Anarchy: a journal of desire armed. #38, Fall 1993 COLUMNS -includes The Iconoclast's Hammer by Feral Faun, Untitled Fiction by Peter Sapira, The School of Metastasis, Iraq - the Unknown Revolts, and Anarchist Contacts. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ The Iconoclast's Hammer By Feral Faun Radical Theory: A Wrecking Ball for Ivory Towers "Radical theory is thinking becoming sensually integrated into an insurgent life and learning, however slowly, to express itself with precision and fluidity." It seems to have become a given among many anti-authoritarians that radical theory is an academic pursuit. On the one hand, there are the ideological activists who accuse anyone who attempts to critically analyze society or their own activities in a way that goes beyond the latest hip anarchist sloganeering of being armchair intellectuals or academics. On the other hand, there are those who supplement the income of their academic/intellectual professions by writing tracts criticizing society, the left or even their own pro- fessions, but in such abstract and insubstantial terms as to be meaningless in relation to their own lives. These intellectual ``radicals'' and anti-intellectual activists remain equally enslaved to society's discourse. Radical theory is elsewhere. Radical theory springs from the energy of insurgent desire first as a basic recognition that the social context in which we find ourselves impoverishes our lives. Because we have been educated not to think, but rather to have thoughts, it is very easy to fall from this basic recognition into accepting one or another ``radical'' ideology, mouthing the appropriate slogans and participating in the mindless activism (better called reactivism) which jumps and dances for every cause and issue, but never attacks society at its root. I've heard ``class war'' anarchists (many of them from upper middle class backgrounds) justify such stupidity by declaring any attempts at more precise and critical thinking to be an expression of classist privilege - even when those making the attempts are high school dropout lumpen. But there is nothing radical about stupidity or "thinking" in slogans even when they're anarchist slogans. Radical theory is the attempt to understand the complex system of relationships which is society, how it reproduces itself and the individual as a part of itself, and how one can begin to undermine its control and take back one's life in order to become a self- creative individual. It has no place in either the ivory tower of the academy or that of mindless ideological (re)activism. It is rather an integral part of an active insurgence against society. Having recognized that society impoverishes our lives, it is a very small step to realize that the simplistic sloganeering that is frequently passed off as radical thought is part of this impoverishment. It belittles us as individuals by substituting itself for thinking and imagination. ``Smash authority!'' is a wonderful sentiment, but that's all it is. It tells us nothing about the nature of authority, our relationship to it, its trajectories and tendencies or how we can go about destroying it. This is why those for whom this slogan is an adequate analysis of authority continue to repeat the same futile and insipid actions over and over again as signs of their resistance to authority, actions which have long since proven only to reinforce authority by creating easily confined rituals of pseudo-opposition which keep rebellion domesticated. The small step which opens the possibility of thinking beyond slogans is an about-face, a reversal of perspective. If society impoverishes our lives, if it offers nothing worth having, then there is no reason for any of us to let this absurd system of relationships into which we have been integrated continue to deter- mine how we view the world either by acceptance of its perspective or by reaction to it. Instead our attempts to create our lives as fully and intensely as possible, which will bring us into conflict with society, can be the basis for an ongoing analysis of society and our relationship to it that challenges and enhances our thinking and imaginations and stimulates an active insurgence against authority as it exists in the interactions that create our daily lives. This analysis can not be a static set of ideas and principles, because it is an integral part of a dialectic of thinking and living as an insurgent, self-creating individual. As such, it is an integral part of action, not a separate specialization. Written expressions of this analysis (which should not be mistaken for the analysis itself) require the development of a language that is very precise and very fluid, very pointed and very playful. I am very far from attaining this, but am trying to develop it. The language of the situationists (particularly Debord and Vaneigem in his SI days) was aiming for this. But those who prefer slogans to intensive analysis frequently accuse those attempting to develop such a language of ``intellectualism,'' yet only by developing such a language can the expression of theory be wrested from intellectual specialists and made into an integral part of an active insurgence. Radical theory is an aspect of a way of living which smashes all ivory towers. It exposes the theories that spill from the academic ivory towers as lifeless shams. It exposes the actions of the ideologues of activism as mindless reaction. To put it another way, theorists who aren't living an insurgent life say nothing that's worth saying, and activists who refuse to think critically do nothing worth doing. Radical theory is thinking becoming sensually integrated into an insurgent life and learning, however slowly, to express itself with precision and fluidity. When developed it cuts like a well-honed knife. