Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The Value of The Amateur:
Ancient ages ago there was a campaign against Dimitri Rousoupoulos of 'Black Rose Books' (who at that time also published 'Our Generation'). The accusation was that he was basically a "parasite" who "lived off the movement". Personal differences in Rousopoulos' circle in Montreal gave this accusation credibility. This dispute is long gone, but I find it interesting that nobody raises the same accusation today against some people who OBVIUOSLY "live off the movement" such as "Chucky-Poo" of Infoshop or "Crimeth(INC-TM) who have found a way to extract money from the gullible and avoid work. Both these people and others had personal connections to some of those in the USA who were Dimitri's greatest detractors. There were others such as Jason McQuinn who probably didn't live as a parasite off of their anarchist efforts but who OBVIOUSLY had an independent source of income that allowed them to publish a glossy magazine that would always lose money. Anarchy Magazine could even survive turning the treasury over to a drug addict who robbed them and keep on publishing as if nothing had happened. The NOTHING is what McQuinn wanted to convey as he covered his ass across a continent without ever sinking to rationality and common sense in saying that criminal behavior is wrong- except in his privileged case. God, these people make me sick to my stomach.
But to return to the "value of the Amateur". There is an argument to be made on anarchist principles-ie those principles that "post-leftists" borrow from while denigrating as "obsolete"- that an anarchist propaganda effort should be susceptible of immediate reproduction by those who agree with it. Unlike the glossy magazine of 'Anarchy'. Unlike the complex website of 'Infoshop'. May I say that the latter two are "money-making enterprises" while publications such as ATN which can be reproduced by anybody with a printer are "anarchistic" in a way that the arrogance of "post leftist commercialism" could never be.

4 comments:

Aragorn! said...

There were others such as Jason McQuinn who probably didn't live as a parasite off of their anarchist efforts but who OBVIOUSLY had an independent source of income that allowed them to publish a glossly magazine that would always lose money.

This is a very funny statement. Jason's 'independent source of income' was exactly the same source that every other anarchist project is funded by. Himself. His work. His labor power in the marketplace. He chose to get a job in the health care industry so that he could fund his anarchist projects.

This is particularly funny because on the one hand you decry the anarchist ghetto but also complain about a glossy cover that makes the magazine appealing to an audience other than those 'in the know' or (as you are obviously recommending) with a computer printer.

mollymew said...

Well, all that I can say is that I know the cost of publishing a glossy magazine at one or two times a year. Personally I am very affluent. I could probably afford to throw $5,000 dollars ONCE A YEAR at a publication that would ALWAYS LOSE MONEY, especially as almost all of the newstand distribution would be returned because the general public is just not interested in how "child molesters have something to be said for them", or that "psychotic murderers such as the Unibomber deserve a so-called "critique", or, speaking of "critique", that nonsensical babbling with a sophomoric pseudo-intellectual pride in saying nothing with words that you don't understand is something worth reading, as nauseum.
What I could say further is that "I" !!!! could not afford the cost of TWO editions per year without severe sacrifice. Does Jason's "health-care job" involve his employment as a specialist with an income far in excess of the average doctor ? I doubt it. So...prove to me that anybody in a "health care" job can afford subsidizing a glossy magazine. Also prove to me that the number of $5,000 is an underestimate.
The balls in your court guy.

Aragorn! said...

1) Jason no longer publishes Anarchy. It is published by a collective out of the Bay Area.
2) Generally, Anarchy breaks even, entirely based on newstand sales. I guess the public is clamoring for the child molesting themes (from nearly 15 years ago) you are so fixated on.
3) Your number is about right for printing. Your conclusions are not.
4) Reactionary sectarianism isn't the only way you interact with people who don't agree with you, is it?

mollymew said...

Interesting that the item amongst 3 of child molesters should be the "item of my fixation" to the exclusion of justification for murder and pseudointellectual babbling (the other items). Before the casual reader of this blog draws conclusions I point to the following. The "15 year" quote refers to some original article in Anarchy Magazine, though I suspect that EVEN THIS NUMBER could be challenged because of the following:
You don't have to waste your money on buying back issues of Anarchy Magazine. The little "cutesiness" of proving themselves "oh-so-radical" continues to this very day in that anybody with access to the internet can see letters published in the VERY LATEST ISSUE OF ANARCHY MAGAZINE in defense of this stupidity.
The editors of AM have backed away from any statements in the recent past for the simple reason that they have an inchoate appprehesion that adocacy of such a thing is foolishness but, on the other hand, they don't want to let go of their illusions about being "ultra-radical".
To my limited mind that is NOT informed by the ground breaking discoveries of "new ways of living" that the so-called radicals of AAJODA have discovered in their superhuman thought processes. "Murder" ala the Unibomber is a much more serious offense than child molesting. There are some who may disagree with me particularily in the case of people whom Anarchy gives credence to such as the Unibomber.
I speak of "ordinary people" who understand the reality that ideologically motivated psychotics such as the Unibomber should be treated MUCH more harshly than the ordinary murderer BECAUSE they encourage murder in principle rather than being carried away by emotions.
But in any case I advise the casual reader to consult the internet on "Anarchy Magazine" and "pedophilia" to see THE LATEST EDITION OF ANARCHY MAGAZINE where they publish yet another letter in defense of the pedophiles.
NOT 15 YEARS !!!! NOT 15 MONTHS!!!!!. Barely even 15 WEEKS in the issue where the tour of Sir Aragon is announced to promote his own "sectarian version" of anarchism.
The lie is pretty obvious, and I think that anyone who takes the word of a liar that "Anarchy Magazine" "generally breaks even" should avoid financial investments.
Let's see now, $5,000 at an issue newsstand price of $5 equals 1,000 sales. At a newsstand price of $10 it equals 500 sales. Hardly the masses flocking to the banner !!!! The actual number is about 1/2 way inbetween. So....the magazine appeals to somewhere between 500 and 1,000 evil people across two continents who think that 1)child molestation deserves a "hearing", 2)who think that ideologically justified murder also deserves a "hearing" and, most importantly, 3)think that a private language that can justify their feeling superior to the "great unwashed" is a giant balloon with a happy face on it "GOOD THING".
I hate to say this, but there are probably 10,000 people in my own province who could be looped into consuming such nonsense, if you take all 3 pieces of nonsense together, ie ONE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION. This is NOT "success". It is playing and selling to a "niche-market". Feel free to double the above numbers given the retailers chunk of this little enterprise.
As to my "sectarianism" I am sure that you will not be very happy to note that I once had the reputation of being able to find a position "between" any two other positions no matter how paper thin the differences were. Basically NOBODY gets my goat today like you people do. When the NDP comes to the door during elections the wife lectures them on their betrayals. Me...I try and draw them into gossip about mutual acquaintenances in the Party. This I can enjoy.
Feel proud that your silliness can still get my blood pressure up. But be aware that,contrary to your own illusion of self importance, that it is as if...
I was a Mormon who saw a sect that still
1)advocated child marriage or EVEN argued about it.
2)thought that murder of non-Mormons deserved "debate"
and-MOST IMPORTANTLY-
3)had invented a private language of Biblical criticism and exergesis of the Book of Mormon that justified these positions amongst others. A language that was completely incomprehensible to the outsiders for the simple fact that it was nonsensical BUT SOUNDED REALLY GOOD TO THE FAITHFUL and served its functions of maintaining faith.
Sorry, but the nonsense propogated by Anarchy Magazine is several orders of magnitude less important than that promoted by the Mormon Church in the real world !!!!!!!!! This is despite any illusions that you might have about "revolution" in a situation where the Mormons outrecruit you by a factor of 1,000 to 10,000.
So...I'm happy that I can achieve a position of "enemy" in your demonology. I intend to continue to be as "sectarian" as I have been to something that aspires disgust in me, and I intend to be "non-sectarian" to intelligent,decent and normal people ie pretty well everybody else.
By the way, I am fully aware that Jason no longer publishes AAJODA. That was NOT implied in the above. It spoke of history, not the present. As to an "agitational" as it is called in the trade I think that AM is the WORST example of "what should not be done". If you want to be a good "post-leftist" stop using words such as "reactionary" and reform a lot of other things too.