{"id":228,"date":"2017-02-02T11:07:28","date_gmt":"2017-02-02T18:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/ccc\/?page_id=228"},"modified":"2017-07-05T22:28:23","modified_gmt":"2017-07-06T05:28:23","slug":"anti-authoritarian-traditions-activism-and-media","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/ccc\/artsculture\/anti-authoritarian-traditions-activism-and-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Authoritarian Traditions: Activism and Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Photo Credit: Mutual Aid; The Authority Smashing Hour: Radical Report<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zach Yandrich<\/h2>\n

As an artist, I find the thought of commodifying my art to be perturbing. When art is free, it will naturally flow into the possession of more people than it would have otherwise, affecting a larger and more diverse audience. When this happens, art will then start to inspire more people to do their own art and to collaborate, creating even more change in turn. Within inspiration comes change, as inspiration inevitably leads to innovation, and new eras are born as the planet’s problems are solved by collaborative collectives of individual artists around the world.<\/p>\n

Capitalism prevents the world from moving forward\u2014not just by exploiting the working and poor classes, along with every other categorization of “othering” that occurs within capitalism, but also by staunching innovative thinking through the suppression of truly collaborative and meaningful art. Artistic thought is critical thought, as an artist is not only self-critical but also critical of others, and their critical thinking is sharpened through practice. Art is in everything, and everyone deserves to be involved if they wish. A person should not be forced to choose between the commodification of their art, and eating.<\/p>\n

Commodification of art is problematic to say the least, but at least at times you can draw narratives from it. Though monopolies of industry and art exist, sometimes gold falls through, allowing others to dream of freedom in turn.<\/p>\n

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Authority is nothing but arbitrary rules imposed on individuals by others, and enforced by violence.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Our world is visibly falling apart. Donald Trump (#FDT<\/a>), the “reality” TV show personality<\/em> is now president of the biggest military and colonizing power in known history, and is rolling with the attitude of a Mussolini character<\/a>, and what looks like a version of Hitler’s plan of a unified National Identity, under National-Socialist and authoritarian control. With #FDT in mind, Hitler detained and eradicated<\/a> anyone outside of his ideal “National Identity” of Aryan, white-supremacist cogs, working within the nuclear-family ideal for the betterment of the “white race.<\/a>“<\/p>\n

Being under a Hitleresque regime under #FDT, for any moderate length of time, would spell more disaster for the entirety of the world. #FDT and his regime can seize the machinery of the ever-exploitative capitalist system and use it to perpetrate even more explicit exploitation than is currently happening. Exploitation that will allow a true National-Socialist State to rise for the “benefit” of one select group of people, who will be raised to a new, official, privileged class of duty and conformity.<\/p>\n

Though people of the pale-melanin persuasion might think that because of their creamy complexion that they will be able to escape exploitation, they are wrong. No matter the system that exists, as long as there is hierarchy there is exploitation. The political elite, the corporatists, the politicians, the corporations are the individuals and the entities that hold power. They only care about themselves and will be able to exert even more power with every new actor that presents themselves in the chair of U.S. president, grinding ever more conformity and rigidity into those that the regime finds ideal\u2014and death, destruction, and misery for everyone else.<\/p>\n

The only way to resist tyranny of any kind is through community participation in collective decision making and defense. Through the participation in art, the recording of art, we can build a new world from the wreckage of our past.<\/p>\n

Music: Soul Bender<\/h2>\n

Tom Morello<\/h3>\n

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Banned in the gud’ul’US’r’A<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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Union Town: Not Available<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

On January 31st, I discovered that Tom Morello’s official music on Youtube became unavailable to be watched in the U.S. Within another day, his official music had been fully removed from Youtube. Morello is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)<\/a>, an explicitly anti-capitalist labor union, a former member of Rage Against the Machine<\/a>, Audioslave<\/a>, self-titled as “The Nightwatchman<\/a>” singing labor<\/a> and more folksy<\/a> “class war anthems<\/a>“, and a current member of the super group, Prophets of Rage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What Morello said in this interview<\/a> with Bill Maher might be part of the reason why his monetized music videos have been banned… Pretty much, Tom Morello doesn’t like #FDT and would never give #FDT permission to use any of his music, nor would he lie down to #FDT if the occasion arose, nor should he.<\/p>\n

Art that lasts is meaningful art. In many ways, Rage Against the Machine got lucky, finding their signature sound when they did. However, what separates RATM from other bands, is the intent behind their art. When you listen to them, you can feel, touch, see their rage, their anger and their intention. Like other amazingly talented musicians and artists, the members got lucky by circumstance, and their notoriety and hard work resulted in them gaining capital, money. What they also gained though, is a worldwide platform from which they can effect change using the social capital that they had gained when they were raised to celebrity status.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for RATM, what truly matters with art, with music, is the will to effect change, not for only oneself, but for everyone. Making art for the sake of making art. I believe that every piece of art on this list is speaking to something, trying to make for radical change in our crazy world. This is how we last and survive, this is how we prosper and thrive, by creating art that changes each other.<\/p>\n