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Untitled fiction by Peter Sapira Dr. George Lemming stood behind the large oak desk in the empty classroom and prepared for what would be his first lecture as a Harvard University professor. Prior to last August, he had always lived in England where he spent the last 15 years as the dean of history at a small university. There he gained the reputation as an expert in the study of feudal England through his books and lec- tures. It was this wide academic acclaim that prompted Harvard to offer him a position on their staff. The benefits that this oppor- tunity provided made it impossible for Lemming to decline. However, he did have apprehensions about teaching in America. George viewed his work as sacrosanct, and he feared that the American students would be arrogant and unresponsive to the reverence which he tried to instill his classes with. As he began to question his decision once more, the class began to assemble. He did not look at the faces as they entered the room. Instead he was trying to forget that these were not familiar surroundings, that this was not the same small university where he was so revered. Because of this introspection, George Lemming failed to notice a young man of the most bizarre appearance enter amongst the class. This student had an unhealthy paleness about his face and the old top hat that partially covered his straggled black hair looked as if it had once belonged to a chimney sweep. He wore black jeans, brown vinyl cowboy boots and an orange T-shirt with the name Rudi printed on the back. The oddity rushed to the back of the room and slid into a chair where he sat grinding his teeth and clutching the sides of the desk. About midway through the lecture, just as George had begun to feel he had established some control, Rudi's teeth grinding grew louder and sweat began to drip from his face onto the desk. Several students began to stare at him, not knowing whether they should be amused or frightened. His breathing became louder and sporadic and it appeared that he was about to hyperventilate. When this panting, grinding and sweating reached its climax, Rudi flung himself up so fiercely that he knocked the chair and desk to the floor as he screamed, "Let's go you bunch of stains! Oh boy!!" Everyone then watched as Rudi stumbled slowly forward. At the front of the classroom, he stood beside the same desk that Dr. Lemming was now trembling behind. Rudi then placed his top hat on the desk, bowed slightly to the professor, and proudly announced, "Excuse me! Excuse me! Please pardon the interruption, but I think I have something of interest to show you all." He then lowered his head and started laughing. Then trying to gain his composure, he covered his mouth to hide a smirk. Still giggling, he addressed the class again, "Really, you're gonna like this. I promise. I swear!" With a renewed intensity he turned sideways to the class and shouted, "Observe!" He then flung himself into the air in an apparent attempt to perform a back flip. However, he did not rotate enough while in the air so instead of landing on his feet, Rudi smashed his head on the hard wood floor. He jumped up screaming, hands clasped behind his head, blood spurting through his fingers. He started running blindly around the classroom, slamming into desks, bouncing off cement walls, and ricochetting back into the desks, knocking stu- dents to the floor. As Rudi continued on his rampage, Dr. Lemming decided to leave. He began to tip toe his way through the carnage toward the door. Just as his hand was about to turn the knob, the door flew open, hit Lemming on the head and knocked him out. Then through the door way, a tall, gaunt, blond man jumped into the room. He was dressed like Rudi, only his T-shirt had `Rodney' printed on the back. Seemingly unaware of the upturned desks and tangled bodies, he started performing an array of uncoordinated spins and jumps about the room. "I've always loved ballet," he cooed, "It's so graceful. I wish I was a ballerina instead of a hairdresser!" Rodney then finished his routine and bowed to the unconscious audience. He then noticed Rudi crouched in a corner, still clasping his bleeding head. "Rudi!" he shrieked, "Your hair is an absolute mess! My God, you've tried to dye it red! Oh well, come along dar- ling, off to the salon with you!" The two then linked arms and jumped out of the seventh story window. After landing safely on the ground, they met Dr. Shone Fraide. A dentist who, over a five year period in Tasmania, would show our two young heros the true meaning of anarchy. Actually, Rudi and Rodney were killed instantly from their jump out of the window, but Shone Fraide was there to pull all of their teeth out. