Morning Comrades! Plenty of topics to cover today, new art, new drop this weekend, Black Friday, a brilliant piece on Indigenous Marxism and Hot Shots.
As to the above, I grew up in the 70s and 80s trusting and believing the BBC to be the most accurate, impartial voice of England, as I am sure millions of working class kids did in those days. Growing up I realized that similar to all media companies that said neutrality truly was nothing but a successful PR story, especially with the first Iraq War being my first experience as a teenager seeing how partial our news truly were. Fast forward to today, and after ten years of Tory rule the BBC has been reduced and misused as a terrible Government PR Machine. Their selective news, opinions and platforms they offer to people you wouldn’t invite into your home even if you had to is hard to stomach these days. That’s the background to the above.
A few words on Black Friday. Up until a few years ago I had never heard of that US bonanza but of course, Capitalism being the Universal these days, it does exist here in Europe and you know what, fuck it. I am not partaking in it, neither are most genuine small, independent business’ such as Black Lodges and nor should anyone take part in this nonsense. Similar to Valentine’s Day its pure idiocy and stock market driven nonsense that only demeans what us independents do. So no, there will not be a Black Friday sale. I will put all remaining dead stock on Sale in December and whatever money I’ll make from that I will donate to my local homeless shelter. That’s that.
There will be a new drop this Friday however, and one that I am once again excited about. This time it is a collaboration with my friend Fronsaide, here in Hamburg, a wonderful human being, tattoo artist and general good guy to have around. There is a little surprise waiting in the online store as well, but I will be sharing that with the Telegram Group first. You can click the above image to see the preview online now.
Communism is the Horizon, Queer Indigenous Feminism is the Way.
So often, when debating practical approaches to Communism you will hear discussions about Indigenous practices and how we, as the International genuinely need to focus on said voices. I wholeheartedly agree with this and over the last year have been fortunate enough to include a lot of research from this field into my PhD - however, I have yet to come across a text, a manifest so to say in English that is as brilliant, concise and true than the above.
It was written by The Red Nation, and before you go any further, follow them on every channel that you use. From their website:
The Red Nation is dedicated to the liberation of Native peoples from capitalism and colonialism. We center Native political agendas and struggles through direct action, advocacy, mobilization, and education.
We are a coalition of Native and non-Native activists, educators, students, and community organizers advocating Native liberation. We formed to address the marginalization and invisibility of Native struggles within mainstream social justice organizing, and to foreground the targeted destruction and violence towards Native life and land.
Now the above text that is linked in the above picture perfectly, in easy to read and understandable English, encapsulates so much of the current and future discussion of Communism and how to implement it. Without much ado it nails all topics relevant to imagining a new world and I wanted to highlight this for you, but by all means, read this, share this, make this your daily affirmation.
Communism is our past and our horizon. Indigenous people have always been communists. We call for communism in our prayers because communism is our rightful relation with the earth. When we hear “from the bottom up,” we think of liberation achieved from reflecting on the experiences of life from the grassroots to the next world—literally that which emerges from below the earth and grows upward to greet the sun…
…we don’t want to create something today that we will have to destroy tomorrow.” The same holds true for Indigenous communism. While we draw from many traditions of socialism and communism, we are intentional in learning from history and not simply replicating that which has come before. While we draw from Indigenous political traditions, we do not claim that our ancestors lived in a perfect world. We have a right to study the dynamic and complex history of socialism and communism—with all its faults and glories—and choose which aspects of this history to bring with us (and which to discard) as we create a new world. The same applies to Indigenous history and Indigenous traditions of resistance…
Communism is kinship; kinship is communism. Marx knew this. Marx saw in Indigenous kinship the fulcrum of the commons, which he understood as the basis of communism. He understood the original form of capitalist violence was the enclosure of the commons. The caging and commodification of communal lands through the erection of fences and borders created the conditions for primitive accumulation. It also alienated people from their kinship bonds, literally forged through communal relationship with the land. While Marx was observing this in England, Indigenous people were resisting and mourning the enclosure of our commons here in Turtle Island: the theft and transfer of our beloved kin—the land, mountains, and rivers—into private property and eminent domain. Capitalism requires all forms of relationality to become selfish (as in to own property) and individualist (as in to own wealth). Communism is based on the opposite: generosity and collectivity, what we as Indigenous peoples simply call ‘kinship’ (the term is different in each of our languages, so the English term is a shorthand).
I could go citing this text but just do yourself the favour of reading this, getting in touch and figuring out how this can and should apply to you.
With that, I will leave you with some of the Hot Shots that have occupied my phone for a day or so for you to share, get angry and talk / take action about.