2011 - Apr - no2 - tablazine

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www.subverbum.com / 1.4.2011 8.4.2011

stealingcities

for songs

www.catalinaphotography.com

left behind with empty words

philosophy of dogthe season of stress-tests

the cruel professor kant

* polonomics

* cultucopia

* meme

pril / 2011 / no. 2

stealingcitiesfor songs


left behind with empty words

philosophy of dog

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CONTENTS

* subverbum / 2

* polonomics

the season of stress tests / 3

left behind with empty words / 4

* cultucopia

stealing cities for songs / 5

* meme

the cruel professor kant / 6

philosophy of dog / 7

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* subverbum

Expression is critical in a world where the oldguard insist on maintaining the economic andsocial status quo. Fear for jobs and wages

means that there is a ground swell, a hunger,amongst those of the post-modern age to takepolitical progress into their own hands. Butthere is no need to be bound by the old rules,the old messages and the old interests thatdominate society. By mustering political,cultural and philosophical tools the premise ofthis status quo can be prised open touncover new realities and possibilities.Looking for the sub verbum or readingbetween the lines - is a key way to progress

over the status quo.

But the political landscape is presentlycongested. The post-modern world sees somany different views vie for our attention in somany ways. Ideas are bound up with self-interest, compromising their authenticity andjeopardising trust in the humbleness ofthought. Personal ego is taking precedenceover the substance of thinking, but ideasshould not be about celebrity or career

progression. Individual thought is key but itshould be subsumed in a broader societaldebate.

Subverbum offers a space where thoseunsatisfied with the status quo can fight thecorner of progress. It is a place where frankand intelligent ideas on politics, culture andphilosophy are thrust onto the world.Subverbum projects the thoughts of thesubaltern species into a broader domain ofideas as well as amongst likeminded spirits.

Ideas on subverbum are channelled into threedifferent sections. Polonomics gives space topolitical and economic thought on issues fromthe failures of government to internationalconflict. From travel write-ups to literary

criticism, Cultucopia opens up an exchangeon matters related to the arts and culture.Meme breeds exchange on philosophicalideas as applied to life here and now.

Subverbum is not a place for egoism.Substance and anonymity is central: noidea on subverbum is attributed to any singleauthor. All of subverbums writers publish forthe sanctity of the humble idea and theconviction that alternative ways of seeing theworld contribute to the general good.Writers are approached for subverbum on thecondition that the espoused ideas saysomething new and the author is willing toremain anonymous.

www.subverbum.com

[email protected]

humble.

subaltern.

ideas.

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taxpayers.frugal.

citizenship.* polonomics

www.subverbum.com

Its simple, dont you see? When something____ (insert: toxic assets/nuclear melt-down)goes wrong you conduct a stress-test and allis put right. Phew, Im glad we got that one outof the way. It all seems so obvious now. Judgea risky institution or physical construct againstsome measurable criteria and see if it passes.If a bank is not sufficiently capitalised, conducta stress-test, and see to it that its house isput in order.

That is what our regulators and politicianshave been doing on our behalf. In 2010 7 outof the 91 European banks tested had failed:passing the test in this instance would haverequired capitalisation to the tune of 3.5billion. Similarly in the US, by the timeFebruary 2011 came around, 14 banks hadfailed similar tests and 3 were closed down. In

2010 157 banks failed US government stress-tests.

But the obvious is plain to see. Failure orsuccess in financial stress-tests dependson the criteria one uses. How many morebanks would have failed the test had thecapitalisation rate been set at 4.5 billion or 5.5 billion. The whole process feels a bitamateurish. Shouldnt regulators be focusingmuch more effort on the types of investments

bound up in these banks? Just what exactlyare the criteria for judging toxic assets? Both

the markets and citizens have been easilypleased, like the words stress-test should fillone with confidence.

The same holds true for the nuclear stress-tests now underway. The problems in Japansurely give us cause for concern, but shouldntnuclear sites be in a constant process oftesting? It seems to me that, given thecatastrophic consequences of nuclear fall-out,we should have been busying ourselves on anhourly basis with testing. Furthermore, whilethe Europeans have the luxury of testing andclosing sites can the same be said forcountries that lack the resources for such acostly process?

In many ways it is a noble thing to be prudentand to be in a constant process of self-

evaluation, but it is alarming that crisis needsto be broached before stress-tests kick-in.Had we all managed to keep an eye on toxicassets without becoming infatuated with theeasy financial gains they entailed we mayhave lessened the impact of the crisis. Justimagine all those unknown areas of the virtualand material economy that are yet to bloominto crisis, areas which should be testedsooner rather than later with criteria that movebeyond the simple reassurance of speculators

and the media in mind.

the season

of

stress-tests

toonpool.com

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the left.

capitals lady.

populism.

