Thursday, May 26, 2005

Manifest Empowerment

from "DADA Manifesto," by Tristan Tzara (1918)

Every product of disgust that is capable of becoming a negation of the family is dada; DADA; acquaintance with all the means hitherto rejected by the sexual prudishness of easy compromise and good manners: DADA; abolition of logic, dance of those who are incapable of creation: DADA; every hierarchy and social equation established for values by our valets: DADA;... the abolition of memory: DADA; the abolition of archaeology: DADA; the abolition of prophets: DADA; the abolition of the future: DADA; the absolute and indisputable belief in every god that is an immediate product of spontaneity: DADA... DADA DADA DADA; - the roar of contorted pains, the interweaving of contraries and all contradictions, freaks and irrelevancies: LIFE.


from "S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto," by Valerie Solanas (1967)

No genuine social revolution can be accomplished by the male, as the male on top wants the status quo, and all the male on the bottom wants is to be the male on top. The male 'rebel' is a farce; this is the male's 'society', made by him to satisfy his needs. He's never satisfied, because he's not capable of being satisfied. Ultimately, what the male 'rebel' is rebelling against is being male. The male changes only when forced to do so by technology, when he has no choice, when 'society' reaches the stage where he must change or die. We're at that stage now; if women don't get their asses in gear fast, we may very well all die.


from "The Communist Manifesto," by Karl Marx and Friederich Engels (1848)

In short, the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things.

In all these movements, they bring to the front, as the leading question in each, the property question, no matter what its degree of development at the time.

Finally, they labor everywhere for the union and agreement of the democratic parties of all countries.

The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.

Proletarians of all countries, unite!

4 Comments:

Blogger fred burgess! said...

I'm not advocating all of these. Instead, the point is: if something about The System isn't working for you, I'm just letting you know, there are options.

For those looking for a lifestyle change, there is further manifesto reading in the links on the right.

8:22 AM  
Blogger fred burgess! said...

I should add that if anyone were to join S.C.U.M., you would perhaps be the first person in history to do so.

Valerie Solanas spent much of her life between mental hospitals, jail, and living on the streets. Somewhere in there, she shot Andy Warhol.

Most of her ideas, though, don't strike me as crazy at all.

8:29 AM  
Blogger fred burgess! said...

Also, I just realized I may be asking for trouble by posting The Communist Manifesto as a link.

As far as I know, the federal government is still alerted whenever someone purchases a copy of it in U.S. bookstores.

Big Brother is watching.

8:31 AM  
Blogger fred burgess! said...

I think male society is at its most vocal and obnoxious in Carbondale.

4:28 PM  

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