These are my links for June 7th through June 12th: Class, power & ideology – – the illusion of control causes people to over-estimate the chances of them escaping the working class through their own efforts, and so under-estimate the importance of collective class action . – the in-group heterogeneity bias (which is the flipside [...]
Jun 13, 2011 | Categories:bookmarks | Tags: actor, altclassical, career, civilwar, class, controllerism, crime, davidsimon, director, diy, drugwar, echopark, economy, generativemusic, history, hollywood, losangeles, money, music, performance, prison, recording, recordstore, states, streetphotography, thewire, united, unitedstates | Leave A Comment »
it’s been fascinating to watch the british electoral system slide ever closer to toward a hung parliament and after reading this analysis of their recent debates gives an interesting insight into how the subtext of class still plays into politics in britain.
“David Cameron did better in yesterday’s debate compared to last week. But he still can’t break through. What’s the poor chap doing wrong?
First, the obvious point. He’s involved in a Big Lie: covering up what the nasty wing of his party would do to Britain should the Tories to win power.
To Cameron’s credit, he’s not very good at it. Talk to any trial lawyer and they’ll tell you lying’s hard. You can usually spot a liar in the witness stand at twenty paces.
Lairs must be clever, fast on their feet, have a brass neck, and a good memory. Why a good memory? Because liars must remember the lies they’ve told and not contradict themselves later on. Truth-tellers – most normal people – don’t have that problem. They just do their best to tell the truth. Liars, conversely, must constantly look over their shoulders. They need to be tough and clever to carry it off.
Cameron’s not in that league (Peter Mandelson probably is). Cameron has an okay brain - silver spoon, good breeding stock, excellent schooling – but he’s no genius. He’d make a fine marketing man or top-end Chelsea estate agent. But he’s no Einstein. Ergo he looks uncomfortable when telling lies. People pick up on it, especially now with politicians hated so fiercely.”
via tankthetories.com
Apr 27, 2010 | Categories:blog | Tags: class, Conservatives, Hung parliament, politics, subtext | Leave A Comment »
![Bookmarks for September 6th through September 20th [del.icio.us]](http://www.paulbailey.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bad-tattoos-571-150x150.jpg)
Bookmarks from September 6th through September 20th:[del.icio.us]
5 Ways to Build a Fascist-Proof America | Rights and Liberties | AlterNet – “America’s best (and perhaps only) chance to keep the shreds of its tattered democracy intact is to get serious about cutting working Americans back into the democratic contract — and repair their broken trust by making damn sure those promises are actually kept. Once they’re back on board, the system will begin to work again for everyone. Until then, the accelerating breakdown is just going to continue. It’s not going to be easy. Right-wing populism is riding so high among the middle and working classes right now that there’s nothing progressives can say right now that they’re likely to believe. So we need to let our actions do the talking — and there are five solid places we can start that will get their attention.”
Nick Hornby on the liberating effect of MP3 blogs | Music | The Observer – “In the year that High Fidelity was published, a new CD shop opened in my neighbourhood and rejuvenated my listening habits. The shop did well, initially, and I spent a lot of time in there, buying pretty much whatever the owners told me to buy; they were very clever, it seemed to me, in targeting the ageing (or perhaps, more precisely, ex-) hipsters of north London, people who were growing sick of their REM albums but didn’t know what else to buy. They sold hundreds of copies of Buena Vista Social Club, and a lot of tasteful trip-hop – which, as Simon Reynolds pointed out, was “merely a form of gentrification”. But then, what are you supposed to do if you’re becoming gentrified? Pretend it isn’t happening?”
Criticism « Proper Discord – “That the longest piece in the concert was played badly, and should have been cut. Mediocre performances aren’t just a boring waste of time. If nobody acknowledges that they are bad, it creates the illusion that there’s something the audience doesn’t get. They feel alienated, and they don’t come back. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t stage concerts if there’s a risk of doing them badly – there’s an element of creative risk in any good concert – but I am saying that we do ourselves a disservice when we create an environment that is hostile to the idea that there is room for improvement. There are plenty of ways you can dismiss my artistic criticism. Here are a few that I’ve seen:”
Artists Paid – REASONS I PREFER A LESS KNOWN BAND -”1. There’s a good chance you’ll talk to me 2. Even better, that you’ll know my name and not be a passerby 3. You appreciate/recognize individual supporters and interact with us closer 4. WE CAN ACTUALLY BUY TICKETS TO YOUR SHOWS 5. Sometimes you’ll come and play at ours because you can 6. Sometimes you’ll Tweet and say “I’m going to be playing here” and play there… FOR FREE 7. Sometimes you’ll spend four and a half hours playing all your songs back to back to say thank you 8. Sometimes you’ll send us emails or letters to individuals just to say ‘Hey, I like what you’ve been doing, thanks’ 9. I get to be in your album notes and contribute in various shapes and forms 10. The music quality isn’t actually WORSE than the big bands, and in some cases, exceeds it”
Sep 20, 2009 | Categories:bookmarks | Tags: america, article, blog/musings, class, classsystem, fascism, guardian, mp3, music, nick hornby, politics | Leave A Comment »
Bookmarks from June 15th through June 16th:[del.icio.us] the arts monastery project – “The purpose of The Art Monastery Project is to produce art that is relevant to the contemporary world yet is informed and inspired by tradition. Our strategy is to apply the disciplined efficiency and contemplative serenity of monastic life to art production. As [...]
Jun 16, 2009 | Categories:bookmarks | Tags: 8th blackbird, class, creativity, culture, louis andriessen, mark mcgurl, minimalism, modernism, music festival, ojai, reviews/press, steve reich, tim mangan | 1 Comment »
