Anarchists, Black Blocs and Declan posting.

[carey]

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  Originally, Politech posted an article relaying how Infoshop.org was
  served a cease and desist letter from Hungry Minds, Inc. (The folks
  who publish the 'For Dummies' series) regarding Infoshop's website
  ' Black Blocs for Dummies'.  The article for all interested is here:
   http://www.politechbot.com/p-02755.html

   The merits of the Cease and desist are silly.. Typical that they
   use TM dillution (though how there is any sort of dillution,
   confusion or lessening of the mark by what to me would seem
   completely divergent audiences is beyond me... Furthermore, even if
   a 'For Dummies' user were to stumble upon it, I doubt they'd get
   confused.  They might get outraged, or annoyed, but hardly
   confused).

     So anyway, the TM thing was interesting.. But what was
   more intriguing was the idea of a Black Bloc.  I followed the link
   from the article (http://www.infoshop.org/blackbloc.html), and
   could rationally understand their message, at least to a certain
   degree.  The concept of a collection of folks with strong group
   cohesion at a given event, which may or may not lead to violence,
   changed my view of many of the anti-capitalist uprisings.  NOt that
   I support them any more now, but the black bloc tactics modified my
   view that much of the chaos and violence was driven by pissed off
   teenagers with no purpose, to merely another method of protest.

   Here's the problem I didnt' see answered (and I don't know if it
   could be answered here, this might just be late night ramblings of
   rhetorical questions), but what would be the response in regards to
   property destruction if actual individuals were present at the
   buildings being destroyed?  And why looting?  The folks advocating
   the black bloc methodology seemed to stress that avoiding injury
   was important (both to themselves and to others) but I wonder if a
   distinction is made between the corporation and the worker-drones
   of that corporation?  IN the examples that I saw, it seems that
   people had evacuated the destruction zones, so they didn't have to
   face this obstacle.

   Why Looting, mainly comes from a few of the examples in various
   protests where the black bloc members (who had been formed for each
   individual protest), where physical removal and stealing of
   property occured.  Destruction I can understand, but why take the
   very thing that seems to be so reviled?  Taking Nike Shoes, or
   Starbucks coffee in the middle of the destruction seems almost
   two-faced, given the end-goal of destroying the capitalist empire.
    Dunno.

    Again, these are rambles.  Feel free to smack me for ignorance, or
    clue me in, or laugh heartly.  Whatever.

    =BB

- --
Carey Lening

"Get out your dictionary, 'cause this maven is twitty, sardonic,
and psycho." - David Whipple

 carey                          mailto:carey@tstonramp.com

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