…not very informative @ndy… and unlike @ndy’s blog [Wikipedia] does get read outside the ghetto…
- But all in all, it ironically creates a pretty bleak image of anarchism in Australia (despite the groovy and comical wording).
In the above case, we’re assuming that all involved uphold an anti-authoritarian ethic that respects autonomy of action. Because authority can arise in any group, some anarchists feel safer if they only interact with other anarchists, thus avoiding authoritarians. But it is not the label anarchist that annihilates authority but an ongoing struggle with all those one interacts with. Every new situation and relation we enter poses the possibility for the rise of authority. Just as Clastres [in] ‘Society against the State’ [and] other anthropologists who have lived in small-scale societies have noted a process of assertive egalitarianism, an active tendency to squelch attempts at creating roles of authority, or economic inequality [is required]. In an informal organization, we need to assertively counter the formation of authoritarian relations. The difficulty of this problem cannot be avoided by staying in an anarchist ghetto.
- Similarly, in Australia, the rhythms and subject matter of hip-hop are not new: Melbourne performance poet Pi O was doing it long before rap became cool, mixing his Greek roots with his Fitzroy working class sensibility to create a powerful monologue of inner-city life as a wog boy. But, then, Melbourne has always been in the vanguard of performance poetry or spoken word, as the newer generation prefers to call it, largely because there are more venues for performance…
“By the 1980s, rap and hip-hop poets arrived and shared the performance poetry venues. Then, in the 1990s, spoken word supplanted performance poetry, getting its injection from fast-talking rock stars like Bob Dylan, Lydia Lunch and Henry Rollins.” Pi O is a fan of hip-hop, but says that one of its pitfalls is its linearity: “There’s too much of ‘this happened, that happened’ and not much more.”
…[Raceless:] “But I think we are less influenced by American ghetto culture than we used to be in this country. We don’t like the way gangsta rap has become so slick, talking about ‘bitches’, money and materialism. We want to be more poetic.” He says most Australian hip-hop falls into two categories. “There are barbecue rappers, who go over the top with the Aussie accent and alienate the ethnics, and then there are falafel rappers.”
Unfortunately Class War‘s editors may have taken on board the left communist-type of critique – perhaps so as to compete more credibly for status in the anarchist ghetto.
- This clip above is the final section from the 1985 conference with both Ian and Martin Wright talking about the Class make up of Class War, the writing and approach of the paper and building a wider movement while trying to break out of the Anarchist ghetto.
Otherwise you must give the full name and contact details of the legal individual (legally registered legal entity such as company or registered association or individual person with full name and physical location of contact and presence) who is responsible for the publication of the defamatory articles.
- Running total of visits to the above URL since 12 Jun 2006: 211,920
