In this sense, BDS actions also have a moral and political significance for domestic purposes: they draw your own governments’ attention to the gap between the universal values they claim to uphold (democracy, equality, freedom, …) and the way in which they support the violent contradicting of those values in Palestina. That’s part of the symbolic significance of the campaign; BDS is also a struggle to bring back into the spotlight, or to keep them there, the universal values that the West claims to defend.
Category: rivers & lakes
on boycotting a state 3
There’s nothing wrong of course with indignation or a moral reaction. But if you do not wish to remain entrenched in that approach – in an attitude that all too easily can result in feelings of powerlessness or resignation – then you must take the step towards political action. That is to say: engage in the struggle for power.
the magic of ai
"We propose 'the magic of AI' as an analytical concept that shifts attention from AI's technical capacities to the beliefs, uncertainties, and sociotechnical imaginaries through which it acquires authority and efficacy. Revisiting anthropological theories of magic, particularly the work of Ernesto De Martino, Bruce Kapferer, and Francesco Della Costa, we argue that AI's apparent autonomy… Continue reading the magic of ai
on boycotting a state 2
The case of Israel, with its colonisation and apartheid politics, is fundamentally different. It has a different history, different geographical situation and different economic & military interdependencies – not to mention its very specific worldwide practices of cultural and ideological representation. However, there are good reasons for a politics of boycott, divestment and sanctions against the state of Israel.
on boycotting a state 1
While strolling through the city centre, we suddenly come across Sloppy Joe's. The bar is still there! It’s the place where James Wormold, Our Man in Havana, orders his morning daiquiri one day in January 1958. Graham Greene sets his novel on the eve of the fall of dictator Fulgencio Batista. You know what Cuba… Continue reading on boycotting a state 1
trumpery
Pronunciation: trump-êr-ee Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. Flashy but trashy finery in the home or on the body. 2. Rubbish, junk. 3. Deception, fraud, or trickery. (The following text is copied from AlphaDictionary’s Dr. Goodword’s Office's daily ‘Words do matter') Notes: Using the plural of today's word, trumperies, is a dubious move. Although some… Continue reading trumpery
disillusioned leftist intellectual?
I'm wondering whether I'd have to be seen as one of "the incoherent remains of a totally disillusioned generation of leftist, revolutionary intellectuals", as René Boomkens put it in 1988. Boomkens refers to the 'disciples' of Jean Baudrillard. The French sociologist has, since 1970, been one of the most radical and insightful proponents of the… Continue reading disillusioned leftist intellectual?
u.s.a.
“To us and all those who hate us, that the U.S.A. may become just another part of the world, no more, no less.” John Cage, dedication in A Year from Monday, 1967
what is happening in gaza …
What is happening in Gaza is a holocaust, says Andrew Feinstein, former South African MP & author. (Holocaust Survivor's Son Chilling Warning from History) Watch video
we all wanted it
A viral thread in Hebrew circulating in Israel (translated from Hebrew by Google): “If you are reading this, know that it really happened. I don’t know where or when you’re reading this. I’m writing from my home in Jaffa, Israel. The date is April 9, 2025, and the time is 13:00. For years upon years,… Continue reading we all wanted it
positive anarchy
Recently, I have been involved in a few short discussions about cooperatives and utopian doing as germs in the building of an alternative and as a basis for social change. A good reason to rummage through my archives again. [-] In 1988 social theorists Agnes Heller and Ferenc Fehér wrote: “The absence of any single… Continue reading positive anarchy
hmm.
Do you believe that Israel has a right to exist? Francesca Albanese: https://videopress.com/v/FlSQClHf?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&playsinline=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true ... and that finger!
teach a lesson
At first glance, the recent protests in Amsterdam against the provocative presence of supporters of football club Maccabi Tel Aviv (chant: ‘There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left’) are a hopeful sign. For a start, Israel is not part of Europe at all and has no business in European competitions,… Continue reading teach a lesson
climate leadership
“As the Vice President said at the international climate conference, COP28, she knows that meeting this global challenge will require global cooperation and she is committed to continuing and building upon the United States’ international climate leadership. She and Governor Walz will always fight for the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and… Continue reading climate leadership
old buddies
The guy on the right : 'And then you grab a bomb, and you drop it on a hospital.' The guy on the left: 'Haha, you got it, pal.' Foto: Susan Walsh/AP/dpa
language as property
Farshteyt ir vos ich shrayb do? Nu, azoy shver iz es nit. That's because Yiddish is an Indo-Germanic language. Especially for people who speak Dutch or German, it is a breeze to get started. Just speak the text out loud. My Yiddish teacher, who grew up in Antwerpen's working-class neighbourhood Seefhoek, used to say that… Continue reading language as property
support palestina
Here are a few, relatively easy, ways you can support Palestina and the Palestinians: Keep talking about Palestina. Share information from https://decolonizepalestine.com/ Boycott the consumers’ products on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions lists. Check your local branche for country specific brands and products: https://bdsmovement.net/get-involved/what-to-boycott Donate to a GoFundMe at https://gazafunds.com/ and/or share them. These GFM are vetted. Each time… Continue reading support palestina
meanwhile in washington
"You couldn’t ask for a better example of everything Washington stands for than this. Both houses of Congress rising to feverishly applaud one of history’s worst genocidal monsters dozens of times as he lies over and over again is a much better representation of what the US government is about than anything you’ll see during… Continue reading meanwhile in washington
improvement
'“I’m not a big fan of that presidential candidate’s pro-genocide policies, but I like her positions on women’s reproductive healthcare” is not the sort of thing that would be said in a sane and normal country.' Caitlin’s Newsletter, July 23, 2024
a brave comment
In taking the microphone away from Asna, USC doubled down on the familiar canard of “student safety.” ... By revoking her invitation to speak at commencement — and then by canceling commencement — USC has abandoned the very values they instilled in Asna as a student.
