Punk Rock Politics, Fascism, and Rock Against Racism

by Alessandro G. Moliterno // best dude I know

stained glass windows keep the cold outside while the hypocrites hide inside …

‘Economic injustices, including ”the hoarding of goods on a great scale”, may create “a climate of growing hostility and even violence, and ultimately undermine the very foundations of democratic institutions”.’

(from Vatican documents, apparently in support of Occupy protests)

… not for one race, one creed, one world; but for money. effective. absurd.[Public Image, Ltd. - ‘Religion I’]

because there’s nothing so democratic as middle-class white kids protesting for the rights of everybody-except-like-Andrew-Forrest-and-Rupert-Murdoch (is he even an Australian resident for tax purposes?)

<rant>

the worst is that discourse surrounding the Occupy protests (even in Australia) explores some important stuff (particularly the reality and limit of our representative democracy) … but this is totally overwhelmed—even weakened—by the patent naivety, or arrogance, of the central message.

that said, I enjoy the 1/99% line, and am glad they didn’t let Australia-having-demographic-stats-all-of-its-own get in the way of adopting it. think of all the memes that might not have been generated. it’s flawed, of course, as it addresses statistics over philosophy (if 1% of the population is evil-and-all-that, it doesn’t follow that 99% are blameless victims.)

and, I totally understand, because only-having-an-iPhone-3 and not-being-able-to-afford-gig-tickets are absolutely signs that someone is in serious need.

way to disenfranchise poverty, guys.

</rant>

there are always some dudes on the dance floor who, despite being consistently turned down, will not leave you alone.

I’ve heard it referred to as ‘bar culture’, as if that makes it okay.

but no means fucking no.

Curt Livingston, I eat souls [Tony Abbott] (2010).

tony abbott makes me feel a little ill

he looks like a shark.  he says stupid things.

the Australian government has not made a policy of believing in dragons.  but they’ve hardly legislated against their existence.

ok, yeah.  I’m feeling this.

aging politician condescends to dance with gorgeous 16-year-old. ‘even though’ she was aboriginal, or because his race was starting to regret tearing her’s apart.

“On a winter’s evening in 1968, Prime Minister John Gorton made history by dancing with a young Aboriginal girl at the first national Aboriginal debutante ball. The ball was held at the Sydney Town Hall to celebrate the symbolic ‘coming of age’ of Aboriginal Australians in the referendum a year earlier. Twenty-five young debutantes were presented to the Prime Minister, with Mr Gorton choosing to dance with 16-year old Pearl Anderson.”

(Source: moadoph.gov.au)

so I’m convinced that all protests should involve giant stuffed animals that have to be transported in utility vehicles.