There has been a significantly poor counter-argumentto the Europe-wide consensus on austerity and itsideological underpinnings. The Left seems unable tomount a credible attack on the basic foundations of thedrive to austerity. Sure, many of its leaders andrepresentatives both at the national and Europeanlevel have their hearts in the right place but they havenot grappled with the fundamental meaning of certainwords.

Take the word fairness, for example. This issomething which rolls off the tongue quite easily, and ithas indeed rolled off the tongue of many a socialistrecently. But scratch the surface beyond the mererhetoric and you will find little in the way of a definition.What does fairness mean in concrete terms andpolicy output? Without clearly identifying what is meantby such words, the outcome is that the Left turns topopulism. Obscurely treated concepts such as fairnessare designed to be misunderstood and they usually are;possibly only rendering short term gains at the ballot

box.

The Left should be made to seriously answer the question: fairness for whom? Does fairness not imply somedegree of equality, and does equality spontaneously arise without some political contestation? The Left areassuming that fairness will heal the great moral problem of capitalism wrought by the crisis, when apeaceful transition to a fairer society may increasingly become more difficult in Europe. Now is the ideal time toexplain the real costs of a capitalist system and what can be done to alter future shocks, without hesitatingabout the message given for fear of electoral defeats.

The Left should show that it is candid and sincere about fixing the market economy, and even if political trustmay come it does take time to accrue. The moment the public get a whiff of political self-promotion by anysingle politician, or of the party being put before citizens, then the task is finished. Progressive politics is allabout working with people over the longer-term, even if this results in years in the wilderness without thechance to govern.

Sure, the Left has gone for the scalps of bankers by ramping up pressure on a financial transaction tax but thisis only the tip of the iceberg. What the Left has singularly overlooked is that this is a small price to pay for thefinancial industry in the grand scheme of things. For bankers a financial tax could be seen as a buy-off from thepolitical pressure thrown up by the economic crisis: the Left are being bought off by capitalisms predators andfew see this irony.

Good social democrats need to work much harder. If they truly are the go between capitalism and thesocial model then empty words such as fairness will just not do. Why has the Left not made more of a pointabout the financiarisation of economies in Europe? Not only are they weary of launching a fierce attack on

capitalism for fear of the markets response and inevitably their own electoral success, but they have in manyinstances been complicit in letting the said financiarisation take place precisely because of the markets andelectoral pressures.

The Left may have better success in becoming more economically conservative. A strange proposition indeed,but a necessary one. Why has there not been more engagement with the issue of easy credit and loans -something which is creeping back or responsible government spending. The Right have been able to buildthe structures for decades of harsh austerity as a result of the foundations laid by successive irresponsibleLeftist governments.

But the real difficulty for the Left today is the unwillingness to engage in arguments over the capitalist systemas a whole. This is the reason why words such as fairness seem hollow: they are merely attempting to plug

a system the size of the Three Gorges Dam with chewing gum. Social democracy will always find itselfcaught between the demands of capitalism and labour, and this ensures that it will never offer innovativesolutions to alter the capitalist system. Not unless it is brave enough to prove itself wrong.

* polonomicswww.subverbum.com

left

behind

withempty

words

danielhg.blogspot.com

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* cultucopiawww.subverbum.com

Of course its ust sheer lazinessthe Editors and the Black RebelClub thinking of naming songsGerman cities? So you write a

track and youre looking for a nachoose the name of the city youvery original strategy. Its the sathose deranged celebrities do wpick a name for their children bythe name of the city of conceptio

But what these dark knights of inpulled-off is far more superior. Yyou need a dose of melancholic ismog to lend subterranean mea

track there are only a handful ofThey could have gone for CoveValenciennes, and they wouldnearer the industrial ideal they wbut Munich and Berlin soundundisputedly cool. They have itthe historical significance and cuthe lot.

5

stea

citie

son

www.subverbum.

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. What wereotorcycle

fteralf decent

e, so youwrote it in. Ae thingen trying toborrowingn.

die haveu see, when

industrialing to your

options.try orave been

ere pursuing,oll as cities,ltural cache,

The Editors and BRMCcoolness is an admixtuand the seriousness ofmissed the boat on this

of their tracks Amsterdmeaningful about theexists and is devoid ofI suppose one could arwell-suited to the Coldp

But why should Berlinsgrime strike the right chAmsterdams sterility nperception. Berlin still hany other city, but it als

tradition of the untersignificant. A history offascist and communistclinical uniformities hasretains its subterraneanshot in the arm a medio

ling

for

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com / 1.4.2011 8.4.2011

city.

elten.mula.

understand thate of underground chicJoy Division. Coldplayformula by calling one

am: there is nothingDutch capital, it justny form of mythology.ue that this makes it

lay track in question.

