[Xmca-l] Re: poverty/class
Larry Purss
lpscholar2@gmail.com
Sat Mar 22 12:26:44 PDT 2014
Andy,
Your comment:
"Avram, I am not convinced that creating niche economies can in any way
ameliorate the domination of big capital. We have to find a way to
penetrate and subvert the sources of capitalist exploitation, rather than
offering "alternatives,"
suggests there may be ways to potentially penetrate and subvert "at the
source" rather than act to *create* alternatives.
I have wondered if my utopian sympathies which show my curiosity with
exploring *alternatives* can be viewed as *living experiments* or *living
laboratories* where alternative life styles and attitudes are generated and
lived.
It must be my personal experiences with *alternate communities* which have
attempted to actualize their ideal alternatives. I must admit, most of
these experiments are failures. However Cultural Historical Theory
developed in an *alternate setting* and Dewey and Mead in Chicago gathered
together a committed group with shared ideals.
In order to penetrate capitalism *at its source* may require demonstrating
other ways of life as experiments which express other *values*. Some of
these alternative approaches will include *alternative community*.
The current discussion on the drift of *university departments*
suggests alternative forms of gathering may need to come into existence to
express alternative *values* However I also accept this *hope* may be naïve
and not grounded in recognition of the depth of capitalist ideology which
co-ops ALL utopian ideals. Therefore the requirement to subvert the
*source*?
To once again return to Alex Kozulin's book which is expressing a theme.
He is exploring the *double-faceted* nature of consciousness and suggests
the
"interpretive or metacognitive function [aspect?] of consciousness may have
an AUTONOMY from REGULATIVE AND CONTROLLING functions.
I wonder if this *autonomy* can extend to *alternative communities* forming
to express alternative *values*?
On Fri, Mar 21, 2014 at 7:50 PM, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
> One of the themes of the correlation you mention, Mike, is the focus on
> "the creative industries." There are theories about the way cities can
> escape from their rust-bucket depression by promoting "the creative
> industries." These include software development (e.g. computer games),
> advertising, packaging and fashion. That's probably fine for urban renewal,
> except for the artists who get booted out of their old warehouses which get
> done up for the expected "creative industries," but where it's has a big
> negative impact in the academy is in the "critical sciences." People
> involved in social and political criticism are suddenly faced with
> imperatives to serve the "creative industries." So feminist, philosophical
> and political critiques, which were surviving by a thread, now have to
> educate software makers who are building computer games or artists who are
> designing advertisements all in the name of needing to support the
> "creative industries."
>
> Avram, I am not convinced that creating niche economies can in any way
> ameliorate the domination of big capital. We have to find a way to
> penetrate and subvert the sources of capitalist exploitation, rather than
> offering "alternatives," I think. Capitalism can do perfectly well without
> a certain percentage of the world's population who find an "alternative".
>
>
> Andy
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *Andy Blunden*
> http://home.mira.net/~andy/
>
>
> mike cole wrote:
>
>>
>> So my noticing of the fascination and promotion of "culture and
>> creativity" discourse, design schools, and neoliberalism may be more than a
>> symptom of failing eyesight?
>> Mike
>>
>> On Friday, March 21, 2014, Avram Rips <arips@optonline.net <mailto:
>> arips@optonline.net>> wrote:
>>
>> The problem is the connection between people alienated from their
>> labor, or no labor and building a new democratic structure- that
>> can happen in a small scale , and spread out to new modes of
>> production away from the destruction of capital-such as chiapas
>> and taking over factories in Argentina.
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Blunden" <ablunden@mira.net>
>> To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
>> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2014 8:35 AM
>> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: poverty/class
>>
>>
>> Yes, it seems to me that the burgeoning inequality created by
>> neoliberalism is a situation crying out for imaginative social
>> entrepreneurship, i.e., social movement building. It is good
>> to hear that the 1/99 protests have generated talk about
>> inequality, but that in itself does not create a solution,
>> does it?
>> Andy
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> ------------
>> *Andy Blunden*
>> http://home.mira.net/~andy/ <http://home.mira.net/%7Eandy/>
>>
>>
>>
>> Avram Rips wrote:
>>
>> Innovation and entrepreneurship in some ways means
>> capital crowding out social space and solidarity. This is
>> evident in cities-whole neighborhoods taken over by
>> wealthy crafts people, and little focus on co-operative
>> movements for working class people-where a new focus on
>> participatory democracy can be developed ,and working
>> class culture in the Gramscian sense. take care! Avram
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "mike cole"
>> <lchcmike@gmail.com>
>> To: "Andy Blunden" <ablunden@mira.net>
>> Cc: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity"
>> <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
>> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2014 12:31 AM
>> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: poverty/class
>>
>>
>> Andy--- My intent in the garbled sentence you query
>> was to suggest that the
>> discourse in the US around vicious inequalities has
>> increased markedly in
>> the past year in tandem with a kind of frenzy in those
>> parts of academia I
>> come in contact with about "design, culture, and
>> creativity" all of which
>> are linked to innovation and entrepreneurship. I very
>> interested in the
>> nature of imagination and creativity but I they often
>> appear to be new code
>> words for social and individual salvation in a lean,
>> mean, neo-liberal
>> world.
>>
>> Maybe just another of my confusions.
>> mike
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 6:14 PM, Andy Blunden
>> <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
>>
>> Mike, could you clarify a little your comment
>> below ...
>> ------------------------------
>> ------------------------------------------
>>
>> *Andy Blunden*
>> http://home.mira.net/~andy/
>> <http://home.mira.net/%7Eandy/>
>>
>>
>>
>> mike cole wrote:
>>
>> ... My fear that is appearance is
>> non-accidentally rated to explosion of
>> concern about poverty/class (the 1%/99% idea
>> has become ubiquitous in
>> American
>> discourse).
>>
>> mike
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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