MANIK'S AURA

::Thanks!We're not quilt for Marie Antoinette('again'),it's other person thread.
::We've just make weak attempt to pay Rhizomes audience's attention on other idea.
::This is simple idea:we don't give a shit for AURA.What's that mean?
::We want to pay your attention on whole W.Benjamin's life who was dedicated to
::idea of social justice and human(istic) side of exchanging of welfare.
::We are already in irretrievable process of oblivion of same ideas you enthusiastic exchange
::with your friends(aura,different aesthetic…etc.)We believe it's bit humiliate to search in goggle-or-wiki
:: proof for our words.So,Benjamin's devotion and unselfish fight with/for
::Brecht's progressive ideas in life/theatre is invaluable compare with aura.
::(Berthold Brecht is man who was forced to set in front of American Congress to answer on their stupid anti-communist hysteric yelp…) It's much more important
::than bit obscure,blurry,un-actual-in-it's-metaphysic idea of aura.

I know. Which is exactly why I pushed Curt to look at it another way. Aura is
quite simply, retarded, pointless, and otherwise a very good way for smart
people to waste their time when they could be considering meaningful problems.

::stale ideas,instead to answer on clear MANIK's question:are you
::conscious that you support Bush's war policy with your every single act
::who supported your way of life?(To remind you again:American baby
::spend 400 time more material gods compare to African baby,America refuse to
::sign "Kyoto"agreement against global pollute,American soldiers kill civilian in Iraq every day…
::What would you like more?Ice cream?Or gallon of gas?)And,we're not so much
::amazed with your threat(beat to death…MANIK) whether is joke or not.
::We have experience with NATO/American brave soldiers who kill people in Serbia 666I from air,from deepest night,
::-disgrace,meanness,cowardice…We have no doubt you would very gladly bit us to death.
::Considered your pathetic contribution to discussion that's best you could think through.

Is was a joke, and regrettably you are so hell bent on hating all Americans,
that you often fail to miss when someone agrees with you.

Despite your belief to the contrary, not all Americans own cars or lavish
themseleves with gold-leafed ceilings, nor do we all agree with what the
current government does. Some of us even spend time trying to identify ways
to fix the problem at a root level (education), and not merely by making the
occasional ass of ourselves on this list.

In the end, the same condemnation holds for you: is that the best you can do?
Another of your tired, "all Americans are white devils" argument? There are
better ones, not the least of which is "democracy becomes tyranny when citizens
are uneducated." You point only to the symptoms.
-Alexis

Hi Manik,

No need to chide Alexis. I am the one focusing on aura, and she is agreeing with you that my focus is too cryptic and hypothetical. This seems to be a common contemporary criticism toward any artist who concerns herself with artmaking that is something other than overt, didactic, tactical political/social activist art.

This is the marxist critique, that unless something results in measurable physical change, it's not quantifiable as revolutionary. It may even be a spectacular placebo, and thus anti-revolutionary. It's a fair critique, but it doesn't allow for the subtle, real way that things change. I have seen rallies and protests. I have seen "the right man" elected. I have seen art supplanted by political activism as art. Is it working? Are things changing? Are these things making a difference? More importantly (and something few are asking), is the change that I'm told will do us all good the change that really will do us all good? Are the enemies of universal freedom really the ones I'm told are the enemies?

For example, I've found nothing but love and abundance and fellowship and community in Jesus and the local church, and yet I'm told these are enemies of my freedom. I find not a few people who fancy themselves activists to be bitter, cynical, haughty, santimonious, and barely able to repress a subliminal fury at their own impotence, and yet I'm told this is the way of a committed life.

To me, a ground up, interpersonal revolution of the heart seems the most effective. Jesus had a pretty profound impact on the world, but in his lifetime he was unknown outside of a 50 mile radius of his hometown, he was accused of instigating a political revolution that he didn't start, and he was killed by the church and the state at age 33. He failed in every immediately measurable politcal way, yet his subtle revolution continues. Mother Theresa was a contemporary heir of the revolution he began.

How may I best serve the people of Serbia? By awakening awe and wonder in those I know by any means at my disposal (art, writing, teaching, friendship, raising my children, loving and honoring my wife, praying for people in the grocery store, feeding people on the street, helping my neighbor catch her horses when they get out of the gate and she's babysitting her 2-year old nephew and her husband is at work, etc.). Must I stop driving my car, send a mail bomb to the White House, and move to Canada before I can ethically begin to pursue these things? If so, then I've failed you, and will continue to fail you.

