Propaganda on 24 Aug 2000 13:09:31 -0000 |
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[Nettime-bold] RE: <nettime> The New "Left" - OR why inequality is politicallyuseful |
This debate between the forward and rearguard directions never really got going at the Fabian Society conference. The gentle globalist Mark Latham was too readily howled down by old guard. And the elders of the Australian Labor Party didn't cock an ear to the really critical issues -- resting instead on worn catch phrases. McKenzie Wark's argument had a Foucauldian edge to it: forget the confected theories, the real business is to win power. I was familiar with the post-critical line, that there is no Archimedean point of resistance left, but I hadn't imagined what it would sound like in a political context. One positive effect was to help clarify the missionary heritage of the left. Coming from the Melbourne liberal tradition, Guy Rundle's evolutionary story of alienation had much to offer. It seemed to make sense of how the ex-Premier of the state, Jeff Kennett, could move so easily from champion of multimedia to crusader for depression. I'm naturally inclined to this old-fashioned critical distance on power structures, but have real doubts about its veracity. Perhaps it is so, that the prefabricated consumer culture is perfectly satisfying for the vast majority of the western world. Maybe there's no reason now to play the stern doctor, warning the bon-vivant against over-indulgence. Maybe it is time to change from the diagnostic attitude to an openly ethical stance. Like, it is not better for you to produce your own culture, it is better in the broader scheme of reciprocity between cultures. Of course, to develop such an ethical argument today is hard work and likely to make more enemies than friends. But it seems that the power-care dialectic, as played out in the Wark-Rundle argument, helps force the issue. __________________________________________________ Precis Forecasts for Melbourne Issued at 0505 on Thursday the 24th of August 2000 for today and tonight Few showers. Max 14 _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold