Cynical Lessons

By
Cynical Lessons

“There were always men who practiced this philosophy. For it seems to be in some ways a universal philosophy, and the most natural.” - Julian the Apostate 1 Some months ago, I discovered a series of books on ancient philosophies produced by the University of California Press, with lovely details of Baroque paintings reproduced on the covers. The titles read: Stoicism, Epicureanism, Neoplatonism, Ancient Scepticism … Cynics. That last title immediately drew my attention: Cynics and not Cynicism. It turned out that Cynics makes explicit reference to anarchist ideas in a way that is both intelligent and important to...
Read more »

What Happens When We Do This‭?

By
What Happens When We Do This‭?

Post-Anarchism Today‭ Anarchist Developments in Cultural Studies‭ (‬ADCS‭) ‬2010.1 Edited by Duane Rousselle‭ & ‬Sϋreyyya Evren Published and distributed by Little Black Cart ‭‬Underneath Anarchism…‭ ‬Post-Anarchism‭ Recently,‭ ‬I finished reading issue‭ ‬#1‭ ‬of‭ Post-Anarchism Today:‭ ‬Anarchist Developments in Cultural Studies‭ (‬ADCS‭)‬.‭ ‬As the name implies,‭ ‬it is a journal of post-anarchist cultural studies encompassing articles on a variety of subjects‭ ‬-‭ ‬from architecture,‭ ‬identity,‭ ‬and morality‭; ‬all the way to film studies,‭ ‬black blocs,‭ ‬book reviews,‭ ‬poetry and the old faithful Karl Marx.‭ ‬Overall,‭ ‬the material is quite dense,‭ ‬although not surprising,‭ ‬being that much of the text comes...
Read more »

Some Random Thoughts on the City

By
Some Random Thoughts on the City

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, 1961 Ultimately I want to do away with the city. It represents the values of civilization which boil down to alienated and centralized power and wealth. Yet there are aspects of the city that I enjoy, particularly the opportunity for chance encounters with stimulating strangers. Where human beings do not congregate in large numbers, the opportunities for such encounters are much reduced or even disappear. But nowadays cities are built to serve the needs of capitalism and the state. And they have always served the interests of the...
Read more »

Kafka Reloaded

By
Kafka Reloaded

Redefining Apparatus in a Series of Government Waiting Rooms “So what?” the taller guard called out, “you’re behaving worse than a child. What is it you want? Do you think you can bring your whole damn trial to a quick conclusion by discussing your identity and arrest warrant with your guards? We’re lowly employees who can barely make our way through such documents, and whose only role in your affair is to stand guard over you ten hours a day and get paid for it. That’s all we are, but we’re smart enough to realize that before ordering such...
Read more »

At Least They’ll Let Us Have Our Misery

By
At Least They’ll Let Us Have Our Misery

“Fuck you, mother fucker! I don’t need this shit!”  I was about 3 or 4 when I went with my father to his work. He was a super (like a head janitor and handyman) at a convalescent home at the time. I really didn’t know why I was going with my father to this place, I just know that we were taking a detour from the everyday routine of leaving the day-care I spent my days at while both of my parents were at work to somewhere new. We walked into the office where a lady with black hair...
Read more »

Comments

Archives