Documentary watching April 4, 2008
Posted by Luke in Anarchism, History, Politics.2 comments
I haven’t written anything political on this page in a very long time. And I’m not really going to now… but I just watched a fantastic documentary that @ndy at slackbastard posted called “Breaking the Spell.” It’s an independently filmed documentary on the WTO protests in Seattle way back when in 1999. It’s apparently distributed by the Crimethinc Network (who can be found at http://www.crimethinc.net) in their Guerrilla film series.
Watch this documentary. In the words of Me’shel Ndege’Ocello “if you put property rights ahead of human rights, you’re tampering with nature.”*
*Note: These may not actually be her words but they are from a track on her CD: “Cookie: An Anthropological Mixtape.” Anyway, watch this documentary.
Ignore the previous posts… May 1, 2007
Posted by Luke in Adelaide, Anarchism, Canterbury TEFL, History, Politics, Spain, Teaching English.add a comment
First post… what to write? Hmm… if anyone reads this, what would they want to know? okay… i lie… this is the seventh post. I just backdated it. It’s now the first. The details I talk about after this post I did not know at the time of writing those posts but at the time of writing this post I did. Comprehend? I don’t.
Okay…. I don’t read blogs a lot. I mean, I read some regularly, some occasionally, but I wouldn’t say I’m a blog fiend or anything. I like the idea though.
So.
Hmmm…
Me? You ask. Well, I’m 24. I’m male. Currently, my town/city of residence is, as we like to call it in the locale, A-Town or Radelaide. But not for much longer. On the 19th of September, I’m moving to Madrid. That’s right, Madrid, Spain. It’s a little nervewracking. I speak minimal Spanish. Kinda like the Buenas dias…..ummm errr… Como estas? ummm errrr Hablas inglese? type of Spanish. Although I’m trying to learn – fast.
So why Spain? Good question. I’m fascinated with the country for reasons that are now 70 years old. The Spanish Civil War. It’s been in my bones for nigh on five years now. And I can’t shake it. You’d think writing a 15,000 word thesis could kill the interest, but no. It heightened it.
Why? One word – anarchism. The only country in the world where anarchism nearly prevailed. And that could have been amazing. I don’t want to get into a politics lecture here. Not yet anyway. But if there is an ‘ideology’ more misunderstood, I’ve yet to find it. I’d like to call myself an anarchist, indeed I have at times, but I’ve always done so with that sinking feeling that one is lying somewhat. In my mind, to be an anarchist requires passion; it requires dedication; it requires immediacy – and I am lazy. It’s taken me five years to get to Spain. How long will it take me to get politically active?
Plus, as some of my friends succinctly point out, how can you be an anarchist and work in government? Well, that, my dear, is a very good question. It’s difficult. And you hate yourself, your job and your decisions more every moment.
But hence Spain. Hence resignation. Hence, I don’t know, everything. I’m getting out of the G to the T, and I’m not coming back to it.
So, I land in Spain on the 20th September. I start a TEFL course at Canterbury TEFL on the 24th. I know no one there. I barely speak the language. I have an EU Passport (dual citizenship is equivalent to a golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, methinks). I’m leaving some person/s here that I’ve grown to love very dearly, who don’t realise quite how much, nor how much I fear that I’ll lose them whilst I’m gone. I have to do this. I have no idea how long I’m going for.
And I have this.
