Saturday, October 11, 2008

The thirties, part II

The thirties, part I

Now that I know that at least two guys are reading my blog, I can go on - the next thing on my wish list is "more comments" but – und das ist jetzt eine völlig unpassende redewendung aber ich wollte sie einfach mal verwenden - that would be mit kanonen auf spatzen schiessen.
This is more a reply to an article a friend sent me the other day. He wrote on a documentary by Austrian filmmaker Marco Doringer about the generation thirty-something (or in fact thirty to middle-thirties) from a kind of self-observational perspective. In the last paragraph he intertwined the current political situation with this portrait of a generation and asked me about my opinion. And I can only put some notes and questions here related to our last readings in class (Arendt, Derrida, Deleuze) and I am sure that I am only repeating things that more elaborate thinkers have already reflected upon. Anyway, like I always say, it’s ok to repeat or copy something if that leads to a better understanding of what you’re actually intending to do.

To get back to the article – there was this analysis of the elections and that the left failed to make suggestions for a „Vergesellschaftung“ of a generation consisting of „schamvolle Egoisten“ (egoists full of shame) – also the article’s title, and I think it’s quite symptomatic that it’s not including the female form, but I’ll come back to that later ... – and the far right being successful in promoting a „wehrhaften Egoismus des Mittelstandes“ (offensive egoism of the middle-class).
The question for me is was the left really offering attractive suggestions? Do they have to offer suggestions or would it have been highly efficient and sufficient just to say: No! Not with me! Not with us! Or is this the nature of politics that this cannot come from a political party but has to emanate from a society (kind of grassroots)?

Could it be that easy that the moment of participation is already in the thinking and questioning about/of things, in discussing the political situation (as Arendt suggests)? Or does this require an action (following it), and if this action could also be an individual one, then it would be in fact so easy that we are already acting in buying the „right“ products. Though I think that many people in this (my) generation think that this is the solution, the crucial point lies exactly in this confusion of acting and consuming due to a confusion, not only of the private and the political sphere but also of the significance that shifted from acting to working.

First of all consuming, no matter of how responsably and consciously it may be executed can never replace thinking and questioning (acting).
Secondly when a government is more and more acting like the ancient „despot“ of the household (the private!) – der Haushaltsvorstand – and there are more than enough examples in recent Austrian history, e.g. Grasser’s statements that the state budget is like the household’s and it’s all about not spending more than you have in your pocket.... – than it is quite clear that there is no place for actual political thinking and acting. This also reminds me of former federal chancellor Vranitzky’s saying: Wer Visionen hat, gehört zum Arzt (One who has a vision, needs a doctor) – btw. google tells me that also German former chancellor Schmidt said that. And I am aware of not considering the historical dimension (kammeralismus, welfare-state, sozialpartnerschaft, residues of a constitutional monarchy etc..).

Friday, October 10, 2008

10-10-2008, 21:03h

erreicht mich über BBC-Worldnews die nachricht von Jörg Haiders tod durch autounfall – now I am just listening to the report (controversial figure .... sager von der ordentlichen beschäftigungspolitik in the third reich .... ein sehr kurzer bericht) – Ich bin geschockt, und ich frage mich, warum ich das bin, und es beschleicht mich eine unheimliche (nicht unheimlich gross, aber tatsächlich uncanny) angst. Und ich überlege hin und her und plötzlich weiss ich warum: weil der weg nun frei ist für FPÖ und BZÖ, wieder zu fusionieren, und Strache den bundeskanzler beanspruchen wird. Mir ist übel ....

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

On the list at Silverlake Lounge

Went there, saw a concert. Three girls, playing drums, bass and guitar (the singer). The sound was really bad, sometimes they were a bit uncoordinated but they had fun. And first I thought: uh classic situation, three girls on stage and a lot of middle-aged men in the audience, but then they REALLY had fun and were playing the thin line between mocking rock-poses and in fact rocking out. The drummer is 20 and she was in such a relaxed mood that all the boy bands that I know könnten sich ein stückerl abschneiden. My friend Drew had her picture taken by a photographer (in fact a photographing couple) who said that she looked exactly like their friend Linda back in those days (which were the 1970ies I suppose). Then they reflected on the fact that there seemed to be a younger generation dressing (and looking) exactly like they did.
Right, I call it "retro", but what does it mean? A feeling of comfort, of security (moment? ölkrise, vietnam-krieg?), a time of political grass-roots movements (and they made sense), no gender-bending? oder doch? no androgynity, but effeminated men? (und ich meine das jetzt nicht im sinne von weichei, wie mir das dict.leo.org weismachen will!). And that we are completely out of ideas for the 2000s (I learned yesterday that they are called the odds ;-)
Anyway, morgen kommen dann die thirty-somethings dran! Oh yeah, and I was on the list! Und ja, ich finds cool, ich geb's zu.

More blogging

lovely miss rife and me did it again:

See our weekly photoblog on cultural oddities posted by two expats in Los Angeles and Vienna. Located in the realm of appearances, utterly subjective and, of course, queer.

Oh baby, I'm dreaming of monday
Oh, baby, when I see you again (The Jam)

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Sunday, October 5, 2008

mirror=stage #3: have you ever seen a helicopter crossing your table?

The best


... chocolate ice-cream I ever had! As you see it hides under a mountain of vanilla with crunchy caramel bits (that is also quite decent). Pazzo gelato per la pazza claudia!