{"id":1311,"date":"2010-06-30T13:31:52","date_gmt":"2010-06-30T18:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2010\/06\/30\/the-chain-of-likes-loves\/"},"modified":"2010-06-30T13:31:52","modified_gmt":"2010-06-30T18:31:52","slug":"the-chain-of-likes-loves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2010\/06\/30\/the-chain-of-likes-loves\/","title":{"rendered":"the chain of likes &amp; loves"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TbLU9tdDwxo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Governments (in this case, it was the Conservative federal government of Stephen Harper) <em>like <\/em>to host these big international gatherings; they think it builds their national and international prestige. Police <em>like<\/em> to provide the security for them; they get lots of $ for new toys and great opportunities to try them out. Protestors <em>like<\/em>, or feel they need, to demonstrate that the gathered political elites are corruptly entwined with economic elites and are not responsive to the needs of the people they are supposed to represent. (It helps them organize themselves collectively and define their political identities individually; let&#8217;s call it citizenship.) A tiny fraction of those protestors (whom we&#8217;ll call the Black Bloc) <em>like<\/em>, and probably love, to make that point dramatically, so as to &#8220;smash capitalism,&#8221; on the hypothesis that the more smashing that occurs, the more everybody will wake up to the necessity for more smashing.<\/p>\n<p>Police like to have enemies &#8211; it makes their job easier &#8211; so they infiltrate the protestors, including the tiny fraction, and egg them on (in this case to burn a police car and smash some shop windows). This gives them justification for their efforts (and the $ they got). The media has a feeding frenzy; they <em>love<\/em> to have feeding frenzies. The police and feds say &#8220;we told you so,&#8221; which they love to do (who doesn&#8217;t?).<\/p>\n<p>Evidence accumulates that the police not only overstepped reasonable boundaries but that they instigated some, and maybe a lot, of the violence. (The jury&#8217;s still out on the agent-provocateur hypothesis, but it&#8217;s important to have people connecting these kinds of dots.) People protest (which they don&#8217;t generally love to do; it&#8217;s more work than complaining). <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/gta\/torontog20summit\/article\/830057--calls-for-g20-inquiry-ratchet-up?bn=1\">Public pressure builds.<\/a> The police chief resigns in disgrace. The feds get booted out in the next election. Another government replaces them. (Hmm&#8230; then what?)<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><br \/>\nWe&#8217;re not quite at the the heads-rolling stage of this chain of affective events. But if you&#8217;re a Canadian (and Facebookizen), join groups like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/home.php#!\/group.php?gid=135629036463012\">this <\/a>(the number gets cited in media reports), let your representatives know, speak out.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s nice to see that the Toronto Star <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/opinion\/editorials\/article\/829601--g20-editorial-brutal-spectacle-failed-a-city-and-its-people\">managed to find<\/a> its now-you-see-it-now-you-don&#8217;t soft political heart in the midst of this.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a bit more (not that I particularly trust Russia Today, but one takes one&#8217;s news where one finds it):<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ovCRVNMy97g?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Wild idea for next time: how about putting the cops and the Black Bloc in a ring with each other and letting the rest of us do our thing? (Someone needs to reclaim anarchism from the style warriors.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Governments (in this case, it was the Conservative federal government of Stephen Harper) like to host these big international gatherings; they think it builds their national and international prestige. Police like to provide the security for them; they get lots of $ for new toys and great opportunities to try them out. Protestors like, or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[691215],"tags":[16915,16916,16917,4459],"class_list":["post-1311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics_postpolitics","tag-alter-globalism","tag-g-20","tag-globalization","tag-protest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4IC4a-l9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7095,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2013\/12\/12\/the-groundlessness-of-revolution\/","url_meta":{"origin":1311,"position":0},"title":"The groundlessness of revolution","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"December 12, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every violent suppression of dissent is violence against the humanity that is being born. The world to come is at stake in these encounters. That's what I tweeted last night while watching what looked like the squashing of a revolution, when riot police appeared by the thousands and began moving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Media ecology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Media ecology","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/media_ecology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2021\/06\/ukraine-protest-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2021\/06\/ukraine-protest-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2021\/06\/ukraine-protest-3.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7282,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2014\/02\/07\/country-under-reconstruction-ukraine-the-society-of-the-provocation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1311,"position":1},"title":"&#8216;Country under reconstruction&#8217;: Ukraine &amp; the society of the provocation","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"February 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\"COUNTRY UNDER RECONSTRUCTION. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.\" (from Ukrainian anarchist group\u00a0Blackmaidan) \"It is as if, for a moment, the \u2018projection\u2019 of the outside world has stopped working; as if we have been confronted momentarily with the formless grey emptiness of the screen itself...\" \u00a0(Slavoj Zizek, describing the scene outside a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/politics_postpolitics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"61301_722107674488273_307303567_n","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2014\/02\/61301_722107674488273_307303567_n-157x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2875,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2011\/03\/06\/metaphorics-of-revolution-rebellion\/","url_meta":{"origin":1311,"position":2},"title":"Metaphorics of &#8220;revolution&#8221; &amp; &#8220;rebellion&#8221;","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"March 6, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"When we hear about a Twitter and Facebook \"revolution\" in \"X Square\" or in a city in Libya, do we get keyed up? When we later hear about \"rebels\" and \"civil war\" somewhere in Africa (in that same Libya), do we tune out? This week's On the Media -- one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Media ecology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Media ecology","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/media_ecology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11182,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2020\/11\/02\/well-here-we-go\/","url_meta":{"origin":1311,"position":3},"title":"Well, here we go&#8230;","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"November 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Cross-posted from e2mc. Note that this post takes the Stoic strategy of preparing for the worst, so as to be pleasantly surprised when the worst fails to come to pass. Deep breath, Americanos. Let\u2019s brace ourselves for what may be the messiest, most\u00a0litigious and disruptive Interregnum\u00a0in U.S. history. (\u201cInterregnum\u201d =\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/politics_postpolitics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/11\/literal-hell-stoic-negative-visualization-gratitude-thankfulness-1200x675-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/11\/literal-hell-stoic-negative-visualization-gratitude-thankfulness-1200x675-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/11\/literal-hell-stoic-negative-visualization-gratitude-thankfulness-1200x675-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/11\/literal-hell-stoic-negative-visualization-gratitude-thankfulness-1200x675-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/11\/literal-hell-stoic-negative-visualization-gratitude-thankfulness-1200x675-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1342,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2010\/09\/16\/just-sitting-there\/","url_meta":{"origin":1311,"position":4},"title":"just sitting there","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"September 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"My favorite line in Patrick Groneman's account of a group of Buddhist meditators' attempt to bear witness, by just sitting, amidst the rival armies of 9-11 protestors in downtown New York City (anti-mosque, pro-mosque, et al) is the passer-by yelling \u201cThis is New York, don\u2019t just sit there\u2026stand up and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spirit matter&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spirit matter","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/religion-spirituality\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5366,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2011\/10\/05\/reforest-wall-street\/","url_meta":{"origin":1311,"position":5},"title":"Reforest Wall Street","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"October 5, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"While I've been too busy to follow the Wall Street occupation very closely, let alone participate in any but the most vicarious ways, I'm encouraged by the persistence of its participants. Isn't it time Americans started saying basta! to government of the lobbyists, by the politicians, and for the corporations?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/politics_postpolitics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}