Re: <nettime> So what's the use of art, theory, activism?

[Brian Holmes via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org>]

Joe, Fred,

It's a good question. Political theorists are speaking of "authoritarian
liberalism" - where liberalism means it's still oriented to the global
market, and authoritarianism is just what it says.

It's worth adding that many thinkers (Wendy Brown, but not only) attribute
the popular embrace of authoritarian liberalism to declining faith in the
capacity of democracy to represent constituents and solve problems.

I don't think we yet know what Trump 2 is made of. His talk is violent like
1930s fascists. In a month or two that issue will become more clear. For
now it's wiser to expect the worst.

courage, Brian

On Thu, Jan 23, 2025 at 5:21 PM Frédéric Neyrat via nettime-l <
nettime-l@lists.nettime.org> wrote:

> ...some people call it (= what's happening in the US)
> "reactionary accelerationism," a good way I think to encapsulate the DT-EM
> monster...
>
> frédéric
>
> _______________________________
> ____________Website : Atopies <https://atoposophie.wordpress.com/>
> __ ALienstagram <https://www.instagram.com/alienocene/>
> ______ La Condition Planétaire
> <
> https://www.editionslesliensquiliberent.fr/livre-La_Condition_plan%C3%A9taire-792-1-1-0-1.html
> >
>  (LLL, 2025)
> __________________________________
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 23, 2025 at 9:20 AM Joseph Rabie via nettime-l <
> nettime-l@lists.nettime.org> wrote:
>
> > Dear all,
> >
> > Are we dealing with Fascism—or by labelling all the dark things that are
> > currently going down “fascism”, are we simply giving voice to our own
> > indignation by calling names, rather than making the analytical effort to
> > specify what it really is?
> >
> > Personally, I do not think that “fascism” is an adequate label for the
> > current variety of totalitarianism that is enveloping the world, in the
> > hands of Trump, Orban, Meloni, Putin, Netanyahu, Khamenei, Xi Jinping and
> > others. Macron is using the term “Reactionary International” to
> > characterise this, but isn't Macron himself part of the problem, via his
> > own narcissism, conservatism and authoritarian practise of power?
> >
> > The characteristics of this current “fascism” have been discussed
> > extensively on Nettime over the past years. With the election of Trump,
> the
> > most salient feature is the consecration of a ruthless, all-powerful
> > oligarchy. But also the immediate attack on LGBT+ rights, immigration,
> via
> > the promotion of white-suprematist biblical values. And the position that
> > the climate will take care of itself, because those with the means will
> > always find a technical fix (excluding Los Angeles democrats).
> >
> > What do we call this: Magaism? Xism? Too Americo-centric, perhaps. Any
> > suggestions?
> >
> > What is happening is sufficiently specific to merit its own term, rather
> > than letting it hide behind some weak (but self-satisfying) metaphorical
> > association with past ideologies. Even though it might share aspects, but
> > from which it is very different.
> >
> > Joe
> >
> >
> >
> > > Le 23 janv. 2025 à 10:31, Allan Siegel via nettime-l <
> > nettime-l@lists.nettime.org> a écrit :
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 22/01/2025 23:50, Brian Holmes via nettime-l wrote:
> > >> "And I am now an elder, who must
> > >> turn experience - even the experience of failures - into something
> > valuable
> > >> for present and coming generations."
> > > Thank you Brian for your perseverance! It is invaluable during these
> > times. And, this reminder from the writings of Umberto Eco...
> > > best
> > > allan
> > >
> > > "Ur-Fascism is based upon a/selective populism/, a qualitative
> populism,
> > one might say. In a democracy, the citizens have individual rights, but
> the
> > citizens in their entirety have a political impact only from a
> quantitative
> > point of view — one follows the decisions of the majority. For
> Ur-Fascism,
> > however, individuals as individuals have no rights, and the People is
> > conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will.
> > Since no large quantity of human beings can have a common will, the
> Leader
> > pretends to be their interpreter. Having lost their power of delegation,
> > citizens do not act; they are only called on to play the role of the
> > People. Thus the People is only a theatrical fiction. To have a good
> > instance of qualitative populism we no longer need the Piazza Venezia in
> > Rome or the Nuremberg Stadium. There is in our future a TV or Internet
> > populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens
> > can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People.
> > >
> > > Because of its qualitative populism Ur-Fascism must be/against “rotten”
> > parliamentary governments/. One of the first sentences uttered by
> Mussolini
> > in the Italian parliament was “I could have transformed this deaf and
> > gloomy place into a bivouac for my maniples” — “maniples” being a
> > subdivision of the traditional Roman legion. As a matter of fact, he
> > immediately found better housing for his maniples, but a little later he
> > liquidated the parliament. Wherever a politician casts doubt on the
> > legitimacy of a parliament because it no longer represents the Voice of
> the
> > People, we can smell Ur-Fascism." from UR-FASCISM
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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