Blog

And while we’re on the topic of Haiti

You didn’t have to be a Marxist political analyst to see what the US was going to do after the disaster – see Jeff’s ‘the politics of misery’. Imperialist agendas include, but are not restricted to:

  • bringing in the military
  • denying planes with aid permission to land
  • coordinating efforts with Israel

And now we have media outlets scapegoating to militarise the disaster – criminalising victims, using the Katrina vernacular, alleging people are building roadblocks from the dead. ... read more

Written by Jacinda Woodhead on 17-01-2010, No comments

the politics of misery

The American evangelist Pat Robertson’s claim that the Haitian earthquake resulted from a pact with the Devil have been widely reported. Interestingly, the ‘Satanic Haitians’ theory seems to be historical survival of the hysteria that the great Haitian slave rebellions instilled in white racists. Scott Mclemee explains (quoting CLR James’ mighty book The Black Jacobins) the role that religion played in that revolt:

Carrying torches to light their way, the leaders of the revolt met in an open space in the thick forests of the Morne Rouge, a mountainside overlooking Le Cap. There Boukman gave the last instructions and, after Voodoo incantations and the sucking of the blood of a stuck pig, he stimulated his followers by a prayer spoken in creole which, like so much spoken on such occasions, has remained. “The god who created the sun which gives us light, who rouses the waves and rules the storm, though hidden in the clouds, he watches us. He sees all that the white man does. The god of the white man inspires him with crime, but our god calls upon us to do good works. Our god who is good to us orders us to revenge our wrongs. He will direct our arms and aid us. Throw away the symbol of the god of the whites who has so often caused us to weep, and listen to the voice of liberty, which speaks in the hearts of us all.” The symbol of the god of the whites was the cross which, as good Catholics, they wore around their necks. ... read more

Written by Jeff Sparrow on 16-01-2010, 5 user comments

Motherhood: too bad, it was your choice

This article has been brewing in me for three years – that’s how long I’ve been a mother for. I’ve thought long and hard about writing this article. Many have advised me against it. But ultimately, the importance of initiating discussion and change for the better outweighs my reluctance and fear. Outspoken mothers these days are too readily labelled as whiny and put in their place with the statement ‘it was your choice to have a baby, so deal with it’. Well frankly, I’m not going to shut up and walk away, not this time anyway.

After I spent forty-two hours in labour and had my abdomen sliced open, I was expecting society to embrace me; instead reality dished me a cold slap in the face. First came breastfeeding. Society was telling me I should, that it was best for my baby. But it was harder than labour. People stared at me. People asked me not to breastfeed in front of them. Someone told me it was child abuse. I stayed home as much as I could while I breastfed – an entire year. If I did go out I was reduced to feeding in tiny rooms, or crouched over my baby, and if you’re not relaxed the milk just doesn’t come. ... read more

Written by Koraly Dimitriadis on 13-01-2010, 20 user comments

ASIO, not the government, calling the shots on refugees

I've got a piece up at Crikey about ASIO's determination about the Tamil refugees. Given it seems to be outside the paywall, I thought I'd post a link here.

... read more

Written by Jeff Sparrow on 13-01-2010, No comments

How to Fall In Love & Stay in Love

Fall in Love

... read more

Written by Maxine Clarke on 13-01-2010, 2 user comments

How poetry ruined my life, episode 4

A question for the poets: What do you do when you're at a party, and some unimaginative guest asks you what you "do", and you have that moment where the following thoughts collide in a mangle of mild discomfort in your mind:

1. Do I bypass the details of how I have a menial day-job to support the poetry?

2. He's going to think I'm a wanker if I say I'm a poet.

3. But I am a fucking poet, I even got published in Overland once!

4. I studied writing and everything, does that justify me or make it sadder that I'm still fixated on it even though Penguin still don't want my verse novel manuscript?

5. I mean, I did the Diploma at RMIT/I did the Bachelors at RMIT/I did the Masters at RMIT/I did a fucking Ph.D at RMIT and I teach the subject now, that's got to count for something...

6. Look at this dork, he's probably got a Ph.D in Quantum Physics, I can see it now, the beer coming out his nose when he snorts and says "you can do Ph.Ds in creative writing these days? Really?"