fast fashion
A short article in La Libre suddenly reveals to me the mechanism behind the system of fast fashion. (I most certainly could have realised that before, but I never gave it very much thought.) The idea behind the big chains such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Uniqlo, Primark, H&M, etc. is that consumers should always be… Continue reading fast fashion
1, 2, 3 genocides
(...) But doesn't it also remind you of something that is happening today, right in front of your helpless eyes? For German officials and the mass media, 'Wir haben es nicht gewusst' is now just a very ironic dictum. Not one, not two, but three genocides.
nagori
Finally, a touch of winter has arrived here in Belgium. It’s freezing (but mildly), there’s patches of snow on the lawns around the frozen pond (but discreetly), it’s blowing a cold wind (but still rather gently), … in short, a pleasant winter day – that is, if you got shelter and some heating. And although… Continue reading nagori
rivers and lakes
"The water bugs were so small I practically had to lay my vision like a drowned orange on the mud puddle. There is a romance about fruit floating outside on the water, about apples and pears in rivers and lakes. For the first minute or so, I saw nothing, and then slowly the water bugs… Continue reading rivers and lakes
palestinian yiddish
Over the past hundred years, three '-isms' have tried to destroy the Yiddish language: Nazism, communism and Zionism. Yet today Yiddish is a global language, all over the world there are people who speak or write it on a daily basis, from Montreal to Cape Town, from Argentina to Japan. And it is also enjoying… Continue reading palestinian yiddish
wankpanzer
I always used to like the Latin-American word mafioneta to describe the armoured cars and blinded fake jeeps that are sold under the term Sports Utility Vehicle, and that are used all over the world in inner cities to bring the kids to school or just claim supremacy in the streets. But now The Tyre… Continue reading wankpanzer
laura conti: ecology and class
For her, ecology is both a science and an awareness "that there is a future, a responsibility for that future". Ecology is therefore inseparable from politics – politics in the sense of the art of governing and the art of living as a community. That way, ecology is a field of struggle, or more precisely, of class struggle. The struggle for the environment encompasses the workers' struggle for a clean working environment, for healthy living and working conditions – and vice versa: public health requires a clean environment.
foucault on chatgpt
Is this comical, serious or frightening? Michel Foucault on ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence, and the Disappearance of the Human, Theoretical Puppets, 9 January 2023 This video explores the use (and potential misuse) of ChatGPT. The experimental dialog it features was created by means of this large language model. The result is baffling, seemlessly flowing in appearance… Continue reading foucault on chatgpt
silence
Sometimes it does seem nowadays that the most popular composer of the 20th century is John Cage – and specifically his iconic composition 4'33". Every so often you see references to that work, especially as a code or symbol for everything which might have to do with nothingness, silence, emptiness, arbitrariness, zen, the degree zero… Continue reading silence
mike davis (1946-2022)
Lots of obituaries and tributes to Mike Davis last week, but I think this is a beautiful one – and in his own words: ‘Stop and give a hitchhiking family a ride. Never cross a picket line, even when your family can’t pay the rent. Share your last cigarette with a stranger. Steal milk when… Continue reading mike davis (1946-2022)
documenta15, part two: bds
A reflection in two parts on documenta fifteen. Part Two: Anti-anti-Zionism Despite all good intentions, ruangrupa didn't just make friends in Kassel. Outside the art world, the initial media coverage of documenta fifteen was mainly centered around the accusation of anti-Semitism. It started even before the official opening of the event. A local blog denounced… Continue reading documenta15, part two: bds
documenta15, part one: lumbung
And that again raises the question: is what can be seen actually intended for the Western viewer? And if not, for whom then? For the local population and the local contexts in which these works were made? Sure, that was the general starting point. And for the colleagues and artists inside and outside the majelises? For them probably the result is less important than the processes that led to it.
raoul vaneigem: back to life
I. Life is not an object We have merely learned to die, now is the time to learn to live.We are at the breaking point between two civilizations. The old world collapses, hesitating to disappear; the new one emerges, hesitating to impose itself.The shock-wave that agitates the planet shakes our existence and reveals its root.… Continue reading raoul vaneigem: back to life
in other words 3
One last time about Jhumpa Lahiri, on language and territory. Quite in the beginning of In altre parole, the account of her familiarization with the Italian tongue, she writes: “Every language belongs to a specific space. It can migrate, it can spread. But usually it is linked to a geographical territory, a Country. Italian belongs… Continue reading in other words 3
no nazi’s anymore
Azov Battalion drops neo-Nazi symbol exploited by Russian propagandists The new insignia features a golden trident, the Ukrainian national symbol worn by other regiments The Azov Battalion has removed a neo-Nazi symbol from its insignia that has helped perpetuate Russian propaganda about Ukraine being in the grip of far-right nationalism. At the unveiling of a… Continue reading no nazi’s anymore
virus nature culture
The covid-19 pandemic shows nicely that nature is indeed an actor that intervenes in human life. Bruno Latour has been pointing this out for thirty years. A conceptual model in which people and human activity deal with non-human life on an equal level cannot therefore be based on the separation of culture and nature; such a model should by definition be hybrid. (Does the distinction between culture and nature have to coincide with that between human and non-human? Does the distinction between human and non-human make sense? So many more questions. ) And hybrid, why? Because ... An essay of some 2100 words, pdf file at the end