FundamentallySound Blog

I can think of no other country I've visited or lived in wherein a lack of money is stigmatized as severely as it is in the United States of America. Luckily, it's not necessary for me to put myself in environments where this stigmatization is most severe, as I keep to my friends, and I'm pretty selective about who they are. I was thinking about this again when listening to Laurie Taylor's report on the history of militant resistance to the disenfranchisement of Amsterdam's citizens in the 70's and 80's. In Amsterdam there are and were people who had the courage to stand up for their belief that urban space belonged to the citizens, and they had a right to live there regardless of their financial wealth. That's how my favorite Amsterdam club De Trut was started, by a group of militantly gay squatters who demanded the right to their space and their way of life, as Dutch citizens. It's the history of Kraakgeluiden, a performance venue that is finally able to receive full rights to their space and is also getting money from the government, after years of squatters inhabiting Overtoom 301, an old building in a great neighborhood. STEIM's history is similar, a group of anarchist electro-music artists got a small space and started programming the performances of their friends and neighbors. Now they're internationally recognized as a laboratory for new music and instruments.

But in America, even in San Francisco, the level of complacency and acceptance of the status quo is mind-boggling. It seems most people in this country do not have the energy to argue for their opinions, or to even be bothered to form them. Of course there are also many people who do not fit this mold, most of them living within this 7 by 7 mile area of San Francisco or in one of the 5 boroughs on the other coast, but the general disinterest in what is happening in this country right now is startling. Where is the rage? Sometimes I just simply wonder if the value placed on human life is lower in this country. Maybe it's a form of enlightenment, like a Buddhist recognition that all is temporary, so why worry anyway: no need to try too hard, this too shall pass. For a country that has produced so much mythology around individuality, self-expression, and democratic ideals, this current and startling national silence by its citizens speaks volumes, and what it says is rather frightening.

update: maybe the resistance is in nyc
Counter Convention
RNC Not Welcome in NYC
RNCWatch