perceived industro-ords andt? Its all aboutas the parks, just likeo has the grey

elten. This isindustrial dominance,ivalries, bunkers andensured that Berlinforce. This is just thecre track needs.

www.catalinaphotography.com

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* memewww.subverbum.com

6


iStockphoto/Manuel Jung

Maria von Herbert had it coming. She

should never have told that lie in the firstplace. Just what was she thinking of whenshe hid a small matter of secrecy betweenfriends to her fianc? She nowcontemplates suicide and is a nervouswreck following her fiancs learning of theincidence and his admonishing of her: hehas now even retracted his love. Liveaccording to moral duty no matter what!Think not of the consequences of youractions but strive to maintain thatcategorical imperative; that rule of moral

perfection to which all should subscribe.

Do not become an ethical serf by lying to your neighbours or lovers. Even if you cause outright emotionalanguish, the truth will out for the benefit of humankind.

Poor girl nothing! She did the right thing in telling her fianc, albeit she perhaps told him a little too late. Justthink of the battering her moral character sustained with every passing second of the deceit. Now her sorrowand anguish is a great symbol of her coming right, of her realignment with the cosmos, of her reintegrationback into the ethical spirit of humankind. Her personal sadness turned the joy of the world! Oh what a wonderto indeed behold.

But for all her naivet in following that stifling, conniving, categorical imperative, Maria is not doing well. There

is no telling what she will do now. You see, her Prussian counsellor had told her to be steadfast, that societywould understand her plight and forgive her for coming clean. The only problem is that her former fianc hasgone around town talking of her moral impurity. People shun her in public and she has little chance of findinganother fianc. The opposite of ethical justice has taken root; she is alone in a world of ethical authoritarianismaimed at her.

subverbum: Surely Professor Kant can help?Maria: No, hes done enough damage!subverbum: Well he got you into this mess, maybe he can help you out of it.subverbum: So, Kant, what should young Maria do?Kant: Well now, the girl is clearly hysterical and she should really get a grip, you know, let her reason

top her passion and all that.subverbum: Yes, but it was her reason in adhering to your categorical imperative that led to her passion

and social downfall.Maria: I think Im going to leave town, and start life somewhere elseKant: But wait, you should be proud of your moral superiority!Maria: I think Ill end it all, thatll end this metaphysical nightmareKant: You cant do that, thats even more immoral than keeping a secret! Have you learnt nothing

from me?!Maria: Do you mean Im stuck in this quandary for the rest of my natural life?Kant: Well, that is your duty... and duty is absolute regardless of what you think dear.Subverbum: Wait a minute; is there really nothing Maria can do?Kant: Not as long as I say so...

ethics.

imperative.

entrapment.

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existential.dog.philosophy.

* memewww.subverbum.com

You can never be too sure. Is he looking atyou out of love or does he just want morefood? There is something suspiciouslydepressing about the authenticity of a dogsintentions. The rudimentary elements of lifecolour their dispositions, and one is left

wondering what this all means. Is it possiblethat we are relied upon as humans only tooffer victuals and fluids, are we not supposedto give more than this? Affection is onlyappreciated by us, and is really only for us, sodoes this mean that interaction with ournatural environment is simply reduced tohusbandry and stewardship?

Thats the thing about our intrinsic human ego.It is thoroughly unsatisfying to learn that we

are merely the providers in the eyes of dogs.Dont let them fool you for one measlysecond. You see, they have been bredstrategically to elicit what they need from usthrough the knowing shift of an eye, thepuffed-up chest, the slightest of whines andthat licentious lick of the lips. Dogs areingeniously engineered to take us for a ride,their proven philosophy more effective andperfect than any developed by say a Kant ora Schopenhauer.

But they dont just take do they? Thats theproblem. In a more profound sense they forceus inwards to a cavernous place where wemust confront our own reaction to such adisplay of elementary yearnings. Philosophy ofdog becomes in an instant psychology of

human. What goes on behind their eyes?What are they thinking? Do they hate me? Dothey despise me for giving in too easily to theirdemands? Those of you whom never arrive atsuch questions, or simply choose to pass overthem, are doomed to a future of sloppysoppiness. To not respect philosophy ofdog is to ignore your own fragility and partin the human condition.

We are on dangerous ground indeed. Why is it

that something which doesnt love in the sensewe expect, gain just as much respect andfeeling than those fellow humans we do love inthe traditional sense? Do beings that dontgive us automatic reverence, or secretlydespise how easily we subside, actuallyincrease the attraction and intrigue? We see totheir every demand for sustenance, and theydont force the little matter of our existentialfailures. Perhaps this is the essence of theunwritten contract between us and them?

7

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