7. I'd have loved to do a Ph.D on Quantum Physics. If only I could remember how long-division works. No, seriously.

8. Maybe he's one of the polite ones who will smile and nod and say "I never liked poetry much, to be honest",

9. and if that happens, note to self: Resist urge to tell him he just hasn't read the right poetry yet. You know he stopped at Shakespeare sonnets in high-school which brought down his University entrance score to 98.9, and his left eye still gets that nervous pulsating twitch when he thinks about it 15 years on. He's probably not willing to believe you when you tell him there are as many poets and poetic styles and genres as there are musicians and musical genres - and EVERYBODY has at least one kind of music they love. It's just that poetry isn't passive, you can't really read it while you cook your nightly pasta sauce. I mean you do, but he's probably particular about not getting tomato on his books, even the ones he hates. More likely he'd be worried about burning his dinner. His reaction would be "Well I'll read a poem when you do a quadratic equation", which wouldn't be so bad except you really don't remember how to do long-division.

10. So change the subject if he gives you the smile'n'nod.

11. Better yet, lie. Say you're in marketing. You market... something... something people actually need and love. Toilet paper, asprin, organic chickens, breath mints, gym memberships...

12. Don't be stupid, excuse yourself. Go stand in the line for the loo. Nobody will ask you personal questions there.


Anybody?


Got a few newies at: http://taramokhtari.wordpress.com


... read more

Written by Tara Mokhtari on 12-01-2010, 13 user comments

the future of online journalism

HuffPoFinalThe web is, don't you know, going to save that endangered species, the newspaper. At least, that's the theory -- and, of course, the model that everyone's looking to is the Huffington Post, Ariana Huffington's phenomenally successful bloggy-papery thing. Almost all the commercial online publications in Australia look increasingly Huffington-like: have a glance, for instance, at News Corps' Punch.

Huffpo generated such excitement because it seemed to have achieved the impossible: establishing a commercially successful online outlet, publishing serious and even vaguely progressive content. The problem is that, the closer you look, the more illusory the achievement seems. The parody frontpage really nails it, I think: the Huffpo model rests upon aggregating content from other sources (in a way that's clearly not sustainable more broadly, since somebody has to actually, like, write the damn stuff),  generating most of its traffic through tabloid trash (naked celebs, etc) rather than its serious articles, and convincing sundry filmstars, rock singers and other celebrities to blog for free. ... read more

Written by Jeff Sparrow on 10-01-2010, 1 user comment

Reality Whore Manifesto

by Steve Smart


I am a reality whore

I don’t need money

Don’t you know that artists

Eat air, breathe words

The slash of paint on canvas

The lull of a guitar the screech of a trumpet?

Invoke the name ---- ----- to

Locate other reality whores in your vicinity

I’ll sell myself any day of the week

For some small truth


Truth in advertising?

Truth in fiction

Truth in the days you can’t tell

If you’re dreaming or you’re

Actually waiting for a tram

The line becomes blurred

It’s why we crave the visceral ... read more

Written by Alec Patric on 7-01-2010, 2 user comments

Sorry, Jen, but when I look at this I want to starve myself

jennifer-hawkins-nude-unairbrushed-cover-1-480x610If Marie Claire and eating disorder experts believe an untouched photo of a former Miss Universe is prompting positive body images they are seriously deluding themselves. A body like Jennifer Hawkins’s only exists with regimented diet and exercise and is hardly realistic. This photo depresses me. This photo makes me want to lay on the beach and tan. I don’t care what kind of articles they have in this Marie Claire issue supporting positive body images. A picture tells a thousand words and what this picture tells me is stop eating. ... read more

Written by Koraly Dimitriadis on 5-01-2010, 13 user comments

on the murder of Nitin Garg

gargSo another young Indian man has been killed in Melbourne. Once again, the newspapers report an immediate denial that racism played any role in the murder, though all the police statement actually says is that investigators have no information as to what took place.

Furthermore, as Gautam Gupta from the Federation of Indian Students in Australia points out, Garg's assailants didn't take his possessions, suggesting the attack was not a simple robbery. ... read more

Written by Jeff Sparrow on 4-01-2010, 43 user comments