Re: <nettime> 1994, Visions Of Heaven and Hell

[Nina Temporär <nina-temp@gmx.de>]

Richard,

Thanks a lot for the links! 

I am not asking for your opinion from `95/`98, though - that’s indeed a great epochal text, but a position which is meanwhile common knowledge.

So I had actually hoped you might have an updated opinion on that from a more present-day perspective, with not only ongoing debates  
On net culture & activism, identity politics and artistic research, but actually even more the  e f f e c t s  of these debates  - which have entered 
The meatspace through academia [sic] - giving the opportunity to refine such an approach?

See, I agree with almost everything you write there. The hippie equivalence of Nietzsche’s superhuman: That’s of course what I meant when 
Mentioning Foucault’s Nietzscheanism - a connection that has been thoroughly researched meanwhile also by other scholars. 

Where that approach is flawed, though, is, that you can’t mix up art & intellectualism in the way you do. You can indeed say that intellectuals
Foster a certain project  l i k e  an art project. But speaking of D/G and the theory of schizo-politics as „right wing" fails to see that „art“ - and a schizo
Reality - is not just  a „project" for artists, but a cognitive and thus physical reality, just like being poor is. So, despite of all valid criticism of the holy fool 
As a rogue position at the edge of society being very pro-capitalist etc., you cannot reduce it to just that. That totally lacks to see the value D/G’s research 
Has for artists and fails to take the value of artistic thinking and actual daily (academic) life experiences of artists into consideration. 

I am not saying that because I am high on identity politics - on the contrary - but because just as much as there is a certain elitist agenda behind 
Promoting identity politics in the curricula of art academies while neglecting basically  a n y  debate about classist struggles, there also is a certain 
Theory-friendly elitism behind devaluating D/G simply with the pro-capitalist anti-intellectualism reproach. 

Classim is not the only classism in the world, there are many versions of it, and non-visual thinking is an elitism still highly lacking any self-criticism - 
for obvious reasons. (How can those speak up against this for whom it’s hard to speak?)

We „artist-engineers" are so bored to be told what we „must“ do by intellectuals - no matter what side they are from.

From our perspective any social theory within the art field is a fake + empty blob blablabla’ed into the realm of the aesthetics, where the least real life effect
Is demanded, just to build up careers. 

So to us, the „theoretical“ is just as evil as the „virtual“ (or as little), and D/G are sure not the most alarming among the villains.

Best
N



> Am 02.03.2018 um 17:16 schrieb Richard Barbrook <richard@imaginaryfutures.net>:
> 
> Hiya,
> 
>>> We did warn you that Deleuze and Guattari were
>>> the class enemy! 
> 
>> But could you elaborate on this one please?
> 
> This is the wall poster which me and Andy Cameron wrote
> to provoke the Deleuzoguattarians at Nick Land's Virtual
> Futures '95 conference:
> http://www.imaginaryfutures.net/2007/04/15/basic-banalities-by-richard-barbrook-and-andy-cameron/
> 
> Here's my 1998 diatribe against the anti-proletarian po-mo 
> philosophers:
> http://www.imaginaryfutures.net/2007/04/14/the-holy-fools/
> http://www.imaginaryfutures.net/2007/04/13/the-holy-fools-long-mix-by-richard-barbrook/
> 
> Richard
> 
> =======================
> 
> Dr. Richard Barbrook
> Dept of Politics and IR,
> University of Westminster
> 32-38 Wells Street
> LONDON W1T 3UW
> England
> 
> +44 (0)7879 441873
> 
> Skype: richard.barbrook
> Facebook: Richard Barbrook
> Twitter: @richardbarbrook
> 
> http://www.gamesforthemany.org
> http://www.cybersalon.org
> http://www.classwargames.net
> http://www.politicsandmediafreedom.net
> http://www.imaginaryfutures.net
> http://www.imaginaryfutures.net/other-works
> 
> 'Clause 5: That as the laws ought to be equal, so 
> they must be good, and not evidently destructive 
> to the safety and well-being of the people.' 
> 
> The Levellers, The 1647 Agreement of the People 
> for a Firm and Present Peace Upon Grounds of 
> Common Right.
> 

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