“The Abolition of Work” by Bob Black

Originally Posted: August 30, 2007 on: The End of Capitalism

Bob Black’s indictment of work (meaning all unfree labor) is a good example of a liberatory essay, because not only does it advocate for real freedom, it also condemns the industrial systems of power which are forcing us to work, and to consume, to kill and invade, to oppress, to pollute, and to hate ourselves for being accomplices in our own slavery.

But Marx already did that with “Alienated Labour” in 1847. What makes Black’s essay 10 times better is that it isn’t a labor to read! Recognizing that social change is playful or it’s doomed to reproduce the slavery it claimed to oppose, Emma Goldman is quoted as saying “It’s not my revolution if I can’t dance to it.” Likewise, add to that “It’s not my ideology if I can’t laugh at it.”

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http://www.inspiracy.com/black/abolition/abolitionofwork.html

No one should ever work.

Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world. Almost any evil you’d care to name comes from working or from living in a world designed for work. In order to stop suffering, we have to stop working.

That doesn’t mean we have to stop doing things. It does mean creating a new way of life based on play; in other words, a ludic revolution. By “play” I mean also festivity, creativity, conviviality, commensality, and maybe even art. There is more to play than child’s play, as worthy as that is. I call for a collective adventure in generalized joy and freely interdependent exuberance. Play isn’t passive. Doubtless we all need a lot more time for sheer sloth and slack than we ever enjoy now, regardless of income or occupation, but once recovered from employment-induced exhaustion nearly all of us want to act.

The ludic life is totally incompatible with existing reality. So much the worse for “reality,” the gravity hole that sucks the vitality from the little in life that still distinguishes it from mere survival. Curiously — or maybe not — all the old ideologies are conservative because they believe in work. Some of them, like Marxism and most brands of anarchism, believe in work all the more fiercely because they believe in so little else.

Liberals say we should end employment discrimination. I say we should end employment. Conservatives support right-to-work laws. Following Karl Marx’s wayward son-in-law Paul Lafargue I support the right to be lazy. Leftists favor full employment. Like the surrealists — except that I’m not kidding — I favor full unemployment. Trotskyists agitate for permanent revolution. I agitate for permanent revelry. But if all the ideologues (as they do) advocate work — and not only because they plan to make other people do theirs — they are strangely reluctant to say so. They will carry on endlessly about wages, hours, working conditions, exploitation, productivity, profitability. They’ll gladly talk about anything but work itself. These experts who offer to do our thinking for us rarely share their conclusions about work, for all its saliency in the lives of all of us. Among themselves they quibble over the details. Unions and management agree that we ought to sell the time of our lives in exchange for survival, although they haggle over the price. Marxists think we should be bossed by bureaucrats. Libertarians think we should be bossed by businessmen. Feminists don’t care which form bossing takes so long as the bosses are women. Clearly these ideology-mongers have serious differences over how to divvy up the spoils of power. Just as clearly, none of them have any objection to power as such and all of them want to keep us working.

You may be wondering if I’m joking or serious. I’m joking and serious. Read the rest of this entry »

Velvet Revolution

The Velvet Revolution (Czech: sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution (Slovak: nežná revolúcia) (November 17 – December 29, 1989) was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the authoritarian government.

On November 17, 1989, a Friday, riot police suppressed a peaceful student demonstration in Prague. That event sparked a series of popular demonstrations from November 19 to late December. By November 20 the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague had swollen from 200,000 the previous day to an estimated half-million. A two-hour general strike, involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia, was held on November 27.

With the collapse of other Warsaw Pact governments and increasing street protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28 that it would relinquish power and dismantle the single-party state. Barbed wire and other obstructions were removed from the border with West Germany and Austria in early December. On December 10, President Gustáv Husák appointed the first largely non-communist government in Czechoslovakia since 1948, and resigned. Alexander Dubček was elected speaker of the federal parliament on December 28 and Václav Havel the President of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989.

In June 1990 Czechoslovakia held its first democratic elections since 1946.

The term Velvet Revolution was used internationally to describe the revolution, although the Czech side also used the term internally. After the dissolution of the nation in 1993, Slovakia used the term Gentle Revolution, the term that Slovaks used for the revolution from the beginning. The Czech Republic continues to refer to the event as the Velvet Revolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_Revolution

And Don't Forget: "Velvet 2" is coming

The End of Capitalism: Interview of Alex Knight

"I think it’s fair to name the Tea Party, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, the Christian Right, etc. parts of a potential neo-fascist movement in the United States. Their words and actions too often encourage attacks on people of color, immigrants, Muslims, LGBT folks, and anyone they don’t see as legitimate members of US society. Ultimately, many in this movement are pushing for a different social system taking power in the United States: one that is more authoritarian, less compassionate, more exploitive of the environment, more militaristic, and based on a mythical return to national glory. This is not a throwback to Nazi Germany. It’s a new kind of fascism, a new American fascism (emphasis: Pinko™). And it’s a serious threat."

Pinko™: Amen Brother! ...And remember: Power to the People!

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Grant Czerepak

I don't know who or what this Grant Czerepak is but we're clearly oscilating on the same wavelength. A brief glance at his blog reveals that he is a (among other things) a Taoist, a synesthete, and the author of a book entitled: 14 GA (Outlining the "periodicity in 14 billion years of evolution using brevity and clarity").

Check him out: http://relationary.wordpress.com

Turn Me On Deadman - Pop Culture Blog explores "Paul Is Dead" Rumor

This is so cool!

Turn Me on Deadman researches and documents everything from "Paul is Dead" to the "Dark Side of the Rainbow" and influential roots of all those Led Zeppelin songs. And: unlike Pink0™ - they even cite references!

"In the Journal of Popular Culture, Michael E. Roos provides a more likely explanation for the imagery of "I Am the Walrus". Roos points to Lewis Carroll's influence on John Lennon. The nonsense lyrics to this song take on new meaning when interpreted through the lens of Carroll's poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter" along with John Lennon's growing cynicism about the Summer of Love ideals and the Beatles' role in popular culture. In Carroll's poem, the walrus and the carpenter lure youthful, unsuspecting oysters to follow them only so they could eat them. John saw a connection with the Beatles' relationship with their fans and the walrus and the carpenter taking advantage of the innocence of the oysters. Their young unsuspecting fans were looking to the Beatles for answers but Lennon had none to give, so he came to see the Beatles as con artists. The Walrus regrets playing such a trick on the oysters and he weeps for them ("I'm crying," John sings in "I Am the Walrus") but he continues to eat them nonetheless."

Just like a Capitalist™ to feel bad but keep eating. No wonder so many Americans suffer from obesity and high blood pressure. I wonder if there's an article on the site about "Shaved Fish" [ ;p ]... Or better yet: "REVOLUTION"

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I Am God

From: Negativland - "Free"

Given Negativland's very public stance on copyright law, Pink0™ is pretty sure he can offer this song for free download without upsetting them or inciting a lawsuit.

So here it is: Negativland - I Am God

Grant Czerepak on: "Synesthetes: Mental Orders"

More sharp observations from Grant Czerepak:

"If you read the indepth biographies of Winston Churchill, you will discover that the man suffered from a mental illness called Bipolar Disorder. Yet despit a life of political defeats, he was able to win the Prime Ministership and successfully lead Britain in its time of greatest need against the Nazi war machine with the words, “Never, Never, Never Give Up.” Churchill’s strategic insight during the Battle of Britain and his compelling speeches are still studied by leaders around the world today.

Abraham Lincoln’s indepth biographies also reveal he suffered from a mental illness believed to be Bipolar Disorder. Yet despite repeated failures won the Presidency and even after the death of his wife, led the United States through the greatest national crisis it ever faced, The American Civil War. His memorial in Washington D.C. reveal a man of profound depth of thought and compassion for his countrymen. He is regarded as one of the greatest Presidents the United States has produced.

Differing orders of the brain are often hard to distinguish. Especially when studying accounts of historical figures. Often different brain order societies claim that the same historical figures had their particular brain order. An interesting truth is we all exhibit traits of every brain order. We just exhibit them to varying degrees.

My theory is that all mental orders are varying forms of Synesthesia. We need a new Science to Recognize, Classify and Apply synesthetic abilities.

What is Synesthesia?

Synethesia is the combining of sensory perceptions and logical relations.

Who has Synesthesia?

We all do. Have you ever described a color of light? Have you ever described a fragrance of perfume? Have you ever described a taste of wine? Have you ever described the nature of a sound?

Have you ever used your imagination in any way? Have you ever dreamed? It is all facets of Synesthesia. Some is just more common than others.

We are confusing mental difference with mental illness."

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What Grant fails to observe is that the American Medical and Pharmaceutical Industries deliberately promote such confusion because they are Capitalsist™ theives and hucksters - the modern day equivalent of Snake Oil™ salesman.

“Very Good” a Personal Vision

2009-November-28 — grant czerepak

I am going to share with you my secret that made me a Chief Executive Officer.

When I was a child everyone told me there was a God and he loved me. They told me I could talk to God at any time and he would listen to me and he loved me. They told me God would answer back and he loved me.

I was filled with joy. I played with other children happily. I listened to my teachers and I was the top student in the class. I talked with everyone and enjoyed talking about the deepest issues with adults. Everyone I dealt with told me I was a genius and I told them I was.

Then some dumb ass came into my life and told me there was no God. He told me God did not love me. He told me God did not listen to me. He told me God did not talk to me. He told me I was stupid. He told me I could not talk with adults. He told me I was not a genius. He told me I was mentally ill. He told me I was physically sick. He told me I did not know how to take care of myself. He told me people were evil. He told me not to trust others. He told me people of other colors of skin were evil. He told me people who told me they believed in the same God as me, but called him another name were evil. He told me my life had no meaning and I did not belong in the Universe. He told me I had to take medication. He told me my air, water, food, clothing, home the whole world was poison and it was trying to kill me. He told me I had to be locked in a hospital and tell doctors and nurses, family, teachers, politicians, employers, coworkers that I was disfunctional and if I didn’t agree I would be thrown in prison and if I didn’t agree I would be tortured and killed.

I believed this person and my life became a living hell. Every person on earth has done this to me in one way or another and my life became hell. And you and I and everyone have done this to every person, animal, plant and everything in the Universe in one way or another.

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