Genoa Gladiators

[Christian KUmpe]

Hi,

The question arose, how much do the mailings relate to Pynchon`s boox. Well
– this one only relates to Pynchons favorite concept of the counterforce and
my understanding of it. Does it make sense at all? If applied to the puplic
world of the present, i fear it doesn´t. 

1. I focus here on the violent minority of the Genoa protesters and the riot
turism, of which they are a symptom. I don´t deal with the aims and wishes
of the peaceful protesters.

2. We have in Berlin an annual riot on the 1st of May, that became so
mindless, that it is semi officially called «Maifestspiele», and this word comes
from the pretty leftwing underground band Einstürzende Neubauten.

3. Some renowned rioteers from Berlin were denied to leave the country (!)
during the time of the Genoa summit. This was done by the Police, ordering
them to daily report at the police stations. Although lawsuits are under way, it
seems  legal.

4. A lot of the violent protesters came from Germany anyway. 

5. I interpret the whole phenomenon under Debords idea of the Socie´te´du
Spectacle in a strange mix with Hannah Ahrendts elitary ideas of democracy and
higher ambitions of man*. No Psychology or biologistic Anthropology in here. 


6. 1.The guys who riot are in no pusuit of happiness. ( Seems they´re sadmen
anyway:-))

6.2. The Police and/or Shocktroops are as bloodthursty and sadistic as they
have always been - anywhere. 

6.3. So maybe we can ascribe an attitude to the irrational rioteers, that
puts them close to Ahrendt´s antique POLITES, who were willing and able to
appear in public. Men who had no need to care about bare necessities ( Remember
Balu´s song? Great ol´luddite hm?:-)) to muse about the polis and DO
something, in order to appear as a person and achieve probably immortality (If my
memory serves me well, one of Pynchon´s other obsession.) So we could interpret
the riots as staged events to give some people their fifteen minutes, if not
immortality.

6.4. To follow Ahrend completely, would mean to go back to the eudeamonic
concept, which means in short, that only a dead person can really become
immortal in the memory of the polis. I don´t want to follow this particular
interpretation.

6.5. I want to turn Debord upside down, by saying that just the spectacular
appearance, the superficial fifteens minutes on the talkshow or CNN and/or
the TAZ (Temporarily Autonomous Zone) are a functional equivalent to Ahrend´s
idealistic Athens of the past.

6.6. This perspective could help to gain some concept of a global public,
that the web obviously doesn´t provide. We´re in an ivory tower, dear
Pynchonites, and we know it.

6.7. So hereby I put the Badass concept close to those fictitious elitary
ancient polites, pursuing politics to become famous, certainly not for any
benefit of the public. In Ahrendt´s vision, these persons were slavekeeping
patriarchs of course. A concept right out of the dark satanic mills of German
idealism.

Uff
time for the easy part
 

7. Pynchon likes songs and so do I. So here´s Bowies old favörite Life On
Mars:

It´s a god-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mother is yelling „No”
And her father has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seem
As she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view

But the film is a saddening bore
For she´s lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ak her to fokus on

Sailors fighting in the dancehall
Ohman! look at those cavemen go
It´s the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wander if he´ll ever know
He´s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

It´s on Americas tortured brow
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
‘Cause Lennon´s on sale again
See the mice in thier million hordes
>From Ibeza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog and clowns

But the film is a saddening bore
‘Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It´s about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on

Sailors fighting in the dancehall
Ohman! look at those cavemen go
It´s the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wander if he´ll ever know
He´s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?


Read you,

Christian





 

 

*Her boox Über die Revoltution and Vita Activa. 
Sailors fighting in the dancehall
Ohman! look at those cavemen go
It´s the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wander if he´ll ever know
He´s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

-- 
GMX - Die Kommunikationsplattform im Internet.
http://www.gmx.net

GMX Tipp:

Machen Sie Ihr Hobby zu Geld bei unserem Partner 1&1!
http://profiseller.de/info/index.php3?ac=OM.PS.PS003K00596T0409a