[-empyre-] pirates and clapping

[Johannes Birringer]

dear all

well, it seems we have moved beyond the metaphors of (artistic) pirates,
and some of the recent postings (thanks for your response, Davin) help us
perhaps to think further on the question of community politics or
autonomy (versus individualism and futile gestures) and the pragmatism
of small steps; in an international perspective, there are so many issues
and differences to consider, daunting issues, so that one might become
worried, but I also think that creativity has shown itself so clearly this
year at many fronts.  as to anthropologists or artists, indeed one
is reminded of dire straits:
>>
There are many in working environments where they have to compromise 
their beliefs and ethics, in order to survive>> (Marc writes)

and thus the question of economic survival is tied to the political, intensely,
and Marc raised the topic of jobs and joblessness, but also implied, in
this discussion, are alternative motions, ways of moving. 

Magnus suggests:
> I wonder if this implies individuals
responding to subjugating external pressures or acting in a more
self-determined way, positively claiming creativity and responsibility"...>>

and this probably gets done differently in different situations.

I wonder if you were following the "silent" protests that are happening
in Belarus:

>BELARUSIAN authorities arrested about 400 people in the latest countrywide opposition 
protests against President Alexander Lukashenkos regime, rights group Vyasna said today. 
The protests went ahead on Wednesday evening in several cities in response to a call on 
internet group "Revolution through the Social Network", the sixth such rally in a month.
 At least 180 people were arrested in Minsk and 220 in other regional centres, Vyasna said in a statement. 
As in previous demonstrations, protesters did not chant slogans or brandish banners but merely stood in silence, 
clapping their hands. [http://newsfeedresearcher.com/data/articles_w28/people-protests-belarus.html]
>>


i have been watching this and find myself amazed at such a form of communal protest,
which differs from the rebellions and revolutions that happened in the Arabic countries,
and they also differ from, say, the democratic massification of protests that happened
over man months in Stuttgart (the Stuttgart 21 movement) which represents a civilian
protest action against a politically engineered building site/destruction site in the centre of the town.
Ai Wei Wei was released recently, and was forced apparently to admit he committed tax
evasion crime, it was interesting in that case to see the reactions/actions or non actions
of the art world when someone gets imprisoned, and the question of compromising one's ethics
are encountered all the time by Iranian filmmakers, for example, and Asghar Farhadi just
spoke about this when he commented on the interruptions during filming (his was asked
to stop the "Nader and Simin" production by a call from the censor bureau)...  filmmakers
like Farhadi indeed, to paraphrase Magnus, must respond to subjugating external pressures, acting in a more
self-determined way, positively claiming creativity and responsibility, yet also condone, admit, negotiate, draw back,
etc., and here the compromises – vis à vis the regimes of corporate power – become confusing, if you
reflect on the latest maneuver by Google, which was just disclosed, namely their million dollar donation for
the formation of a research Institute on "Internet and Society" (Humboldt Universität Berlin) - 
a new think tank sponsored by Google for anthropologists and digital researchers in academia, is that not
a sweet idea? 

At the inauguration ceremony, the Google representative said that the company is looking forward to
the research outcomes, and that "they are glad to anticipate the outcomes, which will help us to
make better products."  

we are the products of Google, not clients, nor "pirates."

I hope folks were clapping frequently during the Google speech. 


with regards
Johannes Birringer