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ The School of Metastasis Are you psychic? If you have money and a gullible disposition, come to the "Sixth Sense Seminary" course at the School of Meta- stasisTM. We'll reinforce your most naive illusions about your extrasensory abilities to engage in telephony, psycho-immiseration, slide projection, clear-annoyance, past-life beatings and much more! Sure to be profitable for us and confusing for you. * * * * * Do you want to be a millionaire? Would you enjoy living in a world where the wealthy few exploit the impoverished many, as long as you're one of those wealthy few? Come to our absolutely free lecture=FE"Exploitation is Your Right" and find out how to make more money without feeling guilty about it. * * * * * Learn how to trap the genius within you! The School of MetastasisTM offers classes in dream crisis intervention, transcendental seda- tion, advanced day-dreaming, mental crutch construction, psychic potty-training, asshole projection, psychopathy, and more! Remember, all you need to bring to our classes are your cash and an empty head. We'll do all the thinking for you! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ March 7, 1991: IRAQ - THE UNKNOWN REVOLTS Two years ago, the allied forces of triumphant capitalism, at war for their new world order, came across in Iraq the old fear that haunts all the rich of this world: the offensive and fighting autonomy of the proletariat. By forming the Shoras (autonomous grassroots organizations), and by attacking the mosques, city halls, prisons, police stations, banks and businesses, these ``nobodies,'' who were considered to be forever recruited in the service of all states, revolted, thus showing the only possible way to have done with war, exploitation and oppression forever. Yesterday with conventional machine-gun fire, today with digitalized bombing, we are always condemned to the silence of the grave: A leaden silence over 700,000 dead. On this 7th of March, 1993, the tons of bombs have temporarily yielded to the humanitarian aid of the nationalist-democrats. These vultures are continuing, through their charitable, religious, paci- fist, UN-style, etc. organizations, their role as the guard-dogs of capital. Let's not be duped by their democracy: a Kurdish parlia- ment is still a parliament; a Bosnian state is still a state; capitalism, regardless of its colour or language, is still capi- talism and therefore war. The authors can be contacted - and their pamphlet Iraq, les r=82voltes inconnues can be obtained at the following address: C.D.L., C.P. 5209, Succ. C, Montr=82al, Qu=82bec, H2X 3N2, Canada [I suggest people send a blank postal money order for $3.50 Cdn. to cover expenses: if you can't afford this, write anyway. -tr.] @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Anarchist Contacts This is a listing of addresses of groups and individuals who would like to see the growth and development of anarchist practice of one form or another. The list may help those participating to make regional contacts and intercommunication links based on their self-defined perspectives. If you'd like to see your address added to this listing just write to us and we'll include your name, address, and a short (20 words or less) description of your perspective, practice and/or desires. Each contact address will be run in two successive issues. (Note: We are only compiling this list, we are not endorsing the positions of those who have asked to be listed.) Institute of Fatuous Research BM JED London, WC1N 3XX England Conspiracy M.E.D.I.A. POB 158324 Nashville, TN. 37215 Publishers of Radical Pizza zine, R.A.D! music zine, and anarchist-oriented computer bulletin board Mondo Gordo! BBS. Psychoriot Sound c/o Count Zee POB 752 Crocker, MO. 65452 "Composer/axeman/music softwear programmer looking for any creative outlet for video, live or other projects. Relocating to Alabama. Advice?" Brian Metz POB 70551 Richmond, VA. 23255 "I wish to build correspondences with anyone sincerely interested in progression toward a shark-and-pig-free world." Dale R. Gowin #91-B-0209 POB 500 Elmira, NY. 14902 "Anarchist activist and `drug-war' POW seeks correspondence re: counter-cultural movements and conscious social-revolutionary use of psychedelic sacraments." Joanne Bender 23 Linlake Dr. St. Catherines, Ontario L2N 2M5 Canada "Would like to correspond/share info & ideas with other anarchists/radical environmentalists/ people interested/involved with ALF." Thornton Kimes 605=AB S. Main #2 Seattle, WA. 98104 "Bi anarchadude seeks (bi) pen friends, friends to hang out with and give/receive massages to/from, cuddlebuddies and/or a bianarchist household..." Dan McGarrigan IIII 333 Springhouse Road Newtown, PA. 18940 "I like punk music, political rap, nature Wicca, and debating against right wing extremists." Mike Kelly #493005 & Victor Mendoza #410216 Clements Unit 9601 NE 24th Ave. Amarillo, TX. 79107 "Anarchist revolutionary artists." Pong Juie Jung 205 School Street Somerville, MA 02143 "Situationalist/zerowork/vegetarian/simple living/ urban survivalist/samurai/Native American cultures." Bloodclot University of Houston Box 926113 Houston, TX. 77292-6113 "Campus-aired radical/ anarchist TV program seeks your political films, videotape footage and input."