Lmst

David Graeber Institute boosted:

He said this in 2018, but this is exactly what is happening in the UK with the Labour Government and elsewhere

"Fascism is now doing well
because the 'mainstream'
center-left completely exclude
any real left-wing policies
embracing instead watered
down versions of right-wing
positions all while having no
problem with the corruption
in the system."
.
- David Graeber

On direct action.

"Nothing annoys forces of authority more than trying
to bow out of the disciplinary game entirely and
saying that we could just do things on our own.

The classic example is the well. There’s a town
where water is monopolised and the mayor is
in bed with the company that monopolises
the water. If you were to protest in front of
the mayor’s house, that’s protest, and if you
were to blockade the mayor’s house, it’s civil
disobedience, but it’s still not direct action.
Direct action is when you just go and dig
your own well, because that’s what people
would normally do if they didn’t have water."
.
- David Graeber

He said this in 2018, but this is exactly what is happening in the UK with the Labour Government and elsewhere

From David Graeber's 'Revolutions in Reverse' (2011).

For those in Venice, Italy tomorrow and this weekend.

Come along!

Full details: https://www.festivaldeimatti.org/visual-assembly-accademia-di-belle-arti-venerdi-23-maggio-ore-11-00-e-18-00-teatrino-di-palazzo-grassi-sabato-24-maggio-e-domenica-25-maggio-ore-14-00/

In 2015, David Graeber wrote, 'The Bully’s Pulpit: On the elementary structure of domination.'

Here is an extract.

https://davidgraeber.org/articles/the-bullys-pulpit-on-the-elementary-structure-of-domination/

"There seems, indeed, a decided lack of
sympathy for noncombatant men in war
zones. Even reports by international human
rights organizations speak of massacres as
being directed almost exclusively against
women, children, and, perhaps, the elderly.
The implication, almost never stated outright,
is that adult males are either combatants
or have something wrong with them."
.
- David Graeber

From the intro to Bullshit Jobs.

"The main political reaction to our awareness
that half the time we are engaged in utterly
meaningless or even counterproductive activities
usually under the orders of a person we dislike
is to rankle with resentment over the fact there
might be others out there who are not in the
same trap. As a result, hatred, resentment,
and suspicion have become the glue that holds
society together. This is a disastrous state of
affairs. I wish it to end."
.
- David Graeber

The only objection I could really raise here is that her argument might not go far enough. It's not so much that stripper is a bullshit job, perhaps, but that this situation shows us to be living in a bullshit society."

"The problems in our society are
not caused by migrants or refugees.
They are caused by an economic
system rigged in favour of
corporations and billionaires.

If the government wanted to
improve people’s lives, it would
tax the rich and build an
economy that works for us all."
.
Jeremy Corbyn

"Anarchists believe that power corrupts and those
who spend their entire lives seeking power are the
very last people who should have it. Anarchists also
believe that our present economic system is more
likely to reward people for selfish and unscrupulous
behavior than for being decent, caring human beings.
Most people feel that way. The only difference is
that most people don’t think there’s anything that
can be done about it, or anyway — and this is what
the faithful servants of the powerful are always
most likely to insist — anything that won’t end
up making things even worse."
.
- David Graeber

This is from David Graeber's Against Economics. You can read the full piece, on our website.

https://davidgraeber.org/articles/against-economics/

From the book, Bullshit Jobs.

From: 'Culture as creative refusal.' (2013 by David Graber)

https://davidgraeber.org/papers/culture-as-creative-refusal/

“Student loans are destroying the imagination of
youth. If there’s a way of a society committing
mass suicide, what better way than to take all the
youngest, most energetic, creative, joyous people
in your society and saddle them with, like $50,000
of debt so they have to be slaves? There goes
your music. There goes your culture. There goes
everything new that would pop out. And in a way,
this is what’s happened to our society. We’re a
society that has lost any ability to incorporate
the interesting, creative and eccentric people.”

Debt replaces s*x as the big taboo we cannot discuss

https://youtu.be/9S7eb21x4bI

Now more than ever we should be paying attention to David Graeber's warning regarding politics and "Centrism."

The kind of politics we have now where the Left
is represented by this kind of Obama or Macron-style
Centrism where you are both for the market and for
bureaucracy at the same time is kind of horrible.

The only possible appeal of that kind of politics is
'well, at least they are not N*zis.' What they want is
for the left to be this kind of mishmash of bureaucratic
market-centrism and the right to be outright fascists
and to set the ball rolling, in an actual left direction
will make that centrism look utterly unappealing."
.

Later today, we are doing a Youtube Live event to talk about Debt, Empire and the work of David Graeber

Michael Hudson, Devika Dutt and David Adler will speak.

5pm London time. 12-noon New York time

https://youtu.be/JU_uPaxsGbE

Tomorrow, David Adler will join Michael Hudson for our Youtube-Live event about Debt and the work of David Graeber.

It is at 5pm London time. Here is the link to the stream: https://youtu.be/JU_uPaxsGbE

"Like labor, debt is a fictitious
commodity that is controlled by
the very few and against the
best interest of the very many.
And like labor, debt is ultimately
owned by the debtor, who in
association with fellow debtors,
can go on strike to reclaim
control of their conditions."
.
- David Adler

The economist Devika Dutt will join Michael Hudson and David Adler on Friday for our Youtube Live event.

The topic will be Debt, Empire and the work of David Graeber. You will be able to watch the event at this link: https://youtu.be/JU_uPaxsGbE

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