Trump regime(s) is that allows people to express their worst impulses. It gives permission to the atavism, the id, the sadism. And, as per the article, it allows deeply inadequate people to wield power (or, rather, strength) and get vengeance for the perceived (and actual)... Continue Reading →
That’s infotainment
So much for daily posts. I have (almost) daily thoughts, but don't find the time (motivation) to put fingers to keyboard, even with a voice recorder and transcription software. It seems, tbh, a bit pointless and narcissistic (this never stopped me before, but I am no spring chicken; as the t-shirt goes "it's weird being... Continue Reading →
“Transition theory” as (failed) transitional object as we transition from the Enlightenment to the Endarkenment
This year I am going to write something short, mostly daily, about what is going on – “2 cents on the Arrived Ecological Debacle” (2cotAED). I have to write it; you don’t have to read it. If you DO read it, feel free to tell me how wrong I am (and hopefully why). Re: the debacle aspect:... Continue Reading →