The Nightwatchman<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chumbawamba<\/h3>\n

The charming Irish punk rockers and creators of Tubthumping<\/a><\/em> brought us an updated, English take on the Italian classic Bella Ciao<\/em>. I personally love this song, it contains so much power. Hearing it, you can feel the weight of the song, you can picture the Italian partisans hugging their loved ones before they left to fight, and it makes me want to honor their sacrifices the best that I can.<\/p>\n

Chumbawamba – Bella Ciao<\/a><\/h4>\n
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Credit: Bella Ciao<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ralph Chaplin<\/h3>\n

Another Wobbly, or member of the IWW, Ralph Chaplin penned Solidarity Forever<\/em> and put it to the tune of John Brown’s Body<\/i> (aka Battle Hymn of the Republic<\/i>).<\/p>\n

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In the pantheon of American labor history there is a very special place for Ralph Chaplin, the man and his work. As the poet laureate of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), he is probably remembered best for giving organized labor its fighting theme song, Solidarity Forever<\/i>. <\/span>---<\/span> Bruce Le Roy<\/a><\/span><\/pre>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Chaplin spent several years in jail<\/a> in 1917-23, as he was considered a radical. Under the 1917 Espionage Act<\/a> he was held without trial or charge initially along with 165 other Wobblies in 1918, and then again with 10,000 other radicals across the U.S. in 1919.<\/p>\n
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Credit: Sabo Cat<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Additionally, Chaplin is credited with the “Sabo-cat” design. A black cat with an arching back, claws extended, and hissing, according to Chaplin this “‘Sab Cat’<\/a> was supposed to symbolize the ‘slow down’ as a means of ‘striking on the job’.” It is now a famous symbol used by the labor movement in general, however the IWW still holds Sabo-Kitty close.<\/p>\n
Tom Morello’s cover of Solidarity Forever<\/a><\/em><\/h4>\n
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Credit: Ralph Chaplin<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Utah Philips<\/h3>\n
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Photo Credit: Utah Phillips<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
This career hobo was an IWW organizer and singer, songwriter, and spoken word artist who focused on class consciousness and labor ballads. Philips couldn’t stand the music industry, and advocated for “Making a Living, not a Killing<\/a>” and tried to demonetize his music as much as possible.<\/p>\n
Here is an audio clip from Utah Phillips on what he had learned about politics and volunteerism over the course of his life, and from his mentor\u00a0Ammon Hennessy.<\/a><\/p>\n
Additionally: 
\n Utah Phillips & Ani DiFranco<\/a> –\u00a0 <\/span>– The Most Dangerous Woman<\/a><\/span>
\n Utah Phillips & Ani DiFranco – <\/span>– Direct Action<\/a> (free speech fights)<\/span>
\n Utah Phillips covers Joe Hill’s Pie in the Sky and<\/em> The Preacher and the Slave<\/em><\/span><\/a>
\n Utah Phillips – Hallelujah I’m A Bum<\/a>
\n Utah Phillips – We Have Fed You All A Thousand Years<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
HGS Savage Family<\/h3>\n
Savage Fam<\/a> is an Indigenous hip-hop group that makes Native and resistance- focused music, and is explicit<\/a> about their messages and their rage.<\/p>\n
Savage Fam: Truth be Told<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
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Photo Credit: Ant Loc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
[Verse 1]<\/span> <\/span>
\n  I know the masses journey\u2019d, to see us dead <\/span>
\n  They watched the massacre, a mother carried her child to safety <\/span>
\n  They went after her <\/span>
\n  Killed and cut her breasts off <\/span>
\n  A warrior sings his death song <\/span>
\n  They pray for us the moment they die, therefore they blessed us <\/span>
\n  Hear the message, in the memories of them <\/span>
\n  And never forget their presence, yes remember the dead <\/span>
\n  Remember they live inside us, each and every one of me <\/span>
\n  Reachin\u2019 for the sun that\u2019s just me showin\u2019 my love <\/span>
\n  No retreat and never run, somefin\u2019 brought me to life <\/span>
\n  And said take the option to fight over just watching \u2018em die <\/span>
\n  So we constantly try to live life as sacred as that <\/span>
\n  Until the day that we die, until the day that we back <\/span>
\n  Connect the rez to the past present, future, here and then <\/span>
\n  And the music in the wind that\u2019s the proof the spirit lives <\/span>
\n  That\u2019s the proof that we exist here, live in the flesh <\/span>
\n  With a pride that exist inside us to fight \u2018til the death<\/span>
\n  —– <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n