xenogoth
looking for an exit
The affirmation question is a good one. At this point, it’s a bit of a verbal tic I’ve developed without much thought, but I suppose what I mean affirmation in a Nietzschean sense, which — at the most superficial level — I suppose means the affirmation of the beauty and good in something, often despite itself. There are lots of knotted twists and turns in that, depending on the context, but in the context of Mark and ‘Egress’, the main struggle was affirming the collective joy and solidarity that developed (and, perhaps, would not have otherwise developed) were it not for Mark’s death. And so there comes a very difficult process in even affirming that event. I wish it hadn’t happened but also I personally feel like my life is richer for the experiences and relationships it led to. That’s what I like about a lot of Bataille and Blanchot, particularly in the context of mourning.
In this context, it’s similar. There is this tendency to constantly remind people that Mark wasn’t all good or wasn’t always right, as if that even needs to be said. When I think what most people are interested in is affirming the politics Mark wrote in favour of, often despite himself. That’s precisely the gesture being made and so the self-aggrandising hand-wringing about who he was or wasn’t friends with always come across as quite pathetic to me.
Doing that with someone like Land is less easily argued for, and I also wouldn’t argue for it. (Again, I don’t actually find myself disagreeing with much that poetix says, but as soon as it slips into this vibe of “people like him - wayward, thoughtful, obviously intelligent - might be won over if they were engaged rather than shunned and despised.” That’s poetix approach to lots of things and, during one disagreement about Land and XF some months back, saw him express as much to others about me, as if I’m someone who needs to be course corrected and he’s done the righteous thing of trying to show me the light. Typically, it just comes across as patronising AF.
Do I have a tendency to go meta-level with Land’s racism? I don’t think I’ve ever discussed it. But as has been demonstrated, it's difficult to follow a line of disavowal consistently throughout all of his work. And that’s part of the very issue with Land. I’ve fought with him and also had quite pleasant conversations with him. He’s not consistent in himself, from work to work, twitter account to twitter account. There’s plenty that’s abhorrent and there’s much to be said for the way he cunningly and purposely tries to resist being boxed in. Much to the same extent that Kantbot terms himself to be a ‘ironist’ and toes the alt-right line one month before going FALC the next. (EDIT: Much to be said about in the sense of it deployment as a strategy online these days -- as if there's some white hat / black hat dichotomy within trolling -- but not in the sense that I admire it or anything... I remain vigilant about it more out of trying to avoid being played rather than having any interest in engaging in that sort of practice.) Land isn’t so divergent but there’s an extent to which he’s purposefully playing a game. I try and watch it closely, that’s all. And I certainly wouldn’t judge anyone else for doing the same, in that particular instance.
Poetix has taken a stance. That’s cool. I’m still happy to read him, even if uncomfortably.
In this context, it’s similar. There is this tendency to constantly remind people that Mark wasn’t all good or wasn’t always right, as if that even needs to be said. When I think what most people are interested in is affirming the politics Mark wrote in favour of, often despite himself. That’s precisely the gesture being made and so the self-aggrandising hand-wringing about who he was or wasn’t friends with always come across as quite pathetic to me.
Doing that with someone like Land is less easily argued for, and I also wouldn’t argue for it. (Again, I don’t actually find myself disagreeing with much that poetix says, but as soon as it slips into this vibe of “people like him - wayward, thoughtful, obviously intelligent - might be won over if they were engaged rather than shunned and despised.” That’s poetix approach to lots of things and, during one disagreement about Land and XF some months back, saw him express as much to others about me, as if I’m someone who needs to be course corrected and he’s done the righteous thing of trying to show me the light. Typically, it just comes across as patronising AF.
Do I have a tendency to go meta-level with Land’s racism? I don’t think I’ve ever discussed it. But as has been demonstrated, it's difficult to follow a line of disavowal consistently throughout all of his work. And that’s part of the very issue with Land. I’ve fought with him and also had quite pleasant conversations with him. He’s not consistent in himself, from work to work, twitter account to twitter account. There’s plenty that’s abhorrent and there’s much to be said for the way he cunningly and purposely tries to resist being boxed in. Much to the same extent that Kantbot terms himself to be a ‘ironist’ and toes the alt-right line one month before going FALC the next. (EDIT: Much to be said about in the sense of it deployment as a strategy online these days -- as if there's some white hat / black hat dichotomy within trolling -- but not in the sense that I admire it or anything... I remain vigilant about it more out of trying to avoid being played rather than having any interest in engaging in that sort of practice.) Land isn’t so divergent but there’s an extent to which he’s purposefully playing a game. I try and watch it closely, that’s all. And I certainly wouldn’t judge anyone else for doing the same, in that particular instance.
Poetix has taken a stance. That’s cool. I’m still happy to read him, even if uncomfortably.
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