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THREAD: if you& #39;re surprised by k-pop fans going after cops, let me posit a theory for why it makes logical sense
one of the most frustrating moves by leftists is to assume that fascism is purely economic, that it is some mutation of capitalism
this is wrong and smart reactionaries will correctly point out how opportunistic this is
this is wrong and smart reactionaries will correctly point out how opportunistic this is
OG fascist intellectuals were open about being opposed to both liberalism AND socialism. Both the leveling nature of working class demands and movements AND the wealth/disruption generated by markets + the fact both were (in theory anyway) globalist in nature
I think a far better explanation is that reactionaries are fundamentally opposed to movement away from a particular state of affairs
But maintaining this requires control
But maintaining this requires control
What makes control hard? High variety (i.e. the number of possible states a system can take). More variety = more options to exit from oppressive situations / more avenues for attack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_(cybernetics)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vari...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_(cybernetics)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vari...
And of course high variety makes situations increasingly difficult to define. Which in turn cripples the power of institutions
The violence that likely pushed many people to breaking point was about suppressing this variety
#page=45">https://libcom.org/files/David_Graeber-The_Utopia_of_Rules_On_Technology_St.pdf #page=45">https://libcom.org/files/Dav...
The violence that likely pushed many people to breaking point was about suppressing this variety
#page=45">https://libcom.org/files/David_Graeber-The_Utopia_of_Rules_On_Technology_St.pdf #page=45">https://libcom.org/files/Dav...
(also some people pointed out how libs went from praising the protests to condemning them in like 48 hours
no duh without the police working you can& #39;t do liberal technocracy lol)
no duh without the police working you can& #39;t do liberal technocracy lol)
This finally brings us back to culture. While information age capitalism has failed to live up to the hype of its breathless proponents, information age *culture* is doing pretty well
And as you& #39;ve probably noticed it is *very* high variety
And as you& #39;ve probably noticed it is *very* high variety
So here& #39;s my hypothesis. Kids, especially those from marginalized backgrounds (black kids like kpop apparently?), who are subconsciously aware of these dynamics to some degree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvgLUItrSVI">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Now this does not make these kids radicals! Big difference between spamming a police app and actively pursuing political goals
But the underlying desires they have for self-expression and self-creation involve increasing variety and that WILL come in conflict with authority
But the underlying desires they have for self-expression and self-creation involve increasing variety and that WILL come in conflict with authority
These desires lurk within much of internet culture. Memes are an obvious example - they result from the democratization of creative tools
again, this doesn& #39;t mean the people who make them are consistent!
again, this doesn& #39;t mean the people who make them are consistent!
ofc memes are used by reactionaries. Might have been decisive in getting Trump into the white house
but even then I& #39;d say this is a sign of trying to keep pace with the new environment as opposed to consistent, geniune innovation
but even then I& #39;d say this is a sign of trying to keep pace with the new environment as opposed to consistent, geniune innovation
e.g. trads posting architecture or paintings or staged photos of "normal" families are clearly not embracing the range of whats possible instead focusing on a particular identity that is cobbled together
Matt McManus is good on this https://areomagazine.com/2018/09/02/how-post-modern-conservatism-emerged/">https://areomagazine.com/2018/09/0...
Matt McManus is good on this https://areomagazine.com/2018/09/02/how-post-modern-conservatism-emerged/">https://areomagazine.com/2018/09/0...
for this vision to win out meme culture must die (or at least be severely restricted)
k-pop stans on the other hand can exist in a society in which everyone else is not a k-pop stan (despite community toxicity)
k-pop stans on the other hand can exist in a society in which everyone else is not a k-pop stan (despite community toxicity)
anyway this means that culture is a serious battleground this century, especially since it is inseparable from big existential questions that absolutely motivate people AND underlying production processes like peer production or 3d-printing (e.g. cosplay)
tl;dr politics is going to look *extremely* colorful