Might Brecht's approach tp epic theatre be an effective way to awaken awe and wonder? Probably so. Might Benjamin's neo-marxian philosophy be an effective way to awaken awe and wonder? I have my doubts. I heard Alain Badiou talk recently. He proposed a hypothetical kind of revolution that maintained its structure in the initial stages of fervor and maintained its fervor in the latter stages of structure. Sounds great, but when I asked him how this might be practically accomplished (a zapatista model? a T.A.Z. model?), he demured and said (I'm paraphrasing), "I'm a philosopher, not a politician. Keep trying out new paradigms. Hopefully one of them will work." So much for politics.

I find it ironic that the coolest revolution of the century (may 68) was a revolution instigated by a group of people who had no overt political agenda whatsoever. As far as my knowledge goes, it was the only revolution in history that included people from all socio-economic backgrounds and political perspectives. They just wanted their sense of awe and wonder back. Did it have any lasting political or economic value? Probably not. The workers returned to the factories at their same wage. Did it have any lasting cultural value? Well, it managed to radically affect my own personal world view 20 years after the fact without me even knowing it. debord >> malcolm mclaren/jamie reed >> john lydon >> joey ramone >> sonic youth >> me. lipstick traces.

I'm sorry the country in which I live bombed the country in which you live. I'll try harder to live my life in a manner that will lead to real change. It may take several generations and not look like what you think it should look like.

peace,
curt



manik vauda marija manik nikola pilipovic wrote:

MANIK wrote:
Thanks!We're not quilt for Marie Antoinette('again'),it's other person thre=
ad.
We've just make weak attempt to pay Rhizomes audience's attention on other =
idea.
This is simple idea:we don't give a shit for AURA.What's that mean?
We want to pay your attention on whole W.Benjamin's life who was dedicated =
to
idea of social justice and human(istic) side of exchanging of welfare.
We are already in irretrievable process of oblivion of same ideas you enthu=
siastic exchange
with your friends(aura,different aesthetic…etc.)We believe it's bit humil=
iate to search in goggle-or-wiki
proof for our words.So,Benjamin's devotion and unselfish fight with/for
Brecht's progressive ideas in life/theatre is invaluable compare with aura.
(Berthold Brecht is man who was forced to set in front of American Congress=
to answer on their stupid anti-communist hysteric yelp…) It's much more =
important
than bit obscure,blurry,un-actual-in-it's-metaphysic idea of aura.And this =
obsession with
stale ideas,instead to answer on clear MANIK's question:are you
conscious that you support Bush's war policy with your every single act
who supported your way of life?(To remind you again:American baby
spend 400 time more material gods compare to African baby,America refuse to
sign "Kyoto"agreement against global pollute,American soldiers kill civili=
an in Iraq every day…
What would you like more?Ice cream?Or gallon of gas?)And,we're not so much
amazed with your threat(beat to death…MANIK) whether is joke or not.
We have experience with NATO/American brave soldiers who kill people in Ser=
bia 666I from air,from deepest night,
-disgrace,meanness,cowardice…We have no doubt you would very gladly bit u=
s to death.
Considered your pathetic contribution to discussion that's best you could t=
hink through.
MANIK

Hi Curt and Alexis,
We'd really expect you could feel our rhetoric tone,and separate your self =
from general idea we talking about.
In this case we use part of Alexis text to induce some expression which,fur=
thermore,in our intention became
base for observations about general tendency in The World.
I don't ask anything for Serbia from anybody.Reason's simple-America alread=
y have full control over Serbia trough Bondstil,largest military base in wo=
rld.
Curt,this parallel with Jesus is very applicable on our(we mean really for =
all of us)life's.Just now our words could goes far
which doesn't mean that lever of mutual understanding automaticaly fallow t=
his accomplishment.
Anyway,Rhizome's my god place.
Alexis-same as you said wrong fact for M.Antoinette&MANIK, we use your word=
s.Nothing personal!We like your stile/language.
I hope after this,we could make better atmosphere between us.
Of course,we don't hate anybody,and I really don't see any reason to make e=
xception with Americans:-)
Our devotion for better word so far have this shape…Rough,maybe.
Except parts of our text which you take so personal (which we regret)we a=
re deadly serious.
Best wishes and god health
MANIK