Re: <nettime> "Consume revolutionary media"

[Sean Cubitt <sean.cubitt@unimelb.edu.au>]

thanks for the kickstart Brian, and thanks for the reminder to keep hoping, Prem:
I find regular inspiration from this canine cartoonist
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/14/lockdown-2-some-handy-dos-and-donts-to-help-get-through-the-extremely-dreary-sequel

The First Dog strip refers to the cluster of cases in social housing towers in Melbourne. The source here seems to be a) these shoddy buildings house poor populations in short-term employment notably in health, cleaning and security - the employees of the private security companies who guarded quarantine hotels without training or equipment. The lesson here as everywhere that a central cause of the second wave is poverty. Or to be more precise, wealth extracted from the poor.

The source of the first wave is even more obviously fruit of the profit motive. Expansion of "wealth-creating" extraction and construction into habitats a) stresses the critters, rams them into denser communities, and proliferates viral mutation. and b) brings more humans in contact with this damaged environment

It's clear that the ecological catastrophes adding to the pandemic misery, not to mention the vicious proxy wars often enough started by drought in Western Asia/North Africa and floods elsewhere, are directly caused and maintainedby the rise of the billionaire elite.

As a rule I'm not in favour of euthanasia. But perhaps a cull of the wealthiest 30 people on the planet and 100% death duties would make a good start

best
sean


Sean Cubitt | He/Him
Professor of Screen Studies
School of Culture and Communication
W104 John Medley Building
University of Melbourne
Grattan Street
Victoria 3010
AUSTRALIA


scubitt@unimelb.edu.au


New Book: Anecdotal Evidence

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/anecdotal-evidence-9780190065720?lang=en&cc=